2018 North East Lincolnshire Council election

The 2018 North East Lincolnshire Council election took place on 3 May 2018 to elect members of North East Lincolnshire Council in England.[1] This was on the same day as other local elections.

Council make up

After the 2018 local election, the political make up of the council was as follows:[2]

PartyNumber of councillors
Labour19 (+1)
Conservative18 (+3)
Liberal Democrats4 (-1)
Independent1 (-)
UKIP0 (-3)

Labour remained in minority control of the authority, with the support of Liberal Democrats. The authority was a target area for the Labour Party, hoping to regain seats that they had lost to UKIP in 2014. However, the Conservatives pulled off some unexpected victories in several wards on the authority, including wins in Freshney and Immingham for the first time since the late 2000s, and in Yarborough, Park and Croft Baker, where they hadn't won seats for over 25 years, long before NELC's creation.

Since the 2016 elections, former UKIP councillors Stephen Harness[3] and Matthew Stinson who were sat as Independents at the time, joined the Conservative Party, while two further UKIP councillors, Nick Pettigrew[4] and James Cairns,[5] joined the Conservatives in 2017. Labour councillor Hazel Chase resigned her party and sat as an Independent, and would continue to do so after these elections, when she became the mayor for the 2018/19 municipal year. Liberal Democrat councillor Christina McGilligan-Fell quit her party in 2017 in protest at not being chosen as a parliamentary candidate for either Great Grimsby or Cleethorpes in the 2017 general election, and ran as an Independent in the former - losing her deposit. She rejoined the Liberal Democrats months after, in order to seek re-election under the party banner,[6] but lost her seat nonetheless to the Conservatives. Less than a year after losing her seat, she was seen campaigning with the Conservatives for their candidate in her former ward in the 2019 local elections.[7]

Two seats were fought in Immingham, due to the death of councillor Mike Burton in March 2018.[8] Labour's Dave Bolton retained his seat on the authority by 3 votes after several recounts, but only for one year - the remaining term of office Burton had been elected for in 2015. The four-year seat was gained by Stewart Swinburn, a former Conservative councillor for the ward, who had lost his seat to Burton in 2011, and had failed to regain his seat in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Shortly after these elections took place, a by-election was held to fill the vacancy in the Freshney ward in July 2018 due to the resignation of councillor Ray Sutton, following his decision to move out of the area. Labour's Sheldon Mill, who stood in Park in the elections in this set of elections, held the seat by a small margin of 42 votes over the Conservatives, but his win was short-lived and he lost the seat in the 2019 local elections to the Conservatives.

Ward results

Vote share changes are compared with the 2016 elections, with the exceptions of Waltham, West Marsh and Wolds, which are compared with 2015.

Croft Baker
Croft Baker 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Oliver Daniel William Freeston 1,340 47.3 +31.2
Labour Carole Anne Doherty 1,184 41.8 +1.3
UKIP Clive Colam 163 5.8 -17.1
Green James William Barker 143 5.1 +1.0
Majority 156 5.5 -12.1
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Note: Incumbent Labour councillor Matthew Brown sought re-election in Yarborough having failed to be re-selected by party members here. This was also the first time the Liberal Democrats had not stood in Croft Baker since NELC's creation.

East Marsh
East Marsh 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Beasant 1,117 68.2 +11.0
Labour Mark Patrick Gee 331 20.2 -12.0
Conservative James Adam Chaudry 67 4.1 -1.0
UKIP Phillip Andrew Moulson 59 3.6 N/A
Independent Ronald Raymond Bull 50 3.1 N/A
Green Catherine Susan Harper 15 0.9 N/A
Majority 786 48.0 +23.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Freshney
Freshney 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Callum Terence Procter 878 45.0 +23.5
Labour Stefan Leon Allan 793 40.6 -8.3
UKIP Barry Charles Fisher 180 9.2 -15.0
Green Andrew Lingwood 83 4.3 +0.5
TUSC Val Pow 17 0.9 -0.7
Majority 85 4.4 -20.3
Conservative gain from UKIP Swing

Note: There was a recount ahead of the declaration of the result. Incumbent councillor Nick Pettigrew, who had since defected to the Conservatives, sought re-election in Waltham - which his new party had deemed a more likely seat he would win, but the new Conservative candidate narrowly won nonetheless.

Haverstoe
Haverstoe 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Cracknell 2,211 71.1 +9.2
Labour Jack Stuart Mariner Rodwell 694 22.3 +1.1
Green Steven Michael Anthony Roper 203 6.5 +1.4
Majority 1,517 48.8 +8.1
Conservative hold Swing

Heneage
Heneage 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Chris Nichols 996 48.7 +1.3
Conservative Mark Smith 681 33.3 +16.1
UKIP John Matthew Stockton 322 15.7 -9.3
TUSC Val O’Flynn 46 2.2 -0.3
Majority 315 15.4 -7.0
Labour gain from UKIP Swing

Notes: Smith had fought this seat as an Independent in 2012 and for UKIP in 2015. O'Flynn quit TUSC only days before the election took place.[9] This was the first time since 1995 that there was no Liberal Democrat candidate in the ward.

Humberston & New Waltham
Humberston & New Waltham 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen William Harness 2,557 81.1 +27.7
Labour Sean Lawrence Willis 595 18.9 +0.2
Majority 1,962 62.2 +33.8
Conservative gain from UKIP Swing

Note: Harness had been elected as a UKIP councillor for this ward in 2013 and 2014, so an effective hold for him.

