8:02pm Friday 2nd May 2008
RESIDENTS voted with their bottoms not their feet in Thursday's election as they chose the sofa over the ballot box.
Turnout across the 20 wards up for election was only 29.59 per cent - down more than four per cent from last year's figure of 33.8 per cent and significantly worse than the 2006 figure of 34.42 per cent and the 2004 showing of 32.7 per cent. Election manager Sally Sprason said: "The turnout was down on the 2004 equivalent - I'm not sure if that's to do with e-voting or if it's general apathy.
"We did a lot of promotion in Parks ward and you can see the result of that in the turnout, which was three per cent higher.
"It's difficult to pinpoint a reason why people don't vote.
"Generally if there are big issues people do come out to vote."
Sally said that she was pleased with how the night had gone.
She said: "There were a few hiccups with the postal voting, just because of the new system there, but in general things went quite smoothly."
In spite of gains for Labour in Central and the Tories in Parks, the make-up of the council remains the same as before the election.
The Conservatives have 43 seats to Labour's 12.
Stan Pajak's victory means that the Lib Dem's continue to have three seats, while David Glaholm, whose seat was not up for election, is the only independent.
l Your election views: Page 14 There are now five new councillors, after their victories on Thursday.
Labour's Jim Grant held the Western seat for his party, while Vera Tomlinson ensured that Abbey Meads remained a Conservative ward and Kevin Parry did the same in Dorcan.
Graham Cherry triumphed in Parks to win the former Labour seat for the Tories, while in a straight swap Junab Ali nabbed Central for Labour.
Barring defections or resignations this structure will remain until the next elections in 2010.
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