2023 Horsham District Council election

2023 Horsham District Council election

←  2019 4 May 2023 (2023-05-04) 2027 →
All 48 seats to Horsham District Council 25 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Martin Boffey Claire Vickers Party Liberal Democrats Conservative Last election 13 seats, 28.3% 32 seats, 48.5% Seats won 28 11 Seat change 15 21 Popular vote 32,756 31,217 Percentage 35.5% 33.8% Swing 7.2 pp 14.7 pp   Third party Fourth party   Party Green Independent Last election 2 seats, 3.6% 1 seat, 1.4% Seats won 8 1 Seat change 6 Popular vote 18,506 622 Percentage 20.0% 0.7% Swing 16.4 pp 0.7 pp
Winner of each seat at the 2023 Horsham District Council election
Leader before election Claire Vickers Conservative Leader after election Martin Boffey Liberal Democrats

The 2023 Horsham District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Horsham District Council in West Sussex, England. ^{[1] [2]} It was held on the same day as other local elections in England.

The Liberal Democrats gained control of the council from the Conservatives with an 8 seat majority. It was the first time since the 1995 election that the Liberal Democrats had taken control of the council. It was also the worst performance in terms of seats for the Conservative Party in any previous election to the council. The Conservative leader of the council prior to the election, Claire Vickers, lost her seat. ^[3] Liberal Democrat group leader Martin Boffey was formally appointed the new leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 24 May 2023. ^[4]

Council Composition

Prior to the election, the composition of the council was:

↓

29	13	3	3
Con	LDem	Grn	Ind

After the election, the composition of the council was:

↓

28	11	8	1
LDem	Con	Grn	Ind

Results summary

2023 Horsham District Council election [5]
Party		Candidates	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Liberal Democrats	48	28	15	0	15	58.3	35.5	32,756	+7.2
	Conservative	46	11	0	21	21	22.9	33.8	31,217	–14.7
	Green	47	8	6	0	6	16.7	20.0	18,506	+16.4
	Independent	3	1	0	0		2.1	0.7	622	–0.7
	Labour	31	0	0	0		0.0	9.5	8,733	–5.2
	Reform UK	2	0	0	0		0.0	0.3	290	N/A
	Peace	1	0	0	0		0.0	0.2	143	–0.2
	Heritage	1	0	0	0		0.0	0.1	61	N/A

Ward results

Billingshurst

Billingshurst (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Samantha Bateman	1,069	40.0	+10.3
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Baynham	1,044	39.1	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	John Trollope	926	34.7	−1.2
	Conservative	Christopher Brown	871	32.6	−16.8
	Conservative	Danijela David	807	30.2	−8.5
	Conservative	Nigel Jupp	802	30.0	−16.9
	Labour	Jonathan Austin	582	21.8	+5.6
	Labour	Chris Henson	579	21.7	+7.1
	Labour	Trishna Julha	532	19.9	+8.3
	Green	Jonathan Denton	186	7.0	N/A
	Green	Nikki Nama	180	6.7	N/A
	Green	Thomas Wilson	128	4.8	N/A
Turnout			2,688	33.43
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

• Nigel Jupp is also an elected councillor at West Sussex County Council representing Southwater & Nuthurst. ^[6]

Bramber, Upper Beeding & Woodmancote

Bramber, Upper Beeding & Woodmancote (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Mike Croker	940	57.7	+10.9
	Conservative	Roger Noel	800	49.1	+6.7
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Allen	577	35.4	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Andy Mantell	148	9.1	N/A
Turnout			1,641	38.54
	Green hold
	Conservative hold

• This was the only seat at the elections where the Green Party did not stand a full quota of candidates. ^[7]

Broadbridge Heath

Broadbridge Heath (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	James Brookes	579	44.7	−15.3
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Taylor	503	38.9	−12.1
	Conservative	Aaron Courteney-Smith	332	25.7	−5.9
	Conservative	Khobi Vallis	322	24.9	−2.0
	Independent	Terry Oliver	252	19.5	N/A
	Labour	Jane McGillivray	160	12.4	+1.3
	Green	Sheila Humphreys	126	9.7	N/A
	Green	Sandra Vallens	97	7.5	N/A
Turnout			1,299	29.52
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold

Colgate & Rusper

Colgate & Rusper (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Liz Kitchen	681	48.0	−25.9
	Conservative	Tony Hogben	639	45.1	−21.7
	Liberal Democrats	Joel Dinis	485	34.2	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Simon James	297	20.9	N/A
	Labour	Donald Mahon	221	15.6	−5.9
	Green	Freya Finnegan	198	14.0	N/A
	Green	Yelena Finnegan	124	8.7	N/A
Turnout			1,429	29.31
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

• Liz Kitchen was Leader of the Council from 2001 to 2009.

Cowfold, Shermanbury & West Grinstead

Cowfold, Shermanbury & West Grinstead (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lynn Lambert	690	41.5	−27.6
	Liberal Democrats	Joanne Knowles	669	40.2	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Dittmer	645	38.8	N/A
	Conservative	Sarah Payne	633	38.0	−30.6
	Green	Catherine Briggs	193	11.6	N/A
	Labour	David Shone	152	9.1	−18.5
	Green	Amalia Finnegan	148	8.9	N/A
Turnout			1,673	37.76
	Conservative hold
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

Denne

Denne (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Ruth Fletcher	1,337	51.2	−0.3
	Liberal Democrats	John Milne	1,204	46.1	−2.7
	Liberal Democrats	Clive Trott	1,153	44.2	−4.4
	Conservative	Ross Dye	790	30.3	−3.6
	Conservative	David Walbank	780	29.9	−4.9
	Conservative	Kimberley Williams	752	28.8	−2.4
	Labour	Hilary Key	327	12.5	−2.2
	Labour	Kevin O'Sullivan	287	11.0	−0.2
	Labour	Matthew Verrall	253	9.7	−2.8
	Green	Jane Sharp	237	9.1	N/A
	Green	Vicci Johnson	219	8.4	N/A
	Green	Robin Johnson	210	8.0	N/A
Turnout			2,620	34.45
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold

• John Milne represented Roffey North ward from 2019 to 2023. He is also an elected councillor at West Sussex County Council representing Horsham Riverside. ^[8]

Forest

Forest (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	David Skipp	1,382	51.0	+6.4
	Liberal Democrats	Colin Minto	1,362	50.3	+12.0
	Liberal Democrats	Jon Olson	1,316	48.6	+6.7
	Labour	Carol Hayton	695	25.7	+0.3
	Labour	David Hide	662	24.4	−0.2
	Labour	Gerard Kavanagh	560	20.7	−0.3
	Conservative	Michael Revell	385	14.2	−5.2
	Conservative	Ken Eglinton	379	14.0	−10.1
	Conservative	Julian Walden	361	13.3	−8.0
	Green	Hannah Moor	220	8.1	N/A
	Green	Tony Baker	200	7.4	N/A
	Green	Lawrence Leather	148	5.5	N/A
	Peace	James Duggan	143	5.3	−5.4
Turnout			2,711	39.54
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold

Henfield

Henfield (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Malcolm Eastwood	766	40.3	N/A
	Conservative	Josh Potts*	753	39.6	+6.2
	Green	Gill Perry	742	39.0	+10.1
	Labour	Fiona Ayres	590	31.0	+3.6
	Green	Sian Fisher	267	14.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Dane	193	10.1	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Robert Mohamed	83	4.4	N/A
Turnout			1,905	41.45
	Independent gain from Independent
	Conservative hold

Holbrook East

Holbrook East (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Nick Grant	874	47.3	+7.8
	Liberal Democrats	Warwick Hellawell	784	42.4	N/A
	Conservative	Karen Burgess*	640	34.6	−12.8
	Conservative	Simon Torn	566	30.6	−21.8
	Labour	Sheila Chapman	186	10.1	−9.8
	Labour	Lorraine Barry	172	9.3	−10.1
	Green	Florian Yeates	150	8.1	N/A
	Green	Mark Francis	125	6.8	N/A
	Reform UK	Tony Rickett	82	4.4	N/A
Turnout			1,855	40.61
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

• Simon Torn represented Roffey South ward from 2011 to 2019.

Holbrook West

Holbrook West (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Nigel Emery	1,039	50.6	+15.4
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Franke	913	44.5	+12.4
	Conservative	Peter Burgess*	750	36.5	−12.4
	Conservative	Christian Mitchell*	732	35.7	−11.9
	Labour	Raymond Chapman	192	9.4	−3.6
	Green	David Hall	148	7.2	N/A
	Green	Una McCartan	133	6.5	N/A
	Labour	Ros Shiel	112	5.5	−9.9
Turnout			2,059	41.13
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

• Christian Mitchell is also an elected councillor at West Sussex County Council representing Broadbridge. ^[9]

Itchingfield, Slinfold & Warnham

Itchingfield, Slinfold & Warnham (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Kasia Greenwood	740	44.2	+12.2
	Conservative	Tricia Youtan*	683	40.8	−7.6
	Conservative	Robert Nye	667	39.9	−6.9
	Liberal Democrats	Brian Tweedy	597	35.7	+6.8
	Green	Jennie Tomlinson	185	11.1	N/A
	Green	Andrew Finnegan	145	8.7	N/A
	Labour	Araminta Barlow	134	8.0	+0.4
Turnout			1,687	37.83
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
	Conservative hold

• Robert Nye sat on Horsham District Council in various wards from 1999 to 2011. He was leader of the Council from 2009-2011. ^[10]

Nuthurst & Lower Beeding

Nuthurst & Lower Beeding

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Dennis Livingstone	464	44.6	+9.6
	Conservative	Norman Bryant	397	38.2	−20.1
	Labour	Hazel Lamb	94	9.0	+2.3
	Green	Natasha Barnes	85	8.2	N/A
Turnout			1,044	42.68
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Pulborough, Coldwaltham & Amberley

Pulborough, Coldwaltham & Amberley (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Jon Campbell	868	41.0	+3.6
	Green	Len Ellis-Brown	862	40.7	N/A
	Conservative	Paul Clarke*	813	38.4	−10.6
	Conservative	Richard Atkins	777	36.7	−11.5
	Green	Morag Warrack	623	29.4	N/A
	Conservative	Damian Stuart	566	26.7	−18.8
	Liberal Democrats	Jane Berry	341	16.1	N/A
	Labour	Jane Mote	326	15.4	−8.2
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Geeson	269	12.7	N/A
	Reform UK	John Wallace	208	9.8	−11.5
	Liberal Democrats	John Evans	167	7.9	N/A
	Heritage	Johanna Hughes	61	2.9	N/A
Turnout			2,124	35.79
	Green gain from Conservative
	Green gain from Conservative
	Conservative hold

• Paul Clarke was Leader of the Council for 207 days in 2021 before resigning. ^[11]

Roffey North

Roffey North (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Tony Bevis*	845	51.2	+2.5
	Liberal Democrats	Belinda Walters	771	46.7	+1.6
	Conservative	Jonathan Dancer	480	29.1	−10.5
	Conservative	Tracey Grabowski	431	26.1	−7.2
	Labour	Daniel Everett	218	13.2	−1.5
	Labour	Kyle Wickens	201	12.2	+0.3
	Green	Ian Nicol	146	8.8	−5.9
	Green	Nicholas Linfield	125	7.6	N/A
Turnout			1,661	34.57
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold

• Belinda Walters represented Denne ward from 2019 to 2023.
• Jonathan Dancer represented Roffey North ward from 2015 to 2019.

Roffey South

Roffey South (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Sam Raby*	746	48.6	+8.4
	Liberal Democrats	Jay Mercer	715	46.6	+8.9
	Conservative	Alan Britten*	448	29.2	−11.0
	Conservative	Katie Nagel	418	27.2	−13.6
	Green	Claire Adcock	175	11.4	N/A
	Labour	Nicola Gardner	171	11.1	−6.3
	Labour	Sara Loewenthal	170	11.1	−5.3
	Green	Tony Cook	105	6.8	N/A
Turnout			1,545	31.42
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
	Liberal Democrats hold

• Alan Britten represented Roffey South as a Liberal Democrat from 2019-2023. He previously sat as a Conservative from 2015-2019 before defecting to the Liberal Democrats ahead of the 2019 election. ^[12] He rejoined the Conservatives in 2023. ^[13]
• Katie Nagel is also an elected councillor at West Sussex County Council representing St Leonard's Forest. ^[14]

Rudgwick

Rudgwick

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Dick Landeryou*	497	55.5	−14.1
	Liberal Democrats	Patrick Mason	254	28.3	+5.3
	Green	Harry Tilney	79	8.8	N/A
	Labour	Rebecca Bainbridge	66	7.4	±0.0
Turnout			903	38.87
	Conservative hold		Swing

Southwater North

Southwater North (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Mike Wood	732	43.6	+8.1
	Liberal Democrats	Peter van der Borgh	730	43.5	+8.2
	Conservative	Claire Vickers*	633	37.7	−13.8
	Conservative	John Chidlow	605	36.0	−17.3
	Labour	Jill Clarke	155	9.2	−0.6
	Green	Nick Barnett	151	9.0	N/A
	Green	Jill Shuker	149	8.9	N/A
	Labour	Margaret Cornwell	126	7.5	+0.3
Turnout			1,687	38.19
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

• Claire Vickers was the Leader of the Council until losing her seat.
• John Chidlow represented Southwater from 2011 to 2019.

Southwater South & Shipley

Southwater South & Shipley (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Colette Blackburn	889	50.5	+12.5
	Liberal Democrats	Alex Jeffrey	699	39.7	+4.6
	Conservative	Ian Stannard*	689	39.1	−3.1
	Conservative	Matthew Payne	686	38.9	−5.7
	Labour	Diane Burstow	173	9.8	+0.7
	Green	Diana Croker	155	8.8	N/A
	Green	Peter Shaw	106	6.0	N/A
Turnout			1,777	33.64
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

• Ian Stannard was the Vice-Chair of the Council until losing his seat.

Steyning & Ashurst

Steyning & Ashurst (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Victoria Finnegan	895	47.2	+3.1
	Green	Nicholas Marks	808	42.6	N/A
	Conservative	Tim Lloyd*	690	36.4	−6.6
	Conservative	Hattie Shoosmith	576	30.4	−5.6
	Liberal Democrats	Kevin Hammond	344	18.2	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Howell	344	18.2	N/A
Turnout			1,911	40.31
	Green hold
	Green gain from Conservative

Storrington & Washington

Storrington & Washington (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Joan Grech*	1,588	52.1	N/A
	Green	Emma Beard	1,579	51.8	N/A
	Green	Claudia Fisher	1,452	47.6	N/A
	Conservative	Daniel Hall	1,206	39.5	−22.0
	Conservative	Anthony Watts	1,099	36.0	−23.6
	Conservative	Gary Markwell	903	29.6	−26.3
	Liberal Democrats	Janine Milne	411	13.5	−23.0
	Liberal Democrats	Alex Beveridge	294	9.6	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Thomas Worth	264	8.7	N/A
Turnout			3,075	41.07
	Green gain from Conservative
	Green gain from Conservative
	Green gain from Conservative

• Gary Markwell is also an elected councillor at West Sussex County Council representing Arundel & Courtwick. ^[15] He also, simultaneously stood for election in Arun District Council where he was also defeated by The Green Party. ^[16]

Trafalgar

Trafalgar (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Martin Boffey*	1,287	64.2	+7.0
	Liberal Democrats	Tony Frankland	1,212	60.4	+7.2
	Conservative	Tim Nagel	374	18.6	−5.1
	Conservative	David Thompson	364	18.1	−3.1
	Labour	Joanne Kavanagh	236	11.8	−4.6
	Labour	Adam Key	161	8.0	−5.3
	Green	Wendy Breese	141	7.0	N/A
	Green	Kim Hope	138	6.9	N/A
Turnout			2,011	42.04
	Liberal Democrats hold
	Liberal Democrats hold

• Martin Boffey was, heading into the election Leader of the Opposition.

