2015 Colchester Borough Council election

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]

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

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

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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

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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

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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   4 65.0 14 27 45.0 28,023 40.1 +6.5
  Liberal Democrats 3   4 15.0 17 20 33.3 13,827 19.8 –3.2
  Labour 3   15.0 6 9 15.0 12,940 18.5 +2.3
  Independent 1   5.0 3 4 6.7 1,543 2.4 –0.5
  UKIP 0   0.0 0 0 0.0 7,775 11.1 –4.7
  Green 0   0.0 0 0 0.0 5,767 8.2 –0.4

Ward results

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No turnout figures were provided by the council.

Berechurch

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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  0.8

Birch & Winstree

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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  8.0

Castle

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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  6.2

No UKIP candidate as previous (-15.0).

Christ Church

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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  7.7

Copford & West Stanway

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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

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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  0.2

Great Tey

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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  4.1

Highwoods

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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  15.3

Mile End

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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  7.9

New Town

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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  9.0

Prettygate

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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  3.7

Shrub End

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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  11.3

St. Andrew's

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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  10.5

St. Anne's

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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  9.7

Stanway

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Dedham & Langham

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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

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  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.