2015 Colchester Borough Council election

2015 Colchester Borough Council election
← 2014 7 May 2015 (2015-05-07) 2016 →
20 out of 60 seats to Colchester Borough Council
31 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
  Blank Blank
Party Conservative Liberal Democrats
Last election 23 seats, 33.6% 25 seats, 23.0%
Seats before 23 24
Seats won 13 3
Seats after 27 20
Seat change Increase 4 Decrease 4
Popular vote 28,023 13,827
Percentage 40.1% 19.8%
Swing Increase 6.5% Decrease 3.2%
  Third party Fourth party
  Blank Blank
Party Labour Independent
Last election 9 seats, 16.2% 3 seats, 2.9%
Seats before 9 4
Seats won 3 1
Seats after 9 4
Seat change Steady Steady
Popular vote 12,940 1,643
Percentage 18.5% 2.4%
Swing Increase 2.3% Decrease 0.5%
Leader of the council before election

Martin Hunt
Liberal Democrats

Leader of the council after election

Paul Smith
Liberal Democrats

The 2015 Colchester Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect one third of the members of Colchester Borough Council in England.[1] This was the same day as other local elections and as the General Election. Colchester Borough Council is made up of 60 councillors: 20 councillors were up for election.[2]

Prior to the elections, Liberal Democrat councillor for New Town ward, Theresa Higgins, was appointed Mayor of Colchester for a term of one-year.

Composition of council seats before election

Prior to the election the composition of the council was:

↓
24 9 4 23
Liberal Democrats Labour Ind Conservative

After the election, the composition of the council was:

↓
20 9 4 27
Liberal Democrats Labour Ind Conservative

Candidates by party


Liberal Democrats (20/20)





Conservative Party (20/20)





Labour Party (20/20)





Green Party (20/20)





UKIP (15/20)





Independent (3/20)






The Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Labour Party and Green Party all stood a full slate of 20 candidates. UKIP stood 15 candidates and 3 independents (including a candidate with the description 'Patriotic Socialist Party') stood for election.

Results summary

With 30 seats required for a dead-heat majority (of 0), no single grouping of councillors remained in overall control of policy decision-making. Conservatives fell 3 short this time whereas at the last election a five-becoming-six seat deficit existed during the four-year term for the largest grouping which had been the Liberal Democrats.

2015 Colchester Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Conservative 13 Increase 4 65.0 14 27 45.0 28,023 40.1 +6.5
  Liberal Democrats 3 Decrease 4 15.0 17 20 33.3 13,827 19.8 –3.2
  Labour 3 Steady 15.0 6 9 15.0 12,940 18.5 +2.3
  Independent 1 Steady 5.0 3 4 6.7 1,543 2.4 –0.5
  UKIP 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 7,775 11.1 –4.7
  Green 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 5,767 8.2 –0.4

Ward results

No turnout figures were provided by the council.

Berechurch

Berechurch
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Dave Harris* 1,958 50.3 +10.3
Conservative Michael Brown 858 22.0 +8.7
UKIP Paul Mulvey 521 13.4 −9.1
Liberal Democrats Susan Hislop 406 10.4 −9.2
Green Clare Palmer 152 3.9 +0.3
Majority 1,100 28.3 +10.8
Turnout 3,895
Labour hold Swing Increase0.8

Birch & Winstree

Birch & Winstree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Ellis* 1,913 59.7 +5.3
UKIP John Pitts 569 17.8 −10.7
Liberal Democrats Gill Collings 291 9.1 +4.2
Labour John Spademan 287 9.0 +1.3
Green Jan Plummer 145 4.5 −1.3
Majority 1,344 41.9 +14.4
Turnout 3,205
Conservative hold Swing Increase8.0

Castle

Castle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Darius Laws 1,667 35.9 +11.8
Liberal Democrats Owen Howell 1,172 25.2 −0.5
Green Andrew Canessa 982 21.2 +4.0
Labour Andrew Murphy 821 17.7 −0.1
Majority 495 10.7 N/A
Turnout 4,642
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing Increase6.2

No UKIP candidate as previous (-15.0).

Christ Church

Christ Church
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Annesley Hardy 964 38.0 +9.3
Liberal Democrats Robin James 670 26.4 −6.1
Labour Elisa Vasquez-Walters 433 17.1 +0.5
Green Charles Ham 319 12.6 −2.2
UKIP Ron Levy 148 5.8 −1.6
Majority 294 11.6 N/A
Turnout 2,534
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing Increase7.7

Copford & West Stanway

Copford & West Stanway
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jackie Maclean 673 59.8 −6.9
UKIP Chris Treloar 177 15.7 N/A
Liberal Democrats Robert James 115 10.2 −2.7
Labour Barbara Nichols 115 10.2 −3.4
Green Emma-Jane Kemp 46 4.1 −2.6
Majority 496 44.1 −9.0
Turnout 1,126
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Fordham & Stour

Fordham & Stour
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nigel Chapman* 2,023 65.4 −0.1
Labour Kevin Stannard 396 12.8 +0.2
Green Sue Bailey 337 10.9 −1.8
Liberal Democrats Barry Woodward 337 10.9 +2.6
Majority 1,627 52.6 +0.8
Turnout 3,093
Conservative hold Swing Decrease0.2

Great Tey

Great Tey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Chillingworth* 979 58.6 −2.1
Liberal Democrats Susan Waite 257 15.4 +6.4
Labour Matt Creamer 170 10.2 +0.4
UKIP David Holmes 162 9.7 −5.1
Green Robert Brannan 104 6.2 +0.4
Majority 722 43.2 −2.7
Turnout 1,672
Conservative hold Swing Decrease4.1

