2015 Wychavon District Council election

The 2015 Wychavon District Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Wychavon District Council in Worcestershire, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]

Map of the results of the 2015 Wychavon District Council election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow and UK Independence Party in purple.

Background

After the 2011 elections to Wychavon District Council the Conservatives controlled the council with 39 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats had five seats and there was one Labour party councillor.[2] In March 2012 the Conservative councillor for Lovett and North Claines, Alan Fisher, was suspended from the council for 6 months and on his return sat as an independent councillor.[3][4] Another change came in December 2013 when the councillor for Elmley Castle and Somerville, Roma Kirke, left the Conservatives to become an independent, before resigning from the council in December 2014.[5][6] A further seat was vacant at the 2015 election in Badsey ward after the death of Conservative councillor Reg Jakeman, leaving the Conservatives with 36 seats, Liberal Democrats five, Labour one and there was one independent.[7]

The 2015 election was the first time where parliamentary, district and parish elections were held at the same time in Wychavon since Wychavon District Council was founded in 1974.[8] Over 100 candidates stood in the district election, up from 72 in 2011 and the number of contested wards increased from 21 to 28.[8] Four Conservative candidates were elected unopposed in Bredon, Drakes Broughton, Honeybourne and Pebworth, and Norton and Whittington wards.[7][9]

Election result

The Conservatives retained control of the council after winning 39 seats, the same as in 2011, but up from immediately before the election.[10][11] Labour lost their only seat on the council to the Conservatives in Droitwich West, after the Labour councillor Peter Pinfield stood down at the election, which meant the Conservatives won every seat in Droitwich.[12]

The Liberal Democrats remained the largest opposition party on the council with five seats, after holding all of the seats they had been defending.[13] The only other councillor elected was Ged Bearcroft for the UK Independence Party in Great Hampton ward.[11] He defeated the Conservative councillor for the previous 32 years, John Smith, by 17 votes after a recount, to win the first ever UK Independence Party seat on Wychavon District Council.[11][13] Overall turnout at the election was 70.19%,[9] up from 47% in 2011 and 42% in 2007, and reaching 81.78% in Bowbrook.[12][14]

Following the election the Conservative leader of the council, Paul Middlebrough, stepped down as leader after eight years and was succeeded by Linda Robinson.[10]

Wychavon local election result 2015[9]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 39 3 1 +2 86.7 58.2 49,387 -0.6%
  Liberal Democrats 5 0 0 0 11.1 14.5 12,283 -7.6%
  UKIP 1 1 0 +1 2.2 9.3 7,898 +9.3%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 7.5 6,397 +5.5%
  Labour 0 0 1 -1 0 6.0 5,081 -4.4%
  Independent 0 0 2 -2 0 4.1 3,493 -2.6%
  Monster Raving Loony 0 0 0 0 0 0.4 326 +0.4%

