2011 West Somerset District Council election

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Map of the results of the 2011 West Somerset District Council election. Conservatives in blue, independents in grey and Labour in red. West Somerset UK local election 2011 map.svg
Map of the results of the 2011 West Somerset District Council election. Conservatives in blue, independents in grey and Labour in red.

The 2011 West Somerset District Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of West Somerset District Council in Somerset, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2007 reducing the number of seats by 3. [1] The Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from Independents. [1]

Contents

Background

Before the election Conservative Tim Taylor was the leader of the council in an alliance with Independents. [2] Since the 2007 election boundary changes reduced the number of seats on the council from 31 to 28. [3]

A total of 63 candidates stood at the election for the 28 seats on the council. [4] These included 15 sitting councillors and a record 12 Green Party candidates, a party that had not contested any seats in West Somerset in 2007. [3] [5] This was compared to only 4 Labour Party and 2 Liberal Democrat candidates, with the number of Green candidates being put down to the proposal for a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point. [5] One seat, Greater Exmoor, only had one candidate, Conservative Steven Pugsley, so he was elected without opposition. [4]

Election result

The Conservatives took control of the council with 19 councillors after gaining 6 seats. [6] This was mainly at the expense of Independents who dropped 9 seats, with only 7 independents being elected. [6] The independent losses included the defeat of councillors Sandra Slade and Paul Tipney in Minehead South and Quantock Vale respectively. [3]

The Labour Party gained a seat to move to 2 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats lost their only seat on the council [6] and the Greens failed to win any seats. [3]

West Somerset local election result 2011 [7] [1]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 19+667.947.410,486+4.4%
  Independent 7-925.032.47,169-15.6%
  Labour 2+17.17.01,548+1.6%
  Green 00011.12,449+11.1%
  Liberal Democrats 0-102.2479-1.4%

Ward results

Alcombe (2) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Ian Melhuish409
Conservative Paul Grierson357
Labour Andy Lewis280
Green Venetia Moore200
Turnout 1,24633.6
Brendon Hills [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Keith Turner45674.3
Independent Nick Moore15825.7
Majority29848.6
Turnout 61451.6
Carhampton & Withycombe [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Timothy Taylor38266.3
Independent William Butcher19433.7
Majority18832.6
Turnout 57651.0
Crowcombe & Stogumber [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Anthony Trollope-Bellew37354.8
Independent Roy Harbour17826.1
Green Jamie Robertson13019.1
Majority19528.7
Turnout 68153.4
Dulverton & District (2) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Keith Ross736
Conservative Bruce Heywood543
Independent David Lungley450
Conservative Kathy Smith434
Turnout 2,16351.3
Dunster & Timberscombe [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alec Chick33657.9
Green Nicky Gibbard16628.6
Independent Gary Miele7813.4
Majority17029.3
Turnout 58047.5
Greater Exmoor [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Steven Pugsleyunopposed
Minehead Central (3) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Andrew Hadley588
Conservative Mandy Chilcott543
Conservative Richard Lillis349
Independent Stephen Grice302
Labour Lesley Culverhouse298
Independent Ernest Taylor247
Independent John Clyde-Smith146
Green Cait Collins137
Green Simon Gibbard127
Turnout 2,73732.4
Minehead North (2) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent David Ross471
Conservative David Sanders448
Independent Steve Pickard220
Green Katy Attwater218
Turnout 1,35729.4
Minehead South (2) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Les Smith520
Labour Maureen Smith520
Conservative Tristan Tonks365
Independent Sandra Slade335
Green David Taylor259
Turnout 1,99941.3
Old Cleeve (2) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Kate Kravis523
Conservative Martin Dewdney423
Green Jude Johnson-Smith304
Liberal Democrats Ian Galloway219
Green David Latimer178
Turnout 1,64746.0
Porlock & District (2) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Karen Mills683
Independent Jon Freeman591
Conservative Nick Messarra414
Turnout 1,68847.7
Quantock Vale (2) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Chris Morgan521
Conservative Sue Goss442
Independent Paul Tipney434
Turnout 1,39745.1
Watchet (3) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Westcott669
Conservative Anthony Knight637
Labour Peter Murphy450
Conservative Ann Snelling327
Green Izzy Silvester297
Independent Loretta Whetlor269
Liberal Democrats Anthony Bowden260
Green Bruce Scott259
Independent John Richards238
Turnout 3,40638.5
West Quantock [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Geoffrey Dowding41770.6
Green Miriam Robertson17429.4
Majority24341.2
Turnout 59153.8
Williton (2) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Hugh Davies700
Independent Edwin May425
Conservative Rosemary Woods324
Turnout 1,44939.5

References

  1. 1 2 3 "England council elections". BBC News. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  2. ↑ "Somerset Conservatives celebrate election results". BBC News. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "West Somerset Council election results". West Somerset Free Press. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Full list of West Somerset election candidates". Somerset County Gazette . 8 April 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  5. 1 2 Blair, David (26 April 2011). "Somerset Greens energised by fallout from Japan". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 "Tories take control of three West councils as voters reject AV system in referendum". this is Cornwall. 7 May 2011. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "District Election Results 2011". West Somerset Council. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
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