Highwoods

Highwoods
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Phil Oxford* 1,592 36.9 −15.2
Conservative Chris Hayter 1,192 27.7 +15.3
Labour Gary Braddy 479 11.1 +1.4
Liberal Democrats John Baker 466 10.6 +2.6
UKIP Jamie Middleditch 395 9.2 −4.1
Green Robbie Spencer 187 4.3 +0.1
Majority 400 9.2 −29.6
Turnout 4,311
Independent hold Swing Decrease15.3

Mile End

Mile End
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ben Locker 2,101 38.4 +7.4
Liberal Democrats Ciaran Patrick McGonagle 1,769 32.3 −8.4
Labour Martin Camroux 707 12.9 +5.2
UKIP Tony Terry 533 9.7 −5.1
Green Mary Bryan 368 6.7 +0.9
Majority 332 6.1 N/A
Turnout 5,478
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing Increase7.9

New Town

New Town
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Annie Feltham* 1,289 32.1 −9.5
Conservative Matt Neall 834 20.8 +8.4
Labour Lee Scordis 772 19.2 +4.4
Green Mark Goacher 631 15.7 +2.3
UKIP Alex Knupffer 493 12.3 −5.8
Majority 455 11.3 −12.2
Turnout 3,719 56.3 +27.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Decrease9.0

Prettygate

Prettygate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Will Quince* 2,269 51.1 −6.8
Liberal Democrats John Loxley 967 21.8 +0.6
Labour Mike Dale 522 11.8 ±0.0
UKIP Steve Galvin 489 11.0 N/A
Green Luke O'Loughlin 196 4.4 −4.7
Majority 1,302 29.3 −7.4
Turnout 4,443
Conservative hold Swing Decrease3.7

Shrub End

Shrub End
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Pauline Hazell* 1,517 35.2 +14.6
Liberal Democrats Sharron Lawrence 1,157 25.9 −7.9
UKIP Simon Collins 757 16.9 −5.0
Labour Gary Griffiths 736 16.5 −2.2
Green Stuart Welham 251 5.6 +1.6
Majority 360 9.3 N/A
Turnout 4,418
Conservative hold Swing Increase11.3

St. Andrew's

St. Andrew's
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tim Young 1,462 48.8 −12.8
Conservative Chris Hill 715 23.9 +8.1
Liberal Democrats Verity Woolley 447 14.9 +3.0
Green Joshua Murray 370 12.4 +1.7
Majority 747 24.9 −20.9
Turnout 2,994
Labour hold Swing Decrease10.5

St. Anne's

St. Anne's
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Barrie Cook* 1,173 31.2 −8.5
Conservative Peter Klejna-Wendt 976 26.0 +10.8
UKIP Bill Faram 770 20.5 −4.9
Labour Amanda Stannard 600 16.0 +2.6
Green Stephen Ford 241 6.4 −0.1
Majority 197 5.2 −9.2
Turnout 3,760
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Increase9.7

Stanway

Stanway
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Fiona Maclean 1,861 42.8 +12.6
Liberal Democrats Lesley Scott-Boutell 1,611 37.0 +3.3
Labour Carole Spademan 616 14.2 +4.0
Green Tim Glover 261 6.0 +0.9
Turnout
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

No UKIP candidate as previous (-20.8).

Tiptree

Tiptree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Crowe 1,873 42.8 +1.5
UKIP Stuart Gulleford 1,313 32.5 −5.0
Labour Robert Spademan 535 13.2 +0.8
Liberal Democrats Miah Ahmed 194 4.8 +1.3
Green Katherine Bamforth 129 3.2 −2.1
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing

West Bergholt & Eight Ash Green

West Bergholt & Eight Ash Green
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Marcus Harrington 1,578 54.7 −7.1
UKIP Ben Clark 370 12.8 N/A
Labour Ian Yates 306 10.6 −2.0
Liberal Democrats Gemma Graham 265 9.2 +0.8
Green Roger Bamforth 204 7.1 −10.1
Independent Julian McCallum 151 5.2 N/A
Patriotic Socialist Dave Osbourne 12 0.4 N/A
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing

West Mersea

West Mersea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Patricia Moore 2,154 51.9 +0.8
UKIP David Broise 988 23.8 −3.8
Labour Alison Inman 402 9.7 +1.0
Green Lisa Britton 330 8.0 +1.5
Liberal Democrats Jenny Stevens 278 6.7 +2.6
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing

Wivenhoe Cross

Wivenhoe Cross
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Mark Cory 668 44.9 −8.1
Labour Phil Finn 328 22.1 +2.7
Conservative Natalie Jukes 271 18.2 −3.1
Green Christopher Flossman 130 8.7 +2.2
UKIP Carole Morse 90 6.1 N/A
Turnout
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Wivenhoe Quay

Wivenhoe Quay
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rosalind Scott 1,295 40.9 −11.8
Conservative Peter Hill 1,251 39.5 +7.6
Green Laura Poutney 325 10.3 +1.1
Liberal Democrats Shaun Boughton 295 9.3 +2.3
Turnout
Labour hold Swing

By-elections

Dedham & Langham

In June 2015, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972, Conservative councillor Mark Cable "ceased to be a member of the council" after failing to attend a council meeting since December 2014 (6 months). A by-election was called and the ward was subsequently held by the Conservatives.

Dedham & Langham: 22 October 2015
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anne Brown 545 77.9 +8.6
UKIP Bill Faram 60 8.6 N/A
Liberal Democrats George Penny 57 8.1 −1.6
Labour John Spademan 38 5.4 −4.3
Turnout 700 29.1 −5.1
Conservative hold Swing N/A

References

  1. ^ "Upcoming elections & referendums". The Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated". Colchester Borough Council. Adrian Pritchard (Returning Officer). Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.