2024 Runnymede Borough Council election

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2024 Runnymede Borough Council election
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←  2023 2 May 2024 (2024-05-02)2026 →
14 out of 41 seats to Runnymede Borough Council
21 seats needed for a majority
Registered57,518
Turnout18,320 (31.9%, Decrease2.svg 0.8 pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
  No image wide.svg No image wide.svg No image wide.svg
LeaderRobert KingTom GraceyDon Whyte
Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats
Leader since202120222019
Leader's seatEgham HytheEgham HytheLongcross, Lyne and Chertsey South
Last election2 seats, 21.7%5 seats, 36.9%2 seats, 19.2%
Seats before4194
Seats won433
Seats after8136
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 4Decrease2.svg 7Increase2.svg 2
Popular vote4,2987,1733,962
Percentage21.7%36.3%20.0%
SwingIncrease2.svg 0.0 pp Decrease2.svg 0.6 pp Increase2.svg 0.8 pp
 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
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LeaderLinda GillhamSteve RinghamBob Bromley
Party RIRG Green Reform UK
Leader since202320222024
Leader's seatThorpeAddlestone NorthAddlestone North (Defeated standing in Englefield Green West)
Last election2 seats, 8.5%1 seat, 6.5%0 seats, 0.4%
Seats before621
Seats won210
Seats after630
Seat changeSteady2.svg 0Increase2.svg 1Steady2.svg 0
Popular vote1,4001,438252
Percentage7.1%7.3%1.3
SwingDecrease2.svg 1.4 pp Increase2.svg 0.8 pp Increase2.svg 0.9 pp
Runnymede Borough election 2024.png
A map presenting the results of the election, by party of the councillor elected from each ward.
Leader before election

Tom Gracey
Conservative
No overall control

Co-leaders after election

Robert King (Lab Co-op)
Don Whyte (Lib Dem)
Linda Gillham (RIRG)
Steve Ringham (Green)
No overall control

Contents

The 2024 Runnymede Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2024 to elect one-third of members of the Runnymede Borough Council in Surrey, England. This was on the same day as other local elections in England and police and crime commissioner elections. [1]

The election saw the Conservatives lose all but three of the ten seats they were defending. Notable losses include Chertsey St. Ann's, where the incumbent council deputy leader lost his seat to Labour, and New Haw where the Liberal Democrats saw the largest majority in the borough, gaining from the Conservatives.

Following the resignation of the Conservative Party Councillor Max Darby, who represented the Ward of Woodham and Rowtown, there was a by-election to fill the vacancy held on the same day. [2]

Former Egham Hythe Councillor, Alex Balkan, had to withdraw his nomination at the election for the Conservative Party and was replaced by Tanya Solomon who stood for the Conservative Party unsuccessfully in Englefield Green West Ward in 2022 and 2023. [3]

The council remained under no overall control. [4] Following the election a coalition of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Runnymede Independent Residents' Group, the Green Party and three of the independent councillors formed to run the council, calling themselves the Runnymede Council Alliance group. At the subsequent annual council meeting on 15 May 2024 the four party leaders within the alliance were jointly appointed as co-leaders of the council. [5] [6]

Results

2024 Runnymede Borough Council election
PartyThis electionFull councilThis election
SeatsNetSeats %OtherTotalTotal %VotesVotes %+/−
  Labour Co-op 4Increase2.svg 428.64819.54,29821.7+0.0%
  Conservative 3Decrease2.svg 721.4101331.77,17336.3−0.6%
  Liberal Democrats 3Increase2.svg 221.43614.63,96220.0+0.8%
  RIRG 2Steady2.svg 014.34614.61,4007.1−1.4%
  Green 1Increase2.svg 17.1237.31,4387.3+0.8%
  Independent 1Steady2.svg 07.14512.21,1665.9−0.4%
  Reform UK 0Steady2.svg 000002521.3+0.9%
  Heritage 0Steady2.svg 00000950.5+0.4%

Ward Candidates

Addlestone North

Addlestone North
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Green Priya Mehta 496 40.0 +0.3
Conservative Tommy Traylen32125.8−11.7
Labour Co-op June Tilbury18815.1−1.5
Reform UK Stewart Mackay15112.1New
Liberal Democrats Stuart Lawrence897.1+0.8
Majority17514.1
Rejected ballots7
Turnout 124528.2−3.3
Green gain from Conservative Swing +6.0

