2012 Cannock Chase District Council election

Elections to the Cannock Chase District Council took place on 3 May 2012,[1] in line with other local elections in the United Kingdom. A total of 14 councillors were elected from 13 wards as a third of the council was up for election. This also included a by-election in the Hagley ward which filled a vacancy that had arisen since the previous election. There were no elections held in the Hednesford Green Heath or Rawnsley wards as those wards elect only two councillors in the other two years of the election cycle.

The Labour Party gained the council from no overall control and became the first party to win an outright majority since the election of 2002. Compared with the results of 2008 when these seats were last up for election, Labour almost doubled their vote share and gained many seats they had previously lost to the Conservatives along with seats in Rugeley that had always previously been held by the Liberal Democrats.

Results
Cannock Chase District Council election, 2012
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 11 8 0 +8 78.6 53.6 9,202 +23.4
  Conservative 3 1 5 −4 21.4 31.3 5,376 −13.0
  Liberal Democrats 0 0 4 −4 0.0 8.5 1,457 −11.9
  Liberal 0 0 0 ±0 0.0 3.7 640 N/A
  Independent 0 0 0 ±0 0.0 2.0 335 +0.9
  English Democrat 0 0 0 ±0 0.0 1.0 167 N/A

Council Composition

Prior to the election, the composition of the council was:

↓
16 13 9 2 1
Labour Conservative Lib Dem Liberal Vacant

After the election, the composition of the council was:

↓
24 12 5
Labour Conservative Lib Dem

Ward results

Vote share changes are based on the results achieved by parties in 2008 when these seats were last contested.

Brereton and Ravenhill
Brereton and Ravenhill (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Dudson 611 45.4 +23.2
Liberal Democrats Ray Easton 547 40.6 −15.0
Conservative Vic Hardcastle 189 14.0 −8.2
Majority 64 4.8
Turnout 1,347 26.7
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +19.1

Cannock East
Cannock East (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Christine Mitchell 982 74.2 +23.8
Conservative Susan Snape 341 25.8 −12.7
Majority 641 48.4 +36.5
Turnout 1,323 24.1
Labour hold Swing +18.3

Cannock North
Cannock North (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gordon Alcott 992 80.9 +20.9
Conservative Phil Jones 234 19.1 N/A
Majority 758 61.8
Turnout 1,226 23.4
Labour hold Swing

Cannock South
Cannock South (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Maureen Freeman 882 66.6 +22.5
Conservative Steve Mate 349 26.3 −18.4
Liberal Democrats Mark Green 94 7.1 −4.2
Majority 533 40.3
Turnout 1,393 22.9
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +20.5

Cannock West
Cannock West (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Anslow 1,002 58.6 −16.1
Labour Paul Witton 709 41.4 +16.1
Majority 293 17.2 −32.2
Turnout 1,711 30.2
Conservative hold Swing −16.1

Etching Hill and the Heath
Etching Hill and the Heath (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Justin Johnson 426 35.3 −7.5
Labour Charlotte Stubbs 379 31.4 +19.2
Liberal Democrats Gary Grant 310 25.7 −19.3
Liberal Diane Bennett ^ 93 7.7 N/A
Majority 47 3.9
Turnout 1,208 22.9
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing −13.4

^ Diane Bennett was the sitting councillor for the Cannock West ward and previously defected from the Conservatives to the Liberal Party.

Hagley

There were two seats up for election in the Hagley ward due to the resignation of the sitting Labour councillor with the second placed candidate filling the remainder of his term.

Hagley (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Andy Lovell 387 24.7 +10.1
Labour Brian Bottomer 356 22.7 +10.1
Liberal Tony Williams ^ 237 15.1 N/A
Liberal Neil Stanley 236 15.1 N/A
Conservative Richard Alexander 105 6.7 −5.1
Conservative Paul Blake 95 6.1 −5.0
Liberal Democrats Pat Ansell 79 5.0 −20.2
Liberal Democrats Les Grindey 72 4.6 −20.1
Majority 150 9.6
Turnout 1,567 24.7
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Labour hold Swing

^ The sitting councillor, Tony Williams, had previously defected from the Liberal Democrats to the Liberal Party.

Ward Summary
Party Votes % Votes ±% Seats Change
Labour 743 47.4 +20.2 2 +1
Liberal 473 30.2 N/A 0
Conservative 200 12.8 +10.1 0
Liberal Democrats 151 9.6 −40.3 0 −1
Total Votes Cast 1,567

Hawks Green
Hawks Green (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ann Bernard 410 40.0 −29.3
Labour John Preece 376 36.7 +16.7
English Democrat Colin Marklew 167 16.3 N/A
Liberal Democrats Sarah Giles 71 6.9 N/A
Majority 34 3.3 −46.0
Turnout 1,024 18.1
Conservative hold Swing −23.0

Heath Hayes East and Wimblebury
Heath Hayes East and Wimblebury (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Diane Todd 707 61.4 +35.8
Conservative Alan Dean 445 38.6 −0.9
Majority 262 22.8
Turnout 1,152 23.2
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +18.4

Hednesford North
Hednesford North (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Pearson 924 62.1 +24.5
Conservative Graham Burnett 392 26.4 −14.2
Independent Ron Turville 171 11.5 N/A
Majority 532 35.7
Turnout 1,487 27.1
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +19.4

Hednesford South
Hednesford South (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian Gamble 586 52.3 +22.5
Conservative John Burnett 371 33.1 −23.0
Independent Ann Turville 164 14.6 N/A
Majority 215 19.2
Turnout 1,121 26.4
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +22.8

Norton Canes
Norton Canes (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Zaphne Stretton 881 55.7 +26.0
Conservative John Beddows 633 40.0 −8.3
Liberal Democrats Ken Ansell 69 4.4 N/A
Majority 248 15.7
Turnout 1,583 27.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +17.2

Western Springs
Western Springs (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Carl Bennett 430 39.0 +21.0
Conservative Jim Bowater 384 34.8 −4.2
Liberal Democrats Pat Williams 215 19.5 −23.5
Liberal Becky Williams 74 6.7 N/A
Majority 46 4.2
Turnout 1,103 21.6
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +22.3

References
  1. Cannock Chase District Council election, 2012 results Archived 10 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Cannock Chase District Council website
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