Ward results
Badsey[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Goodge 681 44.4 -6.8
Independent Mary Campbell 574 37.4 -11.4
UKIP Anthony Haugh 279 18.2 +18.2
Majority 107 7.0 +4.6
Turnout 1,534 68.7 +23.8
Conservative hold Swing
Bengeworth (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Martin King 1,385
Conservative Emma Stokes 1,199
UKIP Jeremy Farrow 986
Green Christopher Wilson 687
Turnout 4,257 61.7 +22.3
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Bowbrook[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Alexandra Rowley 1,109 55.9 -3.6
Conservative Sydney Bates 874 44.1 +3.6
Majority 235 11.9 -7.1
Turnout 1,983 81.8 +23.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Bredon[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Adrian Hardman unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Bretforton and Offenham[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Keith Wright 840 56.2 +2.8
Conservative David Ernest 655 43.8 -2.8
Majority 185 12.4 +5.6
Turnout 1,495 69.1 +19.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Broadway and Wickhamford (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Elizabeth Eyre 2,048
Conservative Bradley Thomas 1,533
Green Liam Wilson 684
Monster Raving Loony Paul Brockman 326
Turnout 4,591 73.3
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Dodderhill[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugh Hamilton 902 67.0 -5.8
Liberal Democrats Peter Evans 445 33.0 +5.8
Majority 457 33.9 -11.6
Turnout 1,347 67.7 +28.6
Conservative hold Swing
Drakes Broughton[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Middlebrough unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Droitwich Central[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roy Murphy 486 37.8 -5.6
Labour Alan Humphries 347 27.0 -7.9
UKIP Neil Whelan 323 25.1 +25.1
Liberal Democrats Rebecca Littlechild 130 10.1 -11.6
Majority 139 10.8 +2.3
Turnout 1,286 65.4 +23.4
Conservative hold Swing
Droitwich East (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gordon Brookes 1,587
Conservative Glenise Noyes 1,201
Labour Sheila Neary 775
UKIP Andrew Morgan 724
Liberal Democrats David Rowe 534
Turnout 4,821 69.7 +25.0
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Droitwich South East (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Morris 1,950
Conservative Maureen Lawley 1,663
UKIP Charlotte Townsend 613
Labour Stephen Ainsworth 494
Liberal Democrats Robert Crawford 455
Green Robert Burkett 296
Liberal Democrats Adrian Key 287
Turnout 5,758 78.9 +27.1
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Droitwich South West (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Beale 1,208
Conservative Thomas Noyes 1,131
UKIP Yuleen Jewell 641
Labour Bill Baker 602
Liberal Democrats Wendy Carter 432
Green Jane Zurek 301
Liberal Democrats John Littlechild 231
Turnout 4,546 70.4 +24.6
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Droitwich West (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Janet Bolton 983
Conservative Catherine Powell 897
Labour Eve Freer 829
Labour Jacqueline O'Reilly 604
Green Ann Bennett 381
Turnout 3,694 56.5 +22.3
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Eckington[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Davis 1,177 69.4 +5.9
Labour Priscilla Cameron 518 30.6 +16.7
Majority 659 38.9 -2.0
Turnout 1,695 76.2 +16.2
Conservative hold Swing
Elmley Castle and Somerville[5][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Mackison 1,013 67.3 -1.5
Green Daniel Mulligan 492 32.7 +32.7
Majority 521 34.6 -3.1
Turnout 1,505 76.6 +44.0
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Evesham North (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Raphael 908
Conservative Josephine Sandalls 774
UKIP Richard Keel 702
Green Colin Tether 616
Liberal Democrats Timothy Haines 456
Turnout 3,456 60.7 +26.4
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Evesham South (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Bulman 1,368
Conservative Kenneth Barclay-Timmis 1,271
Green Edward Cohen 903
Turnout 3,542 61.3
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Fladbury[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michelle English 1,061 62.9 -14.8
Liberal Democrats Diana Brown 338 20.0 -2.3
Green Julian Eldridge 289 17.1 +17.1
Majority 723 42.8 -12.7
Turnout 1,688 77.4 +11.2
Conservative hold Swing
Great Hampton[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UKIP Gerald Bearcroft 624 43.6
Conservative John Smith 607 42.4
Green Michael Parker 201 14.0
Majority 17 1.2
Turnout 1,432 66.8
UKIP gain from Conservative Swing
Hartlebury[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nigel Dowty 943 59.3
Independent Sheridan Tranter 439 27.6
Liberal Democrats Andrew Murcott 208 13.1
Majority 504 31.7
Turnout 1,590 73.7
Conservative hold Swing
Harvington and Norton[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Homer 1,103 73.6
Green Sarah Cohen 395 26.4
Majority 708 47.3
Turnout 1,498 74.2
Conservative hold Swing
Honeybourne and Pebworth[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alastair Adams unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Inkberrow (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Audrey Steel 2,248
Conservative David Wilkinson 1,778
Independent David Powis 958
UKIP Clive Owen 716
UKIP Peter Jewell 548
Turnout 6,248 78.9 +21.8
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Little Hampton (2 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Gerard O'Donnell 1,223
Conservative Frances Smith 1,030
UKIP Peter Long 808
Green Jonathan Thompson 534
Turnout 3,595 60.1 +25.5
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Lovett and North Claines (2 seats)[4][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Miller 2,109
Conservative Lynne Duffy 1,846
Liberal Democrats Roy Roberson 826
Independent Nigel Addison 739
Turnout 5,520 76.3 +27.1
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Norton and Whittington[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Adams unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Ombersley[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Tomlinson 1,058 76.3
Liberal Democrats Judith Cussen 329 23.7
Majority 729 52.6
Turnout 1,387 72.7
Conservative hold Swing
Pershore (3 seats)[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Charles Tucker 1,598
Conservative Michael Rowley 1,419
Conservative Valerie Wood 1,315
Conservative David Smith 1,226
Liberal Democrats Carolyn Harford 1,035
UKIP Jonathan Townsend 934
Liberal Democrats Derrick Watt 858
Independent David Annis 783
Labour Peter Brookbank 771
Turnout 9,939 66.8 +17.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Pinvin[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Tucker 1,129 65.0 -5.9
Conservative Clive Brooker 608 35.0 +5.9
Majority 521 30.0 -11.8
Turnout 1,737 74.8 +19.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
South Bredon Hill[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Adrian Darby 671 46.6
Conservative Beverley Hardman 628 43.6
Labour Robert Facer 141 9.8
Majority 43 3.0
Turnout 1,440 76.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
The Littletons[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Lasota 951 60.6 +5.5
Green Innes Barnes 618 39.4 +39.4
Majority 333 21.2 +10.9
Turnout 1,569 72.3 +20.0
Conservative hold Swing
Upton Snodsbury[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Linda Robinson 1,340 78.3
Liberal Democrats Gregory Thomas 372 21.7
Majority 968 56.5
Turnout 1,712 78.6
Conservative hold Swing