Addlestone South

Addlestone South
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Furey 605 42.0 +0.3
Labour Co-op Elaine Percival59641.4+5.1
Liberal Democrats Theresa Burton24016.7+4.5
Majority90.6
Rejected ballots27
Turnout 144130.0−0.3
Conservative hold Swing −2.4

Chertsey Riverside

Chertsey Riverside
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Co-op Cai Parry 653 45.9 +7.4
Conservative John Osborn53837.8−4.1
Green Elaine Brindley1228.6+0.7
Liberal Democrats Liam Elvish1107.7−4.0
Majority1158.1
Rejected ballots12
Turnout 142331.2+1.2
Labour Co-op gain from Conservative Swing +5.8

Chertsey St. Ann's

Chertsey St. Ann's
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Co-op Mark Williams 654 47.2 +10.7
Conservative Myles Willingale48034.7−10.4
Liberal Democrats Annabel Jones15010.8−0.8
Green Vicky Flynn1017.3+0.6
Majority17412.6
Rejected ballots19
Turnout 138529.5−0.6
Labour Co-op gain from Conservative Swing +10.6

Egham Hythe

Egham Hythe
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Co-op Ricky Milstead 758 53.8 +4.0
Conservative Tanya Solomon62444.3+2.8
Independent Deshveen Mangat1178.3New
Majority1349.5
Rejected ballots11
Turnout 141029.0−1.8
Labour Co-op gain from Conservative Swing +0.6

Egham Town

Egham Town
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RIRG Geeta Moudgil 735 50.6 −14.0
Conservative Mark Adams30320.9+6.1
Labour Jocelyn Boxall25117.3+1.4
Liberal Democrats Ian Heath1127.7+2.0
Green Timothy Hayes523.6New
Majority43229.7
Rejected ballots3
Turnout 145331.6−1.2
RIRG hold Swing −10.1

Englefield Green West

Englefield Green West
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Paul Gahir 370 32.9 −21.0
Conservative Wendy Locker33229.5−16.6
Independent Amanda Willis32228.6New
Reform UK Bob Bromley1019.0New
Majority383.4
Rejected ballots4
Turnout 112530.4+0.4
Labour gain from Conservative Swing −2.2

Longcross, Lyne and Chertsey South

Longcross, Lyne and Chertsey South
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Kevin Lee 645 70.0 −3.2
Conservative Steve Vise27630.0+3.2
Majority36940.0
Rejected ballots21
Turnout 92131.6−2.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing −3.2

New Haw

New Haw
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Ken Graham 1,223 72.7 +8.0
Conservative Howard Freeman34720.6−10.0
Green Martin Robson855.1+1.2
Heritage Gian Palermiti281.7+0.8
Majority87652.0
Rejected ballots16
Turnout 168335.6−1.4
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +9.0

Ottershaw

Ottershaw
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Carl Mann 727 46.1 +0.7
Conservative George Callaghan38424.4−1.8
Labour Co-op Anne Emerson-Miller27417.4+4.3
Green Peter Chiverton996.3−0.9
Liberal Democrats David Charlton925.8−2.3
Majority34321.8
Rejected ballots10
Turnout 157632.4−1.6
Independent hold Swing +1.3

Thorpe

Thorpe
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RIRG Margaret Harnden 665 47.4 −6.1
Conservative Roberto Bueno49135.0+6.4
Labour Co-op Benjamin Niblett18913.5+0.6
Liberal Democrats Cheryl Smith-Wright584.1−1.0
Majority17412.4
Rejected ballots4
Turnout 140333.3
RIRG hold Swing −6.3

Virginia Water

Virginia Water
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Karin Rowsell 808 50.8 +11.9
Conservative Lewis Virgo69943.9−3.6
Green Maciej Pawlik845.3+2.4
Majority1096.7
Rejected ballots18
Turnout 159137.4−1.3
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +7.8

Woodham and Rowtown (2 seats)

Two seats are up for election due to the resignation of Councillor Max Darby, elected in 2022.

