Chester City Council

2006 Election

The Conservative Party gained 5 seats in Lache, Newton St. Michael's, Handbridge, Elton and Upton Grange. Labour lost three seats to the Conservatives, and avoided losing Boughton and City to the Conservatives, and College to the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats lost two seats to the Conservatives, and only avoided losing a safe seats, Vicars Cross, to the Conservatives. In addition, a Liberal Democrat Councillor (Jeff Clarke, Waverton) defected to the Conservatives. The Conservatives also won a by-election in Autumn 2006, taking another seat from the Liberal Democrats.

2007 Election

The Conservative party gained 7 seats in Lache, Newton Brook, Huntington, Tattenhall, Upton Grange, Kelsall and Boughton Heath. They also regained Christleton after the seat had been vaccant for four months. The Liberal Democrats were defeated in five seats, Labour in one, and one long-serving Independent (Doug Haynes, Tattenhall) was beaten. Labour were beaten into fourth place in one ward (Malpas) by the English Democrats. The Liberal Democrats narrowly avoided finishing in fourth place in Blacon Hall and Blacon Lodge. Labour held College by just 7 votes, with the Liberal Democrats in second place.

2008 Election

The 2008 elections will be postponed due to local government re-organisation, meaning councillors elected in 2004 will serve for an additional year, before the authority is disbanded, therefore (excluding the possibility of by-elections and defections), the Conservatives will remain the governing party until May 2009, when elections for City of Chester and West Cheshire Council will take place.

Trivia

* Margaret Parker became the first ever female leader of the City Council 28 years to the day after Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

* At least five Councillors (Brian Bailey, Hugo Deynem, Jill Houlbrook, John Ebo and Richard Short) have served on at least two separate occasions.

External links

* http://www.chester.gov.uk - Chester City Council Homepage
* http://www.chesterlibdems.org.uk - Lib Dem Group Homepage
* http://www.chesterconservatives.com - Conservative Group Homepage
* http://www.chesterblogs.co.uk - City Councillor Blogs
* http://www.newtonindependents.co.uk/1.html - Newton Independents (Marigold Roy) Homepage