Immingham
Immingham 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stewart Swinburn 1,227 39.4 -0.8
Labour David Bolton 1,005 32.3 -10.0
Conservative Karen Doris Swinburn 1,002
Labour Marian Jervis 737
Independent Willie Weir 654 21.0 N/A
Green Charlotte Louise Emerson 227 7.3 +0.3
Majority 3
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Labour hold Swing

Note: Two seats were fought in Immingham, due to the death of councillor Mike Burton in March 2018.[8] Labour's Dave Bolton retained his seat after several recounts due to the closeness of the result, but only for one year, which was the remaining term of office Burton had been elected for in 2015. The four-year seat was gained by Stewart Swinburn, a former Conservative councillor for the ward, who had lost his seat to Burton in 2011 and had failed to regain a seat in Immingham in 2012, 2014 and 2016. His wife, Karen, who had been unsuccessful on this occasion, had been a councillor for Immingham between 2006 and 2010.

Park
Park 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Silvester 1,012 34.9 +15.7
Labour Sheldon James Mill 814 28.1 +6.2
Liberal Democrats Christina Ann McGilligan-Fell 788 27.2 -5.0
UKIP Tony Blake 146 5.0 -15.8
Green Jacqueline Vessey 108 3.7 -0.7
TUSC Julian Darren Best 33 1.1 -0.3
Majority 198 6.8 -3.5
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

Note: This was only the second occasion the Liberal Democrats had lost Park since NELC's creation (the first being when Labour gained it in 2012), in addition to being the first time the Conservatives had won Park on NELC.

Scartho
Scartho 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lia Nici 1,674 54.9 +19.7
Labour Peter Kenneth Bailey 839 27.5 -0.8
Liberal Democrats David Michael De Freitas 362 11.9 +1.0
UKIP Beckey Jane Brumpton 175 5.7 -19.2
Majority 835 27.4 +20.5
Conservative gain from UKIP Swing

Note: Bailey was formerly a Lib Dem councillor for Yarborough between 2009 and 2012. Incumbent UKIP councillor Henry Hudson chose not to seek re-election.

Sidney Sussex
Sidney Sussex 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Debbie Rodwell 1,062 52.6 +6.9
Conservative Steve Holland 666 33.0 +18.7
UKIP Tanya Brasted 205 10.1 -21.1
Green Andy Dickson 87 4.3 N/A
Majority 396 19.6 +5.1
Labour gain from UKIP Swing

Note: Rodwell was the only Labour candidate to have won more than 50% vote share on the night.

South
South 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tim Mickleburgh 706 39.7 -14.0
Conservative Paul David Batson 409 23.0 +8.2
UKIP Jane Elizabeth Bramley 318 17.9 -10.5
Independent Deborah Elsie Florence May Hill 239 13.4 N/A
Green Loyd Layton Emmerson 107 6.0 N/A
Majority 297 16.7 -8.6
Labour gain from UKIP Swing

Notes: Mickleburgh had been a West Marsh councillor since 2014 but was deselected by local members. Batson had previously fought this seat for UKIP in 2015 and fought it for the Conservatives in the June 2016 by-election.

Waltham
Waltham 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nick Pettigrew 1,766 83.7 +29.0
Labour Karl Andrew Quibell 344 16.3 -5.0
Majority 1,422 67.4 +34.0
Conservative hold Swing

Note: Pettigrew had been a councillor in Freshney since 2014 (originally elected as UKIP, having joined the Tories in 2017).

West Marsh
West Marsh 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gemma Louise Sheridan 510 49.6 +8.9
Independent Keith Watkin 210 20.4 +11.7
Conservative David George Townend 165 16.1 +6.0
UKIP Anna-Karina Gregersen 122 11.9 -12.4
TUSC Dave Mitchell 21 2.0 -1.2
Majority 300 29.2 +12.8
Labour hold Swing

Note: Watkin had been a councillor for this ward between 1999 and 2010.

Wolds
Wolds 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Anthony Hasthorpe 1,401 75.1 +22.7
Labour Ian Stuart Rodwell 465 24.9 +1.2
Majority 936 50.2 +21.5
Conservative hold Swing

Yarborough
Yarborough 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James David Cairns 956 47.3 +24.8
Labour Matthew Jason Brown 690 34.1 -5.0
UKIP Liudmila Berezina 207 10.2 -18.4
TUSC Kieran Ian Barlow 168 8.3 +7.3
Majority 366 13.2 +2.7
Conservative gain from UKIP Swing

Note: Cairns had been a councillor here since 2014 (originally elected as UKIP, having joined the Tories in 2017), so effectively a hold for him.

References
  1. "Guide to May 2018 elections in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland". BBC News. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  2. "North East Lincolnshire Council". Archived from the original on 2015-08-25. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
  3. "Stephen Harness: Why I have left UKIP and joined the Conservatives". Conservative Home. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  4. Wryneck, The (2017-01-25). "Grimsby News: GRIMSBY COUNCILLOR QUITS UKIP FOR TORIES". Grimsby News. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  5. "Another councillor defects from Ukip to the Tories in the Brexit aftermath". grimsbytelegraph. 2017-09-07. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  6. https://twitter.com/CouncilDataUK/status/972988658054848512
  7. https://twitter.com/scott_ash_bell/status/1122138147469631488
  8. "Hundreds gather for funeral of former mayor Mike Burton". grimsbytelegraph. 2018-03-27. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  9. "Socialist Alternative North East Lincolnshire". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
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