# 2007 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election

The 2007 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council in West Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party kept overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
* Labour 40
* Conservative 16
* Independent 4
* Liberal Democrat 3

## Candidates

21 seats were contested in the election with both Labour and Conservatives standing in all of the seats. Other parties that put up candidates were the Liberal Democrats, British National Party, Green Party, United Kingdom Independence Party, Socialist Alternative party, British Voice party and some independents.

## Election result

The results saw Labour lose 2 seats to the Conservatives in Horbury and South Ossett and Wrenthorpe and Outwood West wards. One of the two losses was the deputy leader of the council, Phil Dobson, who was defeated in Wrenthorpe and Outwood West by 173 votes. However Labour gained a seat in Normanton from independent, Graeme Milner, and remained in control of the council. Overall turnout was 31.62%.
Following the election, Denise Jeffrey, was appointed the new deputy leader in a reshuffle of the cabinet.
Wakefield Local Election Result 2007 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 12 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 57.1 | 39.0 | 30,623 | -2.7% |
| Conservative | 6 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 28.6 | 30.0 | 23,494 | +0.9% |
| Independent | 2 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 9.5 | 10.2 | 8,035 | +2.6% |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 | 10.1 | 7,956 | +0.7% |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 | 6,498 | -2.4% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 | 1,116 | +0.3% |
| British Voice | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 324 | +0.4% |
| Socialist Alternative | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 240 | +0.0% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 148 | +0.0% |

