2021 Portsmouth City Council election

Last updated

2021 Portsmouth City Council election
City Flag of Portsmouth.svg
  2019 6 May 2021 2022  

14 of the 42 seats to Portsmouth City Council
22 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Con
Gerald Vernon-Jackson (2019, cropped).jpg
Lab
Leader Donna Jones (outgoing) Gerald Vernon-Jackson George Fielding
Party Conservative Liberal Democrats Labour
Leader's seatHilsea (retiring)MiltonCentral Southsea
Seats before15176
Seats won562
Seats after16157
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 1Decrease2.svg 2Increase2.svg 1
Popular vote17,23012,71313,392
Percentage36.0%26.6%28.0%
SwingIncrease2.svg 12.1%Decrease2.svg 2.6%Increase2.svg 2.9%

Portsmouth CC election 2021.svg
Map showing the results of the 2021 Portsmouth City Council election

Council control before election

No Overall Control (Lib Dem minority)

Council control after election

No Overall Control (Lib Dem minority)

Elections to Portsmouth City Council took place on Thursday 6 May 2021, alongside other local elections across the country.

Contents

The seats contested in this election were last contested in 2016. The election was originally due to take place on 7 May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] One seat from each ward was up for election.

Background

Elections to Portsmouth council since 2012 have proven to have volatile and changing results, with eleven of the city’s fourteen wards voting for different parties each year. [2] Following the 2018 election in Portsmouth, Gerald Vernon-Jackson became leader of the council and has led the council in a minority administration. [3]

Changes between 2019 and 2021

Immediately after the previous elections, in May 2019, the composition of the council was:

In July 2019, a Liberal Democrat councillor, Jeanette Smith, who was elected in 2018 quit the party. She had been a member of the Lib Dems for two years, having previously been a member of the Labour Party. [4]

In September 2019, Jeanette Smith and one of the other independent councillors, Claire Udy, who had run for election as a member of the Labour Party but had quit shortly before the election, after nominations were closed, citing a lack of support from the local party while under investigation by the National Executive Committee, [5] [6] formed a new grouping called the Progressive Portsmouth People group. [7]

In April 2020, Conservative councillor Lee Mason was suspended from the party, after baking a hot cross bun that appeared to have a swastika "emblazoned" on it over Easter. [8] He was reinstated in August 2020. [9]

In June 2020, Conservative councillor Linda Symes was suspended from the party, after appearing to question why there were demonstrations over the murder of George Floyd during the Black Lives Matter protests and yet not over the murder of Lee Rigby or the killing of seven-year-old Emily Jones. Although she insisted she was 'not being racist' and that 'every life matters’. In another post on Facebook, Symes shared a comment about the mayor of London which said: "Because of his ethnicity Khan (Sadiq) will remain Mayor." [10] [11]

As of October 2020, the composition of the council was as follows:

Results summary

2021 Portsmouth City Council election
PartyThis electionFull councilThis election
SeatsNetSeats %OtherTotalTotal %VotesVotes %+/−
  Conservative 5Increase2.svg 135.7111638.117,23036.0+11.1
  Liberal Democrats 6Decrease2.svg 242.991535.712,71326.6-2.6
  Labour 2Steady2.svg14.35716.713,39228.0+2.9
  Independent 1Increase2.svg 17.1349.51,7873.7N/A
  Green 0Steady2.svg0.0000.02,3715.0-0.8
  TUSC 0Steady2.svg0.0000.01910.4New
  NHA 0Steady2.svg0.0000.01000.2-0.5
  Workers Party 0Steady2.svg0.0000.0490.1New

Ward results

Comparisons for the purpose of determining a gain, hold or loss of a seat, and for all percentage changes, is to the last time these specific seats were up for election in 2016. An asterisk indicates the incumbent councillor.

Baffins

Baffins
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Darren Sanders* 1,737 47.1 −0.4
Conservative Tom Collins1,06628.9+10.2
Labour Jason Christopher64017.4+1.7
Green Bob Simmonds2466.7N/A
Majority 67118.19
Turnout 3,68933.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Central Southsea

Central Southsea
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Charlotte Gerada 1,740 42.3 +18.2
Liberal Democrats Steve Pitt*1,61139.2−1.7
Conservative Charles Douglas57013.9+1.9
Green Tamara Groen1914.6−8.7
Majority 1293.14
Turnout 4,11234.4
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Kirsty Mellor 1,183 45.6 +11.7
Conservative Renu Raj71327.5+17.2
Liberal Democrats Yahiya Chowdhury60023.1−8.6
TUSC Chris Pickett973.7N/A
Majority 47018.13
Turnout 2,59319.3
Labour hold Swing

