Ashford Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Ashford in Kent, England. The council is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2019, 47 councillors have been elected from 39 wards. [1]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1973 has been held by the following parties: [2]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
No overall control | 1973–1976 | |
Conservative | 1976–1979 | |
No overall control | 1979–1983 | |
Conservative | 1983–1995 | |
No overall control | 1995–2003 | |
Conservative | 2003–2022 | |
No overall control [3] | 2022–present |
The leaders of the council since 1999 have been: [4]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Paul Clokie | Conservative | 1999 | 13 May 2010 | |
Paul Bartlett | Conservative | 13 May 2010 | 9 Nov 2010 | |
Peter Wood | Conservative | 9 Nov 2010 | 1 Mar 2013 | |
Gerry Clarkson | Conservative | 18 Apr 2013 | 7 May 2023 | |
Noel Ovenden | Ashford Ind. | 30 May 2023 | ||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | 387 | 58.9 | -3.7 | ||
Liberal Democrats | 147 | 22.4 | -15.0 | ||
Labour | 123 | 18.7 | +18.7 | ||
Majority | 240 | 36.5 | |||
Turnout | 657 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gerald Clarkson | 419 | 71.7 | +4.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Heuch | 126 | 21.6 | -11.0 | |
Labour | Malcolm Horton | 39 | 6.7 | +6.7 | |
Majority | 293 | 50.1 | |||
Turnout | 584 | 30.1 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Cengizhan Cerit | 249 | 27.69 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Jack Cowen | 173 | 19.24 | ||
Ashford Independents | Laura Lawrence | 111 | 12.34 | ||
Green | Mark Reed | 26 | 2.89 | ||
Labour | Rebecca Rutter | 336 | 37.37 | ||
Majority | 87 | 9.67 | |||
Turnout | 899 | 20.5 | -13.25 | ||
Labour hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Dara Farrell | 36 | 5.92 | +5.92 | |
Conservative | Jill Hutchinson | 277 | 45.55 | -12.28 | |
Ashford Independents | Roy Isworth | 179 | 29.44 | -11.02 | |
UKIP | Thomas Taylor | 72 | 11.84 | +11.84 | |
Liberal Democrats | Christopher Took | 40 | 6.57 | +6.57 | |
Majority | 98 | 16.11 | -1.26 | ||
Turnout | 608 | 31.13 | -17.48 | ||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Jill Britcher | 296 | 35.83 | -1.54 | |
Liberal Democrats | Jack Cowen | 79 | 9.56 | -9.68 | |
Independent | John Holland | 34 | 4.11 | +4.11 | |
Ashford Independents | Palma Laughton | 85 | 10.29 | -2.05 | |
Conservative | Jane Martin | 158 | 19.12 | -8.57 | |
Green | Mark Reed | 19 | 2.3 | -0.59 | |
UKIP | Angharad Yeo | 155 | 18.76 | +18.76 | |
Majority | 138 | 16.7 | +7.03 | ||
Turnout | 826 | 19.4 | -1.1 | ||
Labour hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UKIP | Christopher Cooper | 410 | 27.66 | ||
Conservative | Jane Martin | 759 | 51.21 | ||
Green | Geoffrey Meaden | 129 | 8.7 | ||
Labour | Thomas Reed | 174 | 11.74 | ||
Majority | 349 | 23.54 | |||
Turnout | 1482 | 35.67 | -16.98 | ||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Ken Blanshard | 13 | 1.73 | -7.07 | |
Conservative | Ian Cooling | 240 | 31.95 | -6.82 | |
UKIP | Elaine Evans | 97 | 12.91 | +3.32 | |
Labour | Dylan Jones | 22 | 2.92 | -8.15 | |
Green | Geoffrey Meaden | 55 | 7.32 | +7.32 | |
Ashford Independents | Noel Ovenden | 323 | 43 | +4.23 | |
Majority | 83 | 11.05 | |||
Turnout | 751 | 41 | -14.46 | ||
Ashford Independents gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
The 2014 Wye by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Steve Wright.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Adrian Gee-Turner | 42 | 8.91 | +8.91 | |
Conservative | Alexander Howard | 110 | 23.35 | -20.27 | |
Ashford Independents | Christine Kathawick-Smith | 92 | 19.53 | +19.53 | |
Labour | Gordon Miller | 106 | 22.5 | -30.92 | |
Green | Thom Pizzey | 10 | 2.12 | +2.12 | |
UKIP | Harriet Yeo | 109 | 23.14 | +23.14 | |
Majority | 1 | 0.21 | |||
Turnout | 471 | 19.01 | -34.67 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UKIP | Ryan Macpherson | 373 | 42.1 | +11.6 | |
Labour | Caroline Harris | 243 | 27.4 | -3.3 | |
Conservative | Jo Gideon | 240 | 27.1 | +0.2 | |
Green | Liz Wright | 31 | 3.