Exeter City Council election, 2016

Exeter City Council election, 2016
5 May 2016

All 39 seats to Exeter City Council
20 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrat
Seats won 30 8 1
Seat change Increase4 Decrease4 Steady

Map showing the results the 2016 Exeter City Council elections by ward. Red shows Labour seats, blue shows the Conservatives, and yellow shows the Liberal Democrats. Striped wards indicate seats shared between parties.

Council control before election

Labour

Council control after election

Labour

The 2016 Exeter City Council election took place on 5 May 2016, to elect members of Exeter City Council in England.[1] Following boundary changes, the entire council was up for election, and all 13 wards were contested, each electing three councillors. The election was held concurrently with other local elections held in England on the 5 May.

The council had been controlled by the Labour Party since 1990, which had held an outright majority since 2012. Labour won the Exeter election, extending their control to 30 seats, their highest ever share of the vote. The Conservatives came in second place with eight seats, losing four to Labour, while the Liberal Democrats won a single seat.

The election for the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner was also scheduled for the 5 May. Voters in Exeter would cast a separate ballot for the office, in conjunction with the residents of the rest of the Devon and Cornwall police area.

Background

The elections to Exeter City Council were the first to be held since the Local Government Boundary Commission for England conducted a review into the electoral arrangements in Exeter. The review was prompted by the previous council that had a high level of electoral inequality, with some councillors representing many more voters than others.[2] The old council consisted of 40 councillors from 18 wards, each of two or three councillors, which were elected by thirds over a four-year cycle, with elections to Devon County Council on the fourth year. This resulted in some wards having elections every year, while others would have one year in the cycle with no elections. The review resulted in the number of councillors being reduced to 39 and the number of wards reduced to 13, with each ward returning three councillors.[3] The ward changes equalised the ratio of voters to councillors, and provided for the entire city being able to vote in local elections every year.[2]

As a result of the review, for 2016 all seats on the council were up for election. The election used the plurality-at-large voting system; each voter was able to cast up to three votes, with the three candidates with the highest number of votes being elected.[4] As the council will revert to electing by thirds in 2018, a number of councillors will serve partial terms in the interim. In each ward, the councillor who received the highest number of votes will serve a four-year term, the councillor with the second highest number a three-year term, and the councillor with the third-highest votes will have a two-year term.[4] In future elections, each councillor will serve a full four-year term.

Before 5 May 2016 the council was controlled by the Labour Party which had held a majority on the council since the 2012 election, and had traditionally been the largest party in the city.[5] After the previous election, which was held in 2015 for a third of the councillors, the council consisted of 28 Labour members, 11 Conservatives, and one Liberal Democrat.[6]

Campaign

A total of 138 candidates stood for election across the city. Four parties stood in every ward in the city, with both the Labour and Conservative parties putting up candidates for all 39 seats. The Green Party had the next highest number of candidates with 27, and the Liberal Democrats stood 20 candidates across the city. The UK Independence Party had 12 candidates standing in nine wards, and one person represented the Independence from Europe party.[7]

The Labour Party were standing on their record in office and their key redevelopment plans for the former bus station, which would include the St Sidwell's Point leisure complex in the centre of the city.[8] Labour also aimed to reduce traffic congestion, add a food waste collection, and reduce homelessness and the lack of affordable housing. The Conservatives campaigned against the St Sidwell's Point project on cost grounds, instead promising to invest in affordable housing, cultural venues, and producing a new transport plan for Exeter.[8] The party aimed to improve on its low number of seats on the council. The Liberal Democrats planned to rebuild their former presence in Exeter, focusing on improving the quality of public services. The Green Party proposed a more environmentally sound city, focusing on improving the quality of life for residents, a sustainable development plan, and reducing waste from the city. They also planned to make the council more democratic and accountable to the people of Exeter.[8] UKIP had a national plan for local councils, which included devolution of power to local authorities, attempting to end funding and projects from the European Union and prioritising locals in service provision.[8]

