Unlike in many other parts of the country, in the City of Coventry the Labour party (LP) won 4 council seats, 2 from the Tories, 1 from the Lib Dems (LDs) and 1 from Dave Nellist's Socialist Party (SP).
The SP loss was a big set-back for them as the group had held all 3 seats in the inner-city ward of St. Michaels, a predominantly student and ethnic minority area. Dave Nellist, one of the other councillors for the ward, was not up for re-election this year. The SP candidate polled 1156 votes but was beaten by the LP candidate, former Peugeot T&G convenor Jim Boyle, who polled 1240 votes. In 2006 the LP had polled 1106 and the SP 1191 to win the seat. This year the turnout in this ward was the lowest of all the 18 wards at 25.57%. Overall the total turnout for the election was 33.5%, slightly down on the 2006 figure of 34.4%. The local paper, the Coventry Telegraph, stated that Boyle had managed to break into the "socialist state" of St. Michaels. Cynicism aside this is a setback for the SP as they are always claiming that the working class is deserting the LP and they were an alternative. This result clearly undermines that assertion.
Elsewhere in the city the SP only put up 2 other candidates, unlike previous years. How did they fare this time? In Henley ward, a predominantly white working class area with a large council estate, the SP polled 381 votes compared to the LP with 1672. In Sherbourne ward, an affluent middle class and skilled working class area on the west of the city, the SP polled 207 votes, the LP 1175 and the Tories 1197. The Tories won by 22 votes! Where would the SP votes have gone if they had not stood? The Tories continue to hold power in the city with 28 of the 54 seats, the LP has 23, the SP 2 and the LDs 1.
Elsewhere around Coventry the Tories made gains. In N. Warwickshire they gained control for the first time in 29 years. They had run the Council in alliance with the LDs. The LDs lost all of their 4 seats on the Council. The voters preferred the real Tories rather than the yellow ones! The Tories now have 21 seats (up 6), the LP 14 (down 2) and the LDs 0 (down 4).
In Hinckley however, next door to N. Warwickshire, the LDs won 19 of the 34 seats available, gaining control for the first time in the history of the Council. The Tories have 13 and the LP 2.
In Rugby the Tories are back in control after 19 years. They have 27 seats (up 3), the LP has 11 (down 2) and the LDs 10 (no gain). A mixed bag of results, but in the most important city in Warwickshire, Coventry, the Tories are still in control. The LP has gained 4 seats however, a trend not reflected elsewhere. The headline in the local paper read "Massive swing to Labour but the Tories hold on to power." Labour lost control in 2004. Ex-Militant activist John Mutton, now Labour leader in Coventry, said of the voters, "They felt the LP needed a kick up the backside in 2004 when we lost control." He added, "I also believe Coventry is traditionally a Labour city."
