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All 41 seats to Bracknell Forest Borough Council 21 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 28% [1] ( 2pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Winner of each seat at the 2023 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2023 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2023, to elect all 41 members in 15 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election took place on the same day as other local elections in England as part of the 2023 United Kingdom local elections. Due to a boundary review there had been a change in ward boundaries, along with a reduction in size from 42 members elected in 2019. This is the first election since 1971 (under the council's predecessor Easthampstead Rural District) where a majority of seats are outside Bracknell. The election was held alongside concurrent town and parish council elections in Binfield, Bracknell, Crowthorne, Sandhurst, Warfield, and Winkfield.
The Labour Party won an overall majority of 3, ending the 26-year Conservative Party administration, with both the Leader of the Council Paul Bettison and Deputy Leader Dale Birch losing re-election in the new ward of Sandhurst. By seat share, it is the worst result for the Conservatives in the history of Bracknell District and Bracknell Forest, eclipsing their defeat in 1973. Additionally, by measure of seats lost, it was the worst Conservative result in the country that electoral cycle. Conversely, it is the best performance for the Liberal Democrats and its antecedents, winning 7 seats. The Green Party gained victory for the first time in the council's history, winning 2 seats.
The council had been controlled by the Conservative Party since the unitary authority was created in 1998. The predecessor district council was controlled by the Conservatives, save for an initial period from 1973 to 1976 and later 1995 to 1997 when it was controlled by the Labour Party.
Paul Bettison was the Leader of the Council since 1997, having been elected leader of the Conservative group in 1996. [2] Mary Temperton has been leader of the Labour group since 2011. [3] Thomas Parker, the lone Liberal Democrat, announced he would not stand for re-election, having been first elected in 2019.
Party | Seats | |
---|---|---|
Conservatives | 37 | |
Labour | 4 | |
Liberal Democrats | 1 |
The Conservatives nominated a full slate of 41 candidates, whilst Labour only put forward 24, the Liberal Democrats 12, and the Greens 7. However, in none of these contests were Labour and the Liberal Democrats standing against each other, and likewise between the Liberal Democrats and the Greens - in only 2 of the 15 wards were Labour and the Greens opposing each other. This was a significant reversal from 2019, when Labour put up a full slate, and led to accusations that an arrangement had been reached between the three parties as a form of progressive alliance [4] [5] - a fact denied by the local Labour and Liberal Democrats. [5] Reform UK and the Heritage Party also stood 1 candidate each in Harmans Water & Crown Wood - their first entry at a Bracknell Forest election. Finally, two independents stood - one in Town Centre & The Parks and another in Whitegrove.
Soon after nominations closed, controversy emerged over the selection of one of the Conservative candidates for Bracknell Town Council on Priestwood ward, Andrew McBride. McBride was a former regional organiser of the far-right British National Party, having also stood as a BNP candidate for Priestwood & Garth at the 2007 election, as well as a former deputy leader of the far-right Britain First. [6] The Bracknell Conservative Association subsequently suspended his membership and disavowed his candidacy - however, it was legally too late to withdraw McBride from the election, so he appeared on the ballot as a Conservative candidate. [7] The association indicated it would deny him the Conservative whip should he be elected. [7] Outgoing Conservative cabinet member, Marc Brunel-Walker, announced on 12 April that he had submitted a motion of no-confidence in the association's officers over its selection of McBride in the first place. [8]
11 incumbent councillors (10 of them Conservative) announced they would be standing down. [9]
Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | 22 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 53.7 | 30.4 | 8,173 | +383 | |
Conservative | 10 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 24.4 | 42.4 | 11,388 | -2,795 | |