By-elections between 2015 and 2019

A by-election was held in Droitwich East on 30 July 2015 after the death of Conservative councillor Glenise Noyes.[15][16] The seat was held for Conservatives by Karen Tomalin with a majority of the 320 votes over Labour party candidate Jacqueline O'Reilly.[16][17]

Droitwich East by-election 30 July 2015[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Karen Tomalin 495 52.2 +8.3
Labour Jacqueline O'Reilly 175 18.4 -3.0
UKIP Andrew Morgan 171 18.0 -2.0
Liberal Democrats Rory Roberson 108 11.4 -3.4
Majority 320 33.7
Turnout 949 22.1 -47.6
Conservative hold Swing

Two by-elections were held on 4 May 2017.

A by-election was held in Evesham South after the retirement of Ken Barclay on health grounds. The seat was held for the Conservatives by Matt Snape with a majority of 351 votes over the Liberal Democrat candidate Julie Haines.[18]

Evesham South by-election 2017 [18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Matt Snape 538 51.2 +15.4
Liberal Democrats Julie Haines 187 17.8 N/A
Green Julie Tucker 171 16.2 -9.2
Independent Emma Nishigaki 154 14.6 N/A
Majority 351 33.4
Turnout 1,050
Conservative hold Swing

A by-election was held in Droitwich South East following the death of Maureen Lawley. The seat was held for the Conservatives by Sital Harris with a majority of 903 votes over the Liberal Democrat candidate Adrian Key.[19]

Droitwich South East by-election 2017 [19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sital Harris 1161 66.6
Liberal Democrats Adrian Key 258 14.8
Labour Valerie Patricia Rose Humphries 216 12.4
Green Jane Delia Zurek 96 5.5
Majority 351 33.4
Turnout 1,050
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. "Local election results 2015 in full". The Guardian. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  2. "Conservative Roma Kirke wins Whychavon by-election". BBC News Online. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. "Wychavon councillor Alan Fisher suspended". BBC News Online. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  4. Harris, Mel (25 September 2012). "Political Balance". Wychavon District Council. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  5. Harris, Mel (17 December 2013). "Political Balance" (PDF). Wychavon District Council. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  6. "Agenda item". Wychavon District Council. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  7. "Conservatives looking to remain at helm of Wychavon District Council". Evesham Observer. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  8. "Wychavon set for biggest election in its histor". Wychavon District Council. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  9. "Election of District Councillors for the Wards of Summary of Results". Wychavon District Council. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  10. Edwards, Tom (11 May 2015). "Exclusive: council leader to quit after eight years in charge". Worcester News. NewsBank.
  11. "Conservatives increase their dominance of Wychavon District Council". Evesham Journal. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  12. "How the Droitwich seats on Wychavon District were won and lost". Droitwich Standard. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  13. Johnson, Lydia (8 May 2015). "Victory for Tories in Wychavon — and one historic step for UKIP". Worcester News. NewsBank.
  14. Johnson, Lydia (11 May 2015). "Complex counts and high turnout saw election counts run over by several hours on Friday". Evesham Journal. NewsBank.
  15. Townley, Alex (21 May 2015). "Silent tribute paid to 'a gentle and free spirit'". Droitwich Advertiser. NewsBank.
  16. Forrest, James (31 July 2015). "Conservatives win Droitwich bt-election". Worcester News. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  17. "Declaration of result of poll". Wychavon District Council. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  18. "Declaration of result of poll". Wychavon District Council. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  19. "Declaration of result of poll". Wychavon District Council. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
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