Woodham and Rowtown
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Scott Lewis 919 45.1 −10.4
Conservative Pippa Tucker-Brown 854
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Coulon43521.3+0.9
Labour Co-op Harry Hurst36517.9+3.0
Green Deborah Hepburn25312.4+3.2
Green Richard Miller146
Heritage Rachel Bear673.3New
Rejected ballots5
Turnout 166434.3−0.1
Conservative hold Swing −5.7
Conservative hold Swing

Committee Chairs Following Election

Party key Conservative
Green
Labour
Liberal Democrat
RIRG
Chairs of Committees [7]
CommitteeCouncillorTerm
Runnymede Borough Crest.png
The Worshipful
Mayor of Runnymede 		CllrElaine Gill2024-25
Co-leader of the Council
Chair of Corporate Management Committee		CllrRobert King2024-
Co-leader of the Council
Chair of Environment & Sustainability Committee		CllrDon Whyte2024-
Chair of Housing CommitteeCllrMike Smith2024-
Chair of Community Services CommitteeCllrAbby King2024-
Chair of Planning CommitteeCllrSylvia Whyte2024-
Chair of Licensing CommitteeCllrEliza Kettle2024-
Deputy Mayor
Chair of Regulatory Committee		CllrMargaret Harnden2024-
Chair of Standards & Audit CommitteeCllrSam Jenkins2024-25
Vacant2025-
Chair of Englefield Green CommitteeCllrPaul Gahir2024-
Chair of Overview & Scrutiny Select Committee
Chair of Crime & Disorder Committee		CllrShannon Saise-Marshall2024-
Co-leaders not chairs of committees
Co-leader of the Council
Vice-Chair of Corporate Management Committee		CllrLinda Gillham2024-
Co-leader of the Council
Vice-Chair of Environment & Sustainability Committee		CllrSteve Ringham2024-

By-elections

Addlestone South, 10 October 2024

A by-election took place on 10 October 2024 for Addlestone South ward following the death of Councillor Jonathan Wilson.

Stewart Mackay, a Reform UK candidate, announced his intention to stand in the by-election, however, he had failed to submit his nomination papers following allegations of promoting far-right content and transphobic conspiracy theories on X. [8]

Addlestone South by-election, 10 October 2024
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Steve Eldridge 520 55.9 +13.9
Labour Co-op Elaine Percival26228.2−13.2
Liberal Democrats Jenny Coulon859.1−7.6
Green Jess Ward636.8New
Majority25827.7
Rejected ballots8
Turnout 93019.0−11.0
Conservative hold Swing +13.6

Ottershaw, 12 December 2024

A by-election will take place in Ottershaw on the 12th of December 2024 following the death of Councillor Malcolm Cressey.

Ottershaw by-election, 12 December 2024
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Robert Day 440 41.6 −4.5
Conservative Mike Kusneraitis22120.9−3.5
Liberal Democrats Ronan McCaughey19018.0+12.2
Reform UK Mayuran Senthilnathan11310.7New
Labour Co-op Anne Emerson-Miller524.9−12.5
Green Peter Chiverton424.0−2.3
Majority21920.7
Rejected ballots1
Turnout 105821.5−10.9
Independent hold Swing -0.5

Progression of administration majority and party totals

DateEventWorking majority Lab LD RIRG Grn Admin. Ind. Con Opp. Ind.Vacant
6 May 2024Election9866321330
4 August 2024Wilson (Con) dies10121
30 September 2024MC Cressey (Ind) dies1122
10 October 2024Eldridge (Con) elected in Addlestone South10131
12 December 2024Day (Ind) elected in Ottershaw930
15 February 2025Jenkins expelled from RIRG754
23 February 2025Jenkins (Ind) joins the Conservatives143

References

  1. ↑ "Local election 2024". Runnymede Borough Council. 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "Notice of Casual Vacancy". Runnymede Borough Council. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  3. ↑ "Statement of Persons nominated". Runnymede Borough Council. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  4. ↑ Van Klaveren, Tom (3 May 2024). "Runnymede Local Election results 2024 in full as Conservatives lose a number of seats". Surrey Live. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  5. ↑ Lee, Shola (24 May 2024). "Runnymede gets innovative political co-leadership". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "Runnymede". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Supplementary Summons" (PDF). Runnymede Borough Council. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Meet Stewart Mackay Reform UK Runnymede & Weybridge Constituency Spokesperson & Chairman, one of the new branch chairs they've just announced". Twitter. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
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