Liberal Democrats | 7 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 17.1 | 17.0 | 4,563 | -1,393 | |
Green | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4.9 | 8.4 | 2,258 | +1,708 | |
Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 221 | +221 | |
Heritage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 155 | +155 | |
Reform UK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 122 | +122 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Green | Sheila Collings | 1,004 | 58.0 | ||
Green | Adrian Michael Haffegee | 901 | 52.1 | ||
Conservative | John Bruce Harrison | 807 | 46.6 | ||
Conservative | Ian William Leake | 790 | 45.7 | ||
Conservative | Ankur Shiv Bhandari | 643 | 37.2 | ||
Turnout | 1,730 | 28 | |||
Registered electors | 6,254 | ||||
Green win (new seat) | |||||
Green win (new seat) | |||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kathryn Claire Neil | 1,111 | 55.4 | ||
Labour | Georgia Rose Pickering | 1,025 | 51.1 | ||
Labour | Steve O'Regan | 1,007 | 50.2 | ||
Conservative | Paul Vincent Byron | 910 | 45.3 | ||
Conservative | Kiran Kumar Meka | 804 | 40.1 | ||
Conservative | Rishi Bhandari | 768 | 38.3 | ||
Turnout | 2,007 | 27 | |||
Registered electors | 7,597 | ||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Caroline May Egglestone | 574 | 55.1 | ||
Labour | Kandy Jefferies | 510 | 48.9 | ||
Conservative | Henry Michael Norman Campbell-Ricketts | 474 | 45.5 | ||
Conservative | Sanjeev Prasad | 461 | 44.2 | ||
Turnout | 1,042 | 25 | |||
Registered electors | 4,221 | ||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tina McKenzie-Boyle | 907 | 52.2 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Tina Eberle | 829 | 47.8 | ||
Conservative | Nicholas Ian Robertson | 828 | 47.7 | ||
Conservative | Bob Wade | 799 | 46.0 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Richard Montague Beaumont | 792 | 45.6 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Terry Enga | 728 | 41.9 | ||
Turnout | 1,736 | 30 | |||
Registered electors | 5,755 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Paul Steven Bidwell | 908 | 57.5 | ||
Labour | Guy Alexander Gillbe | 906 | 57.3 | ||
Labour | Helen Amelia Purnell | 844 | 53.4 | ||
Conservative | Dee Hamilton | 535 | 33.9 | ||
Conservative | Iain Alexander McCracken | 512 | 32.4 | ||
Conservative | Sabyasachi Chattaraj | 481 | 30.4 | ||
Green | Victor John Rones | 261 | 16.5 | ||
Turnout | 1,580 | 25 | |||
Registered electors | 6,432 | ||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mary Louise Temperton | 1,666 | 76.5 | ||
Labour | Gerry Webb | 1,323 | 60.7 | ||
Labour | Naheed Ejaz | 1,301 | 59.7 | ||
Conservative | Michael Adeniyi Abayomi Gbadebo | 588 | 27.0 | ||
Conservative | Kevin Roy Buchler | 545 | 25.0 | ||
Conservative | Kenneth Paul Widdowson | 470 | 21.6 | ||
Turnout | 2,178 | 33 | |||
Registered electors | 6,641 | ||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jenny Penfold | 1,037 | 55.6 | ||
Labour | Janet Gwendoline Cochrane | 967 | 51.9 | ||
Labour | Cath Thompson | 936 | 50.2 | ||
Conservative | Gill Birch | 821 | 44.0 | ||
Conservative | Mike Gibson | 803 | 43.1 | ||
Conservative | Michael John Skinner | 736 | 39.5 | ||
Turnout | 1,864 | 30 | |||
Registered electors | 6,320 | ||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Cherise April Welch | 887 | 51.7 | ||
Labour | Pete Frewer | 885 | 51.5 | ||
Labour | Jodie Christas Watts | 882 | 51.4 | ||
Conservative | Chris Franklin | 671 | 39.1 | ||
Conservative | Lizzy Gibson | 637 | 37.1 | ||
Conservative | Christopher Richard Martin Turrell | 634 | 36.9 | ||
Heritage | Jason Peter Reardon | 155 | 9.0 | ||
Reform UK | John Gallacher | 122 | 7.1 | ||
Turnout | 1,717 | 27 | |||
Registered electors | 6,298 | ||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Nick Allen | 1,093 | 54.8 | ||
Conservative | Raymond Mossom | 1,023 | 51.3 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Philip Geoffrey Thompson | 937 | 47.0 | ||
Conservative | John Edwards | 899 | 45.1 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Ben Ian Jeffrey Hutchinson | 811 | 40.7 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Leigh Sharon Quigg | 803 | 40.3 | ||
Turnout | 1,994 | 27 | |||
Registered electors | 7,451 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Tricia Brown | 980 | 60.7 | ||
Labour | Ryan George Frost | 914 | 56.6 | ||
Labour | Michael Karim | 829 | 51.4 | ||
Conservative | Jennie Karen Green | 656 | 40.6 | ||
Conservative | Alvin Edwin Finch | 621 | 38.5 | ||
Conservative | Hazel Hill | 574 | 45.6 | ||
Turnout | 1,614 | 24 | |||
Registered electors | 6,687 | ||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Mike Forster | 1,325 | 56.2 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Christoph Eberle | 1,109 | 47.1 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Mohammad Nazar Zahuruddin | 1,030 | 43.7 | ||
Conservative | Parm Panesar | 1,024 | 43.5 | ||
Conservative | Dale Philip Birch | 1,008 | 42.8 | ||
Conservative | Paul David Bettison | 969 | 41.1 | ||
Turnout | 2,356 | 33 | |||
Registered electors | 7,291 | ||||
Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Sophie Louise Forster | 748 | 57.0 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Patrick Smith | 698 | 53.2 | ||
Conservative | Colin Reginald Dudley | 544 | 41.4 | ||
Conservative | Ash Merry | 540 | 41.1 | ||
Turnout | 1,313 | 28 | |||
Registered electors | 4,780 | ||||
Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | |||||
Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Megan Ruth Wright | 551 | 53.8 | ||
Labour | Roy John Bailey | 538 | 52.5 | ||
Conservative | Suki Alanna Hayes | 397 | 38.7 | ||
Conservative | Peter Heydon | 377 | 36.8 | ||
Independent | Olivio Baretto | 93 | 9.1 | ||
Turnout | 1,025 | 25 | |||
Registered electors | 4,207 | ||||
Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Labour win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gareth Michael Barnard | 913 | 55.6 | ||
Conservative | Robert Lauchlan McLean | 789 | 48.1 | ||
Labour | Grant David Strudley | 459 | 28.0 | ||
Labour | Graham William Firth | 389 | 23.7 | ||
Green | Rosaleen Melinda Donnan | 274 | 16.7 | ||
Green | Philip Vincent Marshall Pitt | 211 | 12.9 | ||
Independent | Colleen Dulieu | 128 | 7.8 | ||
Turnout | 1,642 | 32 | |||
Registered electors | 5,152 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Moira Kathleen Gaw | 1,048 | 55.0 | ||
Conservative | Dorothy Andrea Susan Hayes | 1,026 | 53.8 | ||
Conservative | Tony Virgo | 894 | 46.9 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Simon Christopher Banks | 724 | 38.0 | ||
Green | Samantha Mary Gibbins | 719 | 37.7 | ||
Green | Mark Julien Harvey | 621 | 32.6 | ||
Turnout | 1,907 | 27 | |||
Registered electors | 7,114 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
The Labour takeover was considered one of the shocks of the 2023 United Kingdom local elections, [10] [11] with many pundits ascribing the defeat in part to the theorised deal between Labour and the Liberal Democrats - outgoing leader Paul Bettison himself identified this and the woes of the Conservative government nationally as the reasons for his party's defeat. [12] Mary Temperton, the Labour Party group leader, continued to deny such a pact existed, [13] but nevertheless the result fuelled calls for a progressive alliance. Over a year later at the 2024 general election, both of Bracknell Forest's parliamentary constituencies would flip from the Conservatives - Bracknell to Labour and Maidenhead to the Liberal Democrats.
Councillor | Ward | First elected | Party | Date announced | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thomas Parker | Wildridings & Central | 2019 | Liberal Democrats | 3 October 2022 [14] | |
Marc Brunel-Walker | Crown Wood | 2003 | Conservative Party | 21 December 2022 [15] | |
Robert Angell | Bullbrook | 1983 | Conservative Party | 4 May 2023 | |
Nigel Atkinson | Ascot | 2019 | Conservative Party | 4 May 2023 | |
Michael Brossard | Central Sandhurst | 2007 | Conservative Party | 4 May 2023 | |
Sandra Ingham | Warfield Harvest Ride | 2015 | Conservative Party | 4 May 2023 | |
Gaby Kennedy | Central Sandhurst | 2016 | Conservative Party | 4 May 2023 | |
Ian Kirke | Bullbrook | 2019 | Conservative Party | 4 May 2023 | |
Isabel Mattick | Harmans Water | 1987 | Conservative Party | 4 May 2023 | |
Pauline McKenzie | College Town | 2015 | Conservative Party | 4 May 2023 | |
John Porter | Owlsmoor | 2011 | Conservative Party | 4 May 2023 |
Caused by the resignation of Labour councillor Naheed Ejaz
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Donna Louise Pressland | 681 | 44.6 | −29.3 | |
Conservative | Sue Housego | 411 | 26.9 | +0.8 | |
Reform UK | Colin Wright | 258 | 16.9 | New | |
Independent | Michael Gbadebo | 158 | 10.3 | New | |
Heritage | Jason Peter Reardon | 20 | 1.3 | New | |
Turnout | 1528 | 22.3 | |||
Registered electors | |||||
Labour hold | Swing | -15.1 |
Bracknell is a constituency in Berkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Peter Swallow, from the Labour Party. It was created for the 1997 general election, largely replacing the abolished county constituency of East Berkshire.
The 2008 Rushmoor Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Rushmoor Borough Council in Hampshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.
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The 2007 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2007 to elect members of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.
The 2006 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.
The 2007 Hertsmere Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.
The 2015 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect all 42 councillors in 18 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election took place alongside both the 2015 United Kingdom general election and other local elections in England. With the concurrent general election, turnout was significantly up on the last local election. The Conservative Party was returned to a sixth term in office, continuing its hold on the council since its inception as a unitary authority in 1998. The Labour Party was reduced to the single seat of its group leader in Great Hollands North - its worst result since 1987.
The 2019 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect all 42 councillors in 18 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England.
The 2019 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.
The 2022 Barnet London Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022, alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom. All 63 members of Barnet London Borough Council were elected. The Labour Party took overall control, winning 41 of the seats to the Conservative Party's 22. This was the first time Labour had won the council outright; previously, the Conservatives had always won the most seats, usually with an overall majority.
The 2022 Camden London Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. All 55 members of Camden London Borough Council were elected. The elections took place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom.
The 2022 Waltham Forest London Borough Council election was on 5 May 2022. All 60 members of Waltham Forest London Borough Council were elected. The elections took place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom. the Labour Party maintained its control of the council, winning 47 out of the 60 seats with the Conservative Party forming the council opposition with the remaining 13 seats.
The 2022 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022 to elect members of Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council in England. One third of councillors — 17 out of 51, plus one vacancy in Ovenden ward were up for election. The election took place alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom.
The 2023 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday, 4 May 2023 in England and on Thursday 18 May 2023 in Northern Ireland. These included district councils, unitary authorities, and directly elected mayors in England, and included all local councils in Northern Ireland. Notably, these elections were the first to be held under the Elections Act 2022, a new voter identification law that required voters to show photo ID when attending a polling station, and was a cause for controversy.
The 2007 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2007, to elect all 42 councillors in 18 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections in England as part of the 2007 United Kingdom local elections. The Conservative Party increased its majority at the expense of both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats, the latter losing its only seat. This was the only all-out council election where the far-right British National Party put up a candidate.
The 2003 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003, to elect all 42 councillors in 18 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections in England as part of the 2003 United Kingdom local elections. Due to a boundary review there had been a change in ward boundaries, along with an increase in size from 40 members elected in 2000. The Conservative Party secured a third term in office, increasing its majority, whilst the opposition Labour Party lost its group leader. The Liberal Democrats re-entered the council for the first time at an all-out council election since 1995, and the first at which the eurosceptic UK Independence Party stood a candidate.
The 1997 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 1 May 1997, to elect all 40 members in 19 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as both the 1997 United Kingdom general election and other local elections in England as part of the 1997 United Kingdom local elections, resulting in a much higher turnout of 75% compared to 1995. With the planned abolition of Berkshire County Council, Bracknell Forest would see itself transition from a district council to a unitary authority a year into the new term. Despite the landslide victory of the Labour Party in the general election, Bracknell Forest emerged as the only council in the United Kingdom to switch from outright Labour control to outright Conservative control, with the Conservative Party gaining a majority of 6. The Liberal Democrats were wiped out.
The 1976 Bracknell District Council election took place on 6 May 1976, to elect all 31 members in 16 wards for Bracknell District Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections as part of the 1976 United Kingdom local elections. The Conservative Party ousted the one-term Labour Party council, winning all but 4 of the seats, with Labour group leader Bill Lindop losing his seat of Wildridings. The Liberal Party were able to hold onto their solitary seat in Crowthorne & Easthampstead. Despite leading the Conservative group into the election, Dorothy Benwell would be replaced by newly elected Tim Wood, who subsequently became leader of the council.
The 1979 Bracknell District Council election took place on 3 May 1979, to elect all 40 members in 19 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as both the 1979 United Kingdom general election and other local elections as part of the 1979 United Kingdom local elections. Due to a boundary review there had been a change in ward boundaries, along with an increase in size from 31 members elected in 1976. Despite losing government nationally, the Labour Party made up ground in Bracknell District from its landslide defeat in 1976. Although the Conservative Party ended up with the same number of seats as 1976, the increased size of the council saw its majority reduced. The Liberal Party lost its lone seat. This would be the last time a candidate outside the three main parties would win at an all-out election.
The 1983 Bracknell District Council election took place on 5 May 1983, to elect all 40 members in 19 wards for Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England. The election was held on the same day as other local elections as part of the 1983 United Kingdom local elections. The Conservative Party won a third term in office, securing an electoral wipeout of the opposition parties by winning all 40 seats, a feat it would repeat in 1987.