Results

The election was won by the Labour Party, who won 30 of the 39 seats on the council. The Conservative Party came second, winning eight seats, and the Liberal Democrats had one councillor elected.[9] The overall turnout was 39.14%. Labour extended its majority to 10 councillors – the party's largest ever majority on the council – by gaining three seats from the Conservatives.[10] Labour won all three seats in eight wards, and won at least one seat in every ward except the suburban Topsham, won by the Conservatives. The Conservatives also won five other seats across the city. One ward, Duryard & St James, was split three ways between the parties.[10]

Ward results

Alphington

Alphington
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Steve Warwick 1,096
Labour Chris Musgrave 1,063
Labour Bob Foale 1,044
Conservative John Harvey 982
Conservative Emily Croft 807
Conservative Aric Gilinsky 669
UKIP Robert Ball 349
UKIP Dutch Dudgeon 331
Liberal Democrat Rod Ruffle 312
Green Andrew Wallace Bell 259
Green Audaye Khalid Elesedy 157
Green Isabel Castle 154
Registered electors 6,375
Turnout 2,672 41.91%

Duryard & St James

Duryard & St James
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Keith Owen 851
Conservative Percy Prowse 773
Liberal Democrat Kevin John Mitchell 770
Labour Tristan Charles Leonard Harris 720
Labour Robin Edward William Hughes-Chamberlain 674
Conservative Richard William Elliott 601
Liberal Democrat Michael Norman Mitchell 583
Conservative Lee William Mottram 561
Liberal Democrat Nicholas George Sutton 458
Green Bethany Payne 303
Green Rouben Scott Freeman 253
Green Jenny Steer 245
UKIP Sallie Cherie Waters 141
Registered electors 6,848
Turnout 2,441 35.65%

Exwick

Exwick
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Philip Michael Bialyk 1,362
Labour Ollie Pearson 1,277
Labour Rachel Helen Sutton 1,245
UKIP Lawrence Simon Harper 473
Conservative Steve Hawkins 462
Conservative Benjamin Tomos Lewis 394
Conservative Patricia White 362
Green Stephen Leslie Porter 309
Liberal Democrat Caroline Emily Gwyneth Nottle 268
Registered electors 7,197
Turnout 2,363 32.83%

Heavitree

Heavitree
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Olwen Margaret Foggin 1,677
Labour Rosie Clare Denham 1,653
Labour Greg Sheldon 1,394
Conservative Guy Steven Frank Richards 620
Green Gill Baker 607
Conservative Azhar-Jamal Chaudhry 560
Conservative Sam Morfey 558
UKIP Diana Beasley 336
Liberal Democrat Sheila Muriel Hobden 305
Green Steve Jones 297
Green Rob Davies 262
Registered electors 6,783
Turnout 3,030 44.67%

Mincinglake & Whipton

Mincinglake & Whipton
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Emma Anita Morse 1,337
Labour Peter William Edwards 1,209
Labour Stephen Alexander Brimble 1,183
UKIP Alison Jane Sheridan 472
UKIP Anne Patricia Back 418
Conservative David Thompson 397
Conservative George Thomas Livesey 372
UKIP Eddie Higgins 367
Conservative Paul Robert Geoffrey Rota 339
Green Bridget Catherine Oliver 218
Liberal Democrat Andrew Matthew Soper 167
Registered electors 6,688
Turnout 2,394 35.80%

Newtown & St Leonards

Newtown & St Leonards
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Richard Arthur Branston 1,725
Labour Natalie Jane Vizard 1,562
Labour Roger David Spackman 1,448
Conservative Norman Shiel 816
Conservative John Murphy 755
Conservative Stephanie Warner 676
Green Tom Milburn 416
Green Andrew Cheesewright 371
Green Joe Powell 276
Liberal Democrat James Landymore 244
UKIP Jacqueline Barbara Holdstock 172
Independence from Europe Dave Smith 104
Registered electors 6,893
Turnout 3,028 43.93%

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Rachel Clare Lyons 1,307
Labour Daniel Ryan Gottschalk 1,254
Conservative Peter Holland 1,196
Labour Christine Elizabeth Raybould-Gooding 1,146
Conservative Alan Jones 1,094
Conservative Anne Jobson 1,092
Green Lizzie Woodman 538
Green David Barker-Hahlo 450
Green Alysa Freeman 409
Liberal Democrat Kimberley Lauren Stansfield 309
Registered electors 7,514
Turnout 3,166 42.13%

