# 2008 West Lancashire District Council election

The 2008 West Lancashire District Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of West Lancashire District Council in Lancashire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Seats | ± |
| Conservative | 35 | +2 |
| Labour | 18 | -2 |
| Independent | 1 | 0 |

## Campaign

Before the election, in which 19 seats were being contested, the Conservatives ran the council with 33 of the 52 seats. The seat in Tanhouse was being contested after the death of Labour councillor Sally Keegan in December 2007, while Conservative Martin Forshaw was unopposed in Hesketh with Becconsall. The Conservatives were strongly favoured to remain in control and were particularly targeting the last Labour held seat in Burscough.
The Conservatives campaigned on plans to regenerate Skelmersdale, build new council offices on a site in Ormskirk and a pledge to keep council tax rises as low as possible.

## Election result

The results saw the Conservatives increase their control of the council after making 2 gains from Labour. They gained the seats of Burscough West and Up Holland, with the margin of victory in Up Holland being only 3 votes after 2 recounts were required. Labour also only held the Tanhouse seat by 34 votes after a recount. The results meant the Conservatives had 35 seats compared to 18 for Labour and 1 independent. Overall turnout in the election was 30.51%.
The Conservative council leader, Geoff Roberts, saw the results as a sign they could take the parliamentary seat in the next general election, while Labour blamed their defeats on national issues.
West Lancashire Local Election Result 2008 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 12 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 63.2 | 54.2 | 11,101 | +1.4% |
| Labour | 7 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 36.8 | 36.8 | 7,543 | -1.1% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 | 857 | +3.3% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 | 638 | -0.5% |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 | 336 | +0.3% |

## Ward results
### Ashurst

Ashurst :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Geoff Roberts | 533 | 51.2 | −17.0 |
| | Conservative | James Coomber | 302 | 29.0 | −2.8 |
| | UKIP | Roy Green | 207 | 19.9 | +19.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 231 | 22.2 | −14.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,042 | 21.5 | +0.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Aughton and Downholland

Aughton and Downholland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Una Atherley | 1,073 | 65.0 | −7.1 |
| | Labour | Julie Gibson | 302 | 18.3 | −9.6 |
| | UKIP | Jim Bevan | 276 | 16.7 | +16.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 771 | 46.7 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,651 | 36.7 | +0.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Birch Green

Birch Green :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mary Pendleton | 394 | 75.9 | −5.5 |
| | Conservative | Malcolm Barron | 125 | 24.1 | +5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 269 | 51.8 | −11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 519 | 17.1 | +0.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Burscough East

Burscough East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Pratt | 737 | 65.6 | −0.6 |
| | Labour | Kate Anderson | 386 | 34.4 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 351 | 31.3 | −1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,123 | 34.6 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Burscough West

Burscough West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jason Grice | 853 | 58.6 | +2.7 |
| | Labour | Cynthia Dereli | 602 | 41.4 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 251 | 17.3 | +2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,455 | 37.0 | +0.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Derby

Derby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Adrian Owens | 904 | 61.8 | +4.6 |
| | Labour | Alexander Gilmore | 336 | 23.0 | −3.5 |
| | Green | Anne Doyle | 223 | 15.2 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 568 | 38.8 | +8.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,463 | 29.1 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Digmoor

Digmoor :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Terence Aldridge | 515 | 76.5 | −3.3 |
| | Conservative | Graham Jones | 158 | 23.5 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 357 | 53.0 | −6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 673 | 21.6 | +0.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Halsall

Halsall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Doreen Stephenson | 395 | 64.4 | +9.0 |
| | Independent | David Corfield | 152 | 24.8 | −19.8 |
| | Labour | Susan Jones | 66 | 10.8 | +10.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 243 | 39.6 | +28.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 613 | 34.6 | −12.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Hesketh-with-Becconsall

Hesketh-with-Becconsall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Martin Forshaw | unopposed | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Knowsley

Knowsley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Lea | 1,003 | 63.8 | +8.0 |
| | Labour | Ann Rice | 357 | 22.7 | −9.2 |
| | Green | John Watt | 211 | 13.4 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 646 | 41.1 | +17.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,571 | 35.4 | +0.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Moorside

Moorside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Christopher Mawdsley | 478 | 74.5 | −5.2 |
| | Conservative | Richard Shepherd | 164 | 25.5 | +5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 314 | 48.9 | −10.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 642 | 22.7 | +0.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Rufford

Rufford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joan Colling | 524 | 84.8 | +7.1 |
| | Labour | Jacqueline Citarella | 94 | 15.2 | −7.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 430 | 69.6 | +14.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 618 | 37.6 | −9.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Scott

Scott :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Cyril Ainscough | 861 | 55.7 | +8.4 |
| | Labour | Noel Delaney | 482 | 31.2 | −3.1 |
| | Green | Maurice George | 204 | 13.2 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 379 | 24.5 | +11.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,547 | 34.8 | −1.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Skelmersdale North

Skelmersdale North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Neil Furey | '563 | 62.9 | −14.4 |
| | Independent | Joan Morrison | 184 | 20.6 | +20.6 |
| | Conservative | Dave Rydings | 148 | 16.5 | −6.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 379 | 42.3 | −12.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 895 | 29.0 | +1.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Skelmersdale South

Skelmersdale South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sydney Jones | 778 | 66.7 | −6.5 |
| | Conservative | Joanne Rushton | 389 | 33.3 | +6.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 389 | 33.3 | −13.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,167 | 23.3 | −0.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Tanhouse

Tanhouse :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Nikki Hennessy | 402 | 52.2 | −8.3 |
| | Conservative | Cindy Miller | 368 | 47.8 | +21.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 4.4 | −29.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 770 | 22.7 | +3.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Tarleton

Tarleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Mee | 1,526 | 87.7 | +18.2 |
| | Labour | Stephen Hanlon | 215 | 12.3 | +3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,311 | 75.3 | +27.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,741 | 38.9 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Up Holland

Up Holland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ruth Pollock | 728 | 43.1 | −0.4 |
| | Labour | Maggie Skilling | 725 | 42.9 | −2.2 |
| | UKIP | Marie Settle | 238 | 14.1 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3 | 0.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,691 | 34.4 | −0.3 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Wrightington

Wrightington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Gartside | 843 | 65.1 | +2.2 |
| | Labour | Pauline Bailey | 315 | 24.3 | −12.8 |
| | UKIP | Iain Routh | 136 | 10.5 | +10.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 528 | 40.8 | +14.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,294 | 38.8 | −1.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |