1983 King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council election

1983 King's Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council election
← 1979 5 May 1983 1987 →
All 60 seats to King's Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council ; 31 seats needed for a majority
Registered	93,623
Turnout	~43.8% (4.7%)
	Winner of each seat at the 1983 King's Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council election.
Control before election; ; Conservative	Control after election; ; Conservative

Last updated January 17, 2026

The 1983 King's Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council election took place on 5 May 1983 to elect members of King's Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council in Norfolk, England.^[1] This was on the same day as other local elections.

Summary

Election result

1983 King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council election^[2]
Party		Candidates	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Conservative	59	42	N/A	N/A		70.0	53.4	34,077	+3.9
	Labour	48	15	N/A	N/A		25.0	37.8	24,131	–6.0
	Independent	8	2	N/A	N/A	1	3.3	3.8	2,417	–1.3
	Alliance	13	1	N/A	N/A	1	1.7	4.9	3,153	+3.8

Ward results

Incumbent councillors standing for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*). Changes in seats do not take into account by-elections or defections.

Airfield

Airfield (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Bagge*	709	69.6	*N/A*
	Conservative	J. Bagge	684	67.2	*N/A*
	Labour	G. Holding	308	30.3	N/A
	Labour	W. Holding	282	27.7	N/A
Turnout			~1,017	38.0	N/A
Registered electors			2,675
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Burnham

Burnham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	E. Coke*	547	60.4	*N/A*
	Labour	J. Rosser	247	27.3	N/A
	Alliance	C. Raison	111	12.3	N/A
Majority			300	37.8	N/A
Turnout			905	67.4	N/A
Registered electors			1,343
	Conservative hold

Chase

Chase (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	B. Barton	650	44.7
	Conservative	F. Cork	559	38.4
	Labour	L. Watts	470	32.3
	Labour	N. Cooper	466	32.0
	Alliance	K. Leeder	261	18.0
	Independent	L. Goold	73	5.0
Turnout			~1,453	45.1
Registered electors			3,222
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Clenchwarton

Clenchwarton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	N. Lane	520	54.4	+10.5
	Labour	R. Sainty	436	45.6	+19.1
Majority			84	8.8	–5.5
Turnout			956	56.3	–24.4
Registered electors			1,698
	Conservative hold		Swing	4.3

Creake

Creake
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Vallance	469	55.0	*N/A*
	Conservative	M. Kelly	383	45.0	N/A
Majority			86	10.1	N/A
Turnout			852	61.0	N/A
Registered electors			1,396
	Labour gain from Conservative

Denton

Denton (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Jones*	942	59.1	+5.8
	Conservative	C. Sharp	800	50.2	–1.0
	Conservative	A. White	743	46.6	–3.9
	Labour	J. Waterfall	655	41.1	–5.8
Turnout			~1,596	38.3	–36.2
Registered electors			4,166
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Denver

Denver
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	J. Sharpe*	580	65.0	–5.8
	Conservative	C. Cooper	312	35.0	+5.8
Majority			268	30.0	–11.6
Turnout			892	58.8	–22.5
Registered electors			1,516
	Independent hold		Swing	5.8

Dersingham

Dersingham (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	I. Stockwell*	1,027	45.2	*N/A*
	Conservative	W. Greenwood*	779	34.3	*N/A*
	Independent	G. Pratt	715	31.5	N/A
	Labour	W. Watson	531	23.4	N/A
Turnout			~2,272	65.6	N/A
Registered electors			3,464
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Docking

Docking
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Howard*	480	61.0	+0.7
	Conservative	C. Smith	232	29.5	–10.2
	Alliance	A. Bates	75	9.5	N/A
Majority			248	31.5	+10.9
Turnout			787	56.1	–22.5
Registered electors			1,402
	Labour hold		Swing	5.5

Downham Market

Downham Market (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Brown*	1,288	48.9	–5.0
	Conservative	H. Rose*	1,231	46.7	+1.2
	Conservative	H. Blakey*	905	34.3	*N/A*
	Independent	T. Taylor	846	32.1	N/A
	Labour	M. Stewart	498	18.9	–9.2
	Labour	T. Mansfield	467	17.7	N/A
Turnout			~2,630	53.9	–39.3
Registered electors			4,880
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative win (new seat)

Emneth

Emneth
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	N. Terrington*	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,513
	Independent gain from Conservative

Gayton

Gayton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	I. Major*	500	60.1	–5.9
	Labour	M. James	207	24.9	–9.1
	Alliance	G. Overton	125	15.0	N/A
Majority			293	35.2	+3.2
Turnout			832	55.5	–26.3
Registered electors			1,498
	Conservative hold		Swing	1.6

Gaywood Central

Gaywood Central (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	R. Bostock	675	48.6
	Conservative	F. Barton*	657	47.3
	Alliance	J. Loveless	394	28.4
	Labour	W. Davison	319	23.0
	Labour	P. Richards	299	21.6
	Alliance	J. Morrod	295	21.3
Turnout			~1,389	48.8
Registered electors			2,847
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Gaywood North

Gaywood North (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	D. Garwood*	894	59.2
	Conservative	T. Swann*	858	56.8
	Conservative	L. Daubney	842	55.7
	Labour	H. Billings	614	40.6
	Labour	G. Marrin	600	39.6
	Labour	B. Burch	578	38.3
Turnout			~1,509	39.0
Registered electors			3,871
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Gaywood South

Gaywood South (3 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	A. Burch*	1,340	71.5
	Labour	M. Wilkinson	1,335	71.3
	Labour	P. Wilkinson*	1,333	71.2
	Conservative	A. Bridge	529	28.2
	Conservative	E. Nockolds	513	27.4
	Conservative	B. Rawlinson	492	26.2
Turnout			~1,871	37.7
Registered electors			4,962
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Grimston

Grimston
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Reader*	536	51.7	*N/A*
	Alliance	S. Goldsmith	268	25.9	N/A
	Labour	V. Cross	232	22.4	N/A
Majority			268	25.8	N/A
Turnout			1,036	51.7	N/A
Registered electors			2,002
	Conservative hold

Heacham

Heacham (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	V. Stapley*	969	54.1	–3.4
	Conservative	E. Gidney*	947	52.9	+5.4
	Labour	J. Weston	493	27.5	–14.8
	Labour	J. Maiden	431	24.0	N/A
	Alliance	J. Wright	328	18.3	N/A
Turnout			~1,789	49.4	–29.0
Registered electors			3,622
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Hunstanton

Hunstanton (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	T. Legge*	1,045	65.8	*N/A*
	Conservative	C. Matkin	1,014	63.8	*N/A*
	Labour	B. Devlin	543	34.2	N/A
	Labour	C. Dearden	423	26.6	N/A
Turnout			~1,589	44.6	N/A
Registered electors			3,562
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Lynn Central

Lynn Central (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	J. Cook	404	50.2
	Labour	W. Batstone	400	49.7
	Conservative	R. Fraulo	368	45.8
	Labour	A. West	326	40.5
Turnout			~803	38.7
Registered electors			2,075
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Lynn North

Lynn North (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	F. Juniper	964	78.1
	Labour	G. Defty	902	73.0
	Conservative	S. Dorrington	269	21.8
	Conservative	G. Brown	151	12.2
Turnout			~1,233	39.3
Registered electors			3,139
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Lynn South West

Lynn South West (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Benefer*	723	56.2	+12.1
	Labour	W. Baker*	701	54.5	+12.1
	Conservative	C. Garrod	320	24.9	+1.4
	Conservative	J. Hobday-Pepper	286	22.3	+0.1
	Alliance	R. Everett	244	19.0	N/A
Turnout			~1,286	32.8	–46.2
Registered electors			3,922
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

Mershe Lande

Mershe Lande
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	H. Goose*	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,600
	Conservative hold

Middleton

Middleton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Lemon*	516	68.6	*N/A*
	Labour	J. Watson	236	31.4	N/A
Majority			280	37.2	N/A
Turnout			752	50.5	N/A
Registered electors			1,489
	Conservative hold

North Coast

North Coast
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Gibbs	680	76.1	*N/A*
	Labour	C. Jennings	214	23.9	N/A
Majority			466	52.2	N/A
Turnout			894	47.7	N/A
Registered electors			1,875
	Conservative hold

Priory

Priory
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	T. Ward	447	63.6	+11.3
	Conservative	R. Peck	175	24.9	–22.9
	Independent	R. Hayward	82	11.7	N/A
Majority			272	38.7	+34.3
Turnout			704	60.3	–20.5
Registered electors			1,168
	Labour hold		Swing	17.1

Rudham

Rudham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	B. Seaman*	383	62.6	+3.2
	Conservative	R. Dowen	229	37.4	–3.2
Majority			154	25.2	+6.4
Turnout			612	57.6	–23.0
Registered electors			1,063
	Labour hold		Swing	3.2

Snettisham

Snettisham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. Barwick*	470	57.4	*N/A*
	Labour	A. Dale	349	42.6	N/A
Majority			121	14.8	N/A
Turnout			819	43.5	N/A
Registered electors			1,883
	Conservative hold

Spellowfields

Spellowfields (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	B. Howling*	702	57.0	+9.1
	Conservative	J. Wright*	671	54.5	+11.4
	Labour	F. Howlett	529	42.9	+13.1
	Labour	W. Cowen	431	35.0	N/A
Turnout			~1,230	39.1	–54.1
Registered electors			3,145
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

St. Lawrence

St. Lawrence
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	W. Garner*	379	50.5	–10.9
	Labour	A. Green	287	38.2	–0.5
	Alliance	J. Heley	86	11.5	N/A
Majority			92	12.3	–10.4
Turnout			752	47.1	–31.2
Registered electors			1,598
	Conservative hold		Swing	5.2

St. Margarets

St. Margarets
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	C. Heron	352	40.0	–4.1
	Alliance	B. Goldstone	267	30.3	+14.9
	Conservative	H. Bolt	260	29.6	–10.8
Majority			85	9.7	+6.0
Turnout			879	54.7	–24.3
Registered electors			1,607
	Labour hold		Swing	9.5

Ten Mile

Ten Mile
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Simper*	380	50.5	+0.5
	Conservative	T. Ferguson	373	49.5	–0.5
Majority			7	0.9	+0.9
Turnout			753	42.4	–32.3
Registered electors			1,777
	Labour hold		Swing	0.5

The Walpoles

The Walpoles
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	E. Kemp*	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,763
	Conservative gain from Independent

The Woottons

The Woottons (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	R. Spencer*	1,310	70.0
	Conservative	L. Dutton*	1,295	69.2
	Labour	S. Fish	561	30.0
	Labour	J. Higgins	522	27.9
Turnout			~1,872	51.0
Registered electors			3,670
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Upwell, Outwell & Delph

Upwell, Outwell & Delph (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	M. Clark	Unopposed
	Conservative	E. Feary*	Unopposed
Registered electors			3,228
	Conservative win (new seat)
	Conservative win (new seat)

Valley Hill

Valley Hill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	M. Tilbury*	677	59.1
	Conservative	J. Saint	468	40.9
Majority			209	18.2
Turnout			1,145	64.5
Registered electors			1,774
	Labour win (new seat)

Watlington

Watlington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	P. Haynes*	659	71.8	*N/A*
	Labour	R. Williams	259	28.2	N/A
Majority			400	43.6	N/A
Turnout			918	57.6	N/A
Registered electors			1,595
	Conservative hold

West Walton

West Walton
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	F. Jude*	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,029
	Independent hold

West Winch

West Winch
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Davies	557	57.6	*N/A*
	Alliance	A. Walker	235	24.3	N/A
	Labour	J. Boswell	175	18.1	N/A
Majority			322	33.3	N/A
Turnout			967	49.5	N/A
Registered electors			1,955
	Conservative hold

Wiggenhall

Wiggenhall
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Turrell*	296	43.9	*N/A*
	Labour	G. Wilkinson	257	38.1	N/A
	Independent	G. Caley	121	18.0	N/A
Majority			39	5.8	N/A
Turnout			674	47.6	N/A
Registered electors			1,417
	Conservative hold

Wissey

Wissey
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Alliance	J. Marsh	464	50.4
	Conservative	J. Cowieson	457	49.6
Majority			7	0.8
Turnout			921	52.1
Registered electors			1,768
	Alliance win (new seat)

References

↑ "Borough Council of Kings' Lynn & West Norfolk Election Results 1973-2011" (PDF). Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher . The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. pp. 6–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
↑ "Compositions calculator". Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher . Elections Centre, Plymouth University . Retrieved 3 September 2025.

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[1] "Borough Council of Kings' Lynn & West Norfolk Election Results 1973-2011" (PDF). Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher . The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. pp. 6–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.

[2] "Compositions calculator". Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher . Elections Centre, Plymouth University . Retrieved 3 September 2025.

[1]

[2]

v t e Council elections in Norfolk
Norfolk County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Breckland District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Broadland District Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Great Yarmouth Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2023
King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
North Norfolk District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Norwich City Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
South Norfolk District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
See also: Wards Boundary changes

v t e (1982 ←) 1983 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1984)
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See also: UK General election