Pinhoe

Pinhoe
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour David James Harvey 1,046
Conservative Cynthia Thompson 981
Labour Duncan Wood 953
Conservative Ruth Smith 926
Conservative John Rogers 894
Labour Laura Charis Adelaide Wright 869
Green Diana Patricia Jones 224
Liberal Democrat Mike Payne 163
Registered electors 5,052
Turnout 2,300 45.53%

Priory

Priory
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Kate Hannan 1,372
Labour Lesley Sara Robson 1,207
Labour Tony Wardle 1,141
Conservative Lucille Baker 601
Conservative Nicola Guagliardo 537
Conservative Mario Trabucco 517
UKIP Robert James Sheridan 337
Green Lynn Susan Wetenhall 301
Liberal Democrat Ellen McDonnell 215
Registered electors 6,256
Turnout 2,428 38.81%

St Davids

St Davids
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Robert Lamb 1,063
Labour Lewis Peter Griffiths Keen 1,002
Labour Luke Sean Sills 875
Liberal Democrat Stella Rose Brock 768
Green Diana Frances Moore 655
Liberal Democrat Philip John Brock 612
Liberal Democrat Kevin Martin Chun 526
Conservative Catherine Pierce 473
Conservative Louis Ten-Holter 453
Conservative Jeremy White 438
Green Kay Powell 413
Green Mark Shorto 321
Registered electors 6,981
Turnout 2,637 37.77%

St Loyes

St Loyes
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative David John Henson 923
Conservative Yolonda Anne Cullis Henson 901
Labour Rose Leinwen Ashford 692
Conservative James Ali Taghdissian 616
Labour Calum Gabriel John Craig 581
Labour David Charles Coughlin 549
Liberal Democrat Kevin Martin Chun 526
UKIP Valerie Angus 333
Green Ben Head 306
Liberal Democrat David William Roberts 304
Registered electors 6,597
Turnout 2,066 31.32%

St Thomas

St Thomas
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Rob Hannaford 1,502
Labour Hannah Louise Packham 1,314
Labour Paul David Bull 1,219
Liberal Democrat Adrian Alan Fullam 978
Liberal Democrat Vanessa Newcombe 730
Liberal Democrat Sandy Chenore 670
Conservative Charles Arthur Michael Beaty 383
UKIP Brian Jeffrey 307
Green Samuel Charles Bolitho 260
Conservative Elliott Latif Malik 258
Green Joe Levy 241
Conservative Nabila Roukhamieh-Mckinna 210
Green Cheryl Jacqueline Freeman 203
Registered electors 7,329
Turnout 3,017 41.17%

Topsham

Topsham
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Andrew Robert Leadbetter 1,277
Conservative Rob Newby 1,188
Conservative Margaret Anne Baldwin 1,135
Labour Eliot Paul Wright 882
Labour Elizabeth Oxburgh 736
Labour Tom Stephenson 635
Green John Moreman 420
Liberal Democrat William Vasey 247
Registered electors 6,334
Turnout 2,453 38.73%

References

  1. "Guide to May 2016 elections in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland". BBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Final recommendation on the new electoral arrangements for Exeter City Council: Summary report" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  3. "Where will you live? Map shows final recommendations for Exeter's boundary changes". Exeter Express and Echo. Local World. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 "2016 Local Elections". Exeter City Council. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  5. "Labour win control of Exeter and Plymouth councils". BBC News. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  6. "Exeter City Council election results". Exeter Express and Echo. Local World. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  7. "Full list: Who is standing in the 2016 Exeter City Council elections?". Exeter Express and Echo. Local World. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Exeter Elections 2016: We take a look at the party manifestos". Exeter Express and Echo. Local World. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  9. "Exeter City Council: Labour strengthen control". ITV Westcountry. ITV. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Mapped: Exeter election results as Labour gain seats in the city". ITV Westcountry. ITV. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.

External links

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