Copnor

Copnor
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lewis Gosling 1,636 53.2 +17.3
Labour Mary Vallely80526.2−2.8
Green Tim Sheerman-Chase32610.6N/A
Liberal Democrats Bobby Tera30710.0+0.4
Majority 83127.0
Turnout 3,07431.6
Conservative hold Swing

Cosham

Cosham
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Matt Atkins* 1,668 48.3 +7.1
Labour Asghar Shah1,25235.2+6.3
Liberal Democrats David Fuller3339.6+0.9
Independent Mike Jerome1033.0N/A
NHA Veronika Wagner1002.9N/A
Majority 41613.04
Turnout 3,45633.78
Conservative hold Swing

Drayton and Farlington

Drayton and Farlington
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ryan Brent 2,707 68.4 +13.4
Labour David Simpson77619.6−0.8
Liberal Democrats Duncan Garland47512.0+2.8
Majority 1,93148.8
Turnout 3,95838.2
Conservative hold Swing

Eastney and Craneswater

Eastney and Craneswater
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Smith 1,654 37.8 +3.2
Liberal Democrats Matthew Winnington*1,29229.5−13.8
Labour Craig Withey1,13926.0+12.4
Green Menno Groen2896.6−1.9
Majority 3628.3
Turnout 4,37445.0
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +8.5

Fratton

Fratton
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Stuart Brown 1,029 35.2 +3.2
Labour Nikki Coles97733.5+6.3
Conservative Paul Sweeney71224.4+11.2
Green Ken Hawkins1545.3−0.6
Workers Party Joey Smith491.7N/A
Majority 521.78
Turnout 2,92127.6
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Hilsea

Hilsea
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Daniel Wemyss 1,763 58.2 +3.6
Labour Julian Lewis78325.9−6.2
Liberal Democrats Peter Williams2658.8−4.4
Green Emma Murphy2177.2N/A
Majority 98032.36
Turnout 3,02829.7
Conservative hold Swing

Milton

Milton
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Kimberly Barrett 1,471 37.7 −4.9
Labour Paula Savage1,25132.0+14.4
Conservative Jack Smith90123.1+7.0
Green Sarah Gilbert2837.3−0.4
Majority 2205.63
Turnout 3,90637.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Nelson

Nelson
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Leo Madden* 1,097 43.6 +3.2
Conservative David Cairns78131.0+15.2
Labour Georgia Hancock49519.7−2.6
Green Duncan Robinson1455.8N/A
Majority 31612.55
Turnout 2,51824.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Paulsgrove

Paulsgrove
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent George Madgwick 1,684 49.1 N/A
Conservative Tony Hewitt1,26937.0+13.1
Labour Mark Farwell39711.6−29.7
Liberal Democrats George Brown812.4−1.7
Majority 41512.10
Turnout 3,43133.7
Independent gain from Labour Swing

St Jude

St Jude
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Hugh Mason* 1,287 35.6 −4.1
Labour Raj Ghosh1,19433.1+16.3
Conservative Stephen Gorys84723.5−3.6
Green Ian McCulloch2837.80.0
Majority 932.58
Turnout 3,61138.6
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

St Thomas

St Thomas
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Ian Holder 1,428 42.4 +8.2
Conservative Alicia Denney94328.0+4.7
Labour Rebecca Ozaniec76022.6−0.9
Green Elliott Lee2377.0−0.7
Majority 48514.40
Turnout 3,36830.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

References

  1. "Statement on the UK Government's decision to postpone May's polls". The Electoral Commission . 13 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  2. Andrew Teale (28 April 2019). "Long Read: The 2019 Local Elections". Britain Elects. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  3. "Lib Dem Gerald Vernon-Jackson wins Portsmouth council leadership". BBC News . 15 May 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  4. "Portsmouth councillor quits Lib Dems, believing party's decisions not made 'for benefit of community'". 11 July 2019.
  5. "Claire Udy Resignation". Claire Udy. 27 April 2018.
  6. "Claire Udy Statement". Claire Udy. 27 April 2018.
  7. "Independent Portsmouth councillors form own group to 'support local campaigners'". 13 September 2019.
  8. "Tories suspend Portsmouth councillor for baking swastika-like symbol on hot cross bun". 16 April 2020.
  9. "'Swastika' hot cross bun Tory councillor Lee Mason reinstated to Conservative Party". 27 August 2020.
  10. "Tory councillors accused of racist posts on social media". TheGuardian.com . 10 June 2020.
  11. "Portsmouth politician under fire for 'undeniably racist' social media posts". 3 June 2020.