West Chiltington, Thakeham & Ashington

West Chiltington, Thakeham & Ashington (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Circus*	1,369	46.2	−10.6
	Conservative	Alan Manton	1,262	42.6	−15.6
	Conservative	Joy Dennis	1,119	37.8	−10.0
	Green	Jenny Altamirano Smith	1,046	35.3	N/A
	Green	Barry Humphreys	981	33.1	N/A
	Green	Ana Sivers	800	27.0	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Miles	533	18.0	−12.1
	Independent	Caroline Instance	370	12.5	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Rob Phillips	288	9.7	N/A
	Labour	Nick Dalton	240	8.1	−7.6
	Liberal Democrats	Evan Stone	238	8.0	N/A
Turnout			2,974	42.10
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

• Philip Circus was Deputy Leader of the Council.
• Joy Dennis is also an elected councillor at West Sussex County Council representing Hurstpierpoint & Bolney. ^[17]

Changes 2023-2027

By-elections

Henfield

Henfield By-Election, 29 February 2024

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Gill Perry	668	44.2	+5.3
	Conservative	Tim Lloyd	569	37.7	−1.9
	Labour	Fiona Ayres	215	14.2	−16.7
	Liberal Democrats	Nico Kearns	59	3.9	−3.3
Majority			99	6.5
Turnout			1,511	33.3
	Green gain from Independent		Swing

Southwater North

Southwater North By-Election, 29 February 2024

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Claire Vickers	618	49.0	+11.2
	Liberal Democrats	Gary Hayes	388	30.8	−13.0
	Green	Jennifer Nuin Smith	162	12.9	+3.8
	Labour	Minty Barlow	92	7.3	−2.0
Majority			230	18.2
Turnout			1,260	28.8
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing

Deene

Denne by-election: 21 November 2024

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Cheryl Sweeney	712	38.6	+9.2
	Liberal Democrats	Ben Hewson	672	36.4	–13.3
	Green	Jennifer Nuin Smith	255	13.8	+5.0
	Labour	Cameron McGilliray	205	11.1	–1.1
Majority			40	2.2	N/A
Turnout			1,848	23.1	–11.4
Registered electors			7,987
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing	11.3

Colgate & Rusper

Colgate & Rusper by-election: 17 April 2025

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Hannah Butler	453	30.3	–0.3
	Conservative	Josh Bounds	406	27.2	–15.8
	Green	Andrew Finnegan	375	25.1	+12.6
	Reform UK	Robert Nye	206	13.8	N/A
	Labour	Gerard Kavanagh	53	3.5	–10.4
Majority			47	3.1	N/A
Turnout			1,493	27.7	–1.6
Registered electors			5,389
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing	7.8

References

1. "District & Parish Elections - 4 May 2023". Horsham District Council . Retrieved 30 March 2023.
2. "Local Elections 2023: More than 400 Sussex seats up for election". The Argus (Brighton) . Retrieved 10 April 2023.
3. Luck, Flaminia (5 May 2023). "Sussex election results 2023: Tories lose Wealden for first time in 25 years". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
4. Dunn, Karen (25 May 2023). "Horsham council's new Lib Dem leader". Sussex World. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
5. "Horsham District Council Candidates". Horsham Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
6. "Councillor details - Councillor Nigel Jupp". westsussex.moderngov.co.uk. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
7. "Home". MidSussex, Crawley and Horsham Green Party. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
8. "Councillor details - Councillor John Milne". westsussex.moderngov.co.uk. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
9. "Councillor details - Councillor Christian Mitchell". westsussex.moderngov.co.uk. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
10. "Horsham council leader steps down". The Argus. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
11. "Sudden resignation of Horsham District Council leader". 12 November 2021.
12. "Conservative councillor defects to Lib Dems". 7 March 2019.
13. "Horsham councillor defects to Conservatives after not being re-selected by Lib Dems". 17 January 2023.
14. "Councillor details - Councillor Katie Nagel". westsussex.moderngov.co.uk. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
15. "Councillor details - Councillor Gary Markwell". westsussex.moderngov.co.uk. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
16. Council, Arun District. "Statements of persons nominated for Arun District Council elections May 2023". Arun District Council. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
17. "Councillor details - Councillor Joy Dennis". westsussex.moderngov.co.uk. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.