The 2008 Derby City Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of DerbyCity Council in England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1] Overall turnout was 34.6%.[2][3]
After the election, the composition of the council was:
2007 election.[6] Other changes since 2007 included Labour councillor Prem Chera becoming an independent, and independent Frank Leeming joining the Conservatives.[6] This meant that before the election there were 21 Labour, 14 Conservative, 13 Liberal Democrat and 2 independent councillors.[6]
In all 61 candidates stood in the election, with 17 seats being contested.[7] Of those 17 seats Labour were defending 8, the Conservatives 6 and the Liberal Democrats 3.[6]
The leader of the Conservative party, David Cameron, visited Derby to support the local party on 3 April and described it as a "key battleground".[5]
Election result
The Liberal Democrats gained 5 seats to move from third largest group on the council to become the largest party, overtaking the Labour and Conservative parties.
Oakwood wards from the Conservatives.[9][10] Meanwhile, Labour recovered a seat in Sinfin which they had lost when Hardial Dhamrait had defected to the Conservatives.[9] However, Labour also two seats in Chaddesden and Chellaston to the Conservatives.[10]
Following the elections the three parties held discussions to decide who would run the council for the next two years.
congestion charging in Derby, and parking meters in Littleover.[12] However, the Liberal Democrats decided they would prefer to run the council as a minority rather than reach an agreement with Labour. At the council meeting on 21 May the Liberal Democrat leader, Hilary Jones, was elected leader of the council by 19 votes to 17 after the Conservatives abstained.[13]