## Ward results

Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jean Martin | 1,407 | 37.2 | −4.4 |
| | Conservative | Richard Molloy | 1,124 | 29.7 | −1.6 |
| | Independent | John Evans | 708 | 18.7 | +4.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Oliver Wadsworth | 544 | 14.4 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 283 | 7.5 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,783 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Airedale and Ferry Fryston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Yvonne Crewe | 1,689 | 57.2 | −0.8 |
| | BNP | Stephen Rogerson | 553 | 18.7 | −6.2 |
| | Conservative | Eamonn Mullins | 374 | 12.7 | −4.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Kirby | 337 | 11.4 | +11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,136 | 38.5 | +5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,953 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Altofts and Whitwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Heather Hudson | 1,563 | 48.2 | −1.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Burch | 619 | 19.1 | +2.6 |
| | BNP | Dawn Byrom | 546 | 16.8 | −2.9 |
| | Conservative | Tom Dixon | 513 | 15.8 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 944 | 29.1 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,241 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Castleford Central and Glasshoughton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tony Wallis | 2,077 | 63.4 | +10.6 |
| | BNP | Rita Robinson | 745 | 22.7 | −1.9 |
| | Conservative | Tony Ayoade | 453 | 13.8 | +4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,332 | 40.7 | +12.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,275 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Crofton, Ryhill and Walton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Maureen Cummings | 2,029 | 46.1 | +10.2 |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Hick | 1,500 | 34.1 | +6.0 |
| | BNP | Dean Crossland | 873 | 19.8 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 529 | 12.0 | +4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,402 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Featherstone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Pauline Guy | 1,828 | 41.5 | −8.6 |
| | Labour | Maureen Tennant-King | 1,698 | 38.5 | −3.0 |
| | BNP | Michael Wain | 392 | 8.9 | +8.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brendan Power | 260 | 5.9 | +5.9 |
| | Conservative | Charles Scholes | 232 | 5.3 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 130 | 3.0 | −4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,410 | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Hemsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Wayne Jenkins | 1,547 | 51.8 | −14.3 |
| | Independent | John Helliwell | 993 | 33.3 | +33.3 |
| | Conservative | Christian l'Anson | 446 | 14.9 | −19.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 554 | 18.5 | −13.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,986 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Horbury and South Ossett :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alyson Ripley | 1,822 | 42.7 | +8.4 |
| | Labour | Brian Holmes | 1,623 | 38.0 | +7.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Rowland | 825 | 19.3 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 199 | 4.7 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,270 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Knottingley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Glenn Burton | 1,545 | 61.5 | −2.6 |
| | Conservative | Mellisa Wan Omer | 498 | 19.8 | −16.1 |
| | Independent | Nathan Garbutt | 470 | 18.7 | +18.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,047 | 41.7 | +13.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,513 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Normanton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Dagger | 1,218 | 40.0 | −3.3 |
| | Independent | Graeme Milner | 758 | 24.9 | +11.3 |
| | BNP | Adam Frazer | 488 | 16.0 | −5.1 |
| | Conservative | Michael Ledgard | 353 | 11.6 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jack Smith | 230 | 7.5 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 460 | 15.1 | −7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,047 | | |
| | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Swing | | |
Ossett :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Knowles | 1,665 | 36.5 | −2.2 |
| | Conservative | Susan Armitage | 1,162 | 25.5 | +8.0 |
| | Labour | David Watts | 1,109 | 24.3 | −1.7 |
| | BNP | Suzy Cass | 620 | 13.6 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 503 | 11.0 | −1.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,556 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Pontefract North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Patricia Garbutt | 1,695 | 52.8 | −9.2 |
| | Conservative | Philip Thomas | 1,517 | 47.2 | +9.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 178 | 5.6 | −18.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,212 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Pontefract South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Philip Booth | 2,241 | 49.8 | +7.6 |
| | Labour | Bill O'Brien | 1,685 | 37.4 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Chris Rush | 575 | 12.8 | +12.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 556 | 12.4 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,501 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
South Elmsall and South Kirkby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Harold Mills | 2,042 | 55.0 | +55.0 |
| | Labour | Malcolm Evans | 1,280 | 34.5 | −38.8 |
| | Conservative | Sheila Scholes | 390 | 10.5 | −16.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 762 | 20.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,712 | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Stanley and Outwood East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clive Hudson | 1,338 | 35.9 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative | Simon Wilson | 1,130 | 30.3 | +3.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Evans | 679 | 18.2 | −0.8 |
| | BNP | Glenn Fothergill | 581 | 15.6 | −5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 208 | 5.6 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,728 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Wakefield East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ron Halliday | 1,603 | 46.6 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative | Margaret Holwell | 773 | 22.5 | +3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ather Mohammed | 426 | 12.4 | −3.1 |
| | BNP | Robert Arnold | 399 | 11.6 | −3.5 |
| | Socialist Alternative | Michael Griffiths | 240 | 7.0 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 830 | 24.1 | −1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,441 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Wakefield North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Margaret Isherwood | 1,262 | 36.6 | −2.3 |
| | Conservative | Nick Pickles | 957 | 27.8 | +5.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Goodair | 612 | 17.8 | +0.0 |
| | BNP | Graham Thewlis-Hardy | 405 | 11.8 | −5.7 |
| | UKIP | Keith Wells | 148 | 4.3 | +0.6 |
| | Independent | Mark Harrop | 61 | 1.8 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 305 | 8.8 | −7.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,445 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Wakefield Rural :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bryan Denson | 2,373 | 52.4 | +1.3 |
| | Labour | Martyn Johnson | 1,210 | 26.7 | −4.4 |
| | Green | John Lumb | 642 | 14.2 | −3.6 |
| | Independent | Michael Greensmith | 300 | 6.6 | +6.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,163 | 25.7 | +5.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,525 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Wakefield South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Monica Graham | 1,817 | 41.6 | +12.2 |
| | Independent | Norman Hazell | 875 | 20.1 | −8.9 |
| | Labour | Charles Keith | 756 | 17.3 | +0.6 |
| | BNP | Neville Poynton | 402 | 9.2 | −4.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Nuthall | 316 | 7.2 | −4.4 |
| | Green | Miriam Hawkins | 197 | 4.5 | +4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 942 | 21.5 | +21.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,363 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Wakefield West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bill Sanders | 2,202 | 54.9 | −2.2 |
| | Labour | Javed Iqbal | 845 | 21.1 | −9.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Morgan | 366 | 9.1 | −3.2 |
| | British Voice | Norman Tate | 324 | 8.1 | +8.1 |
| | Green | Brian Else | 277 | 6.9 | +6.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,357 | 33.8 | +7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,014 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Wrenthorpe and Outwood West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Hunt | 1,617 | 39.9 | −6.4 |
| | Labour | Philip Dobson | 1,444 | 35.6 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Dodd | 502 | 12.4 | +12.4 |
| | BNP | Grant Rowe | 494 | 12.2 | −6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 173 | 4.3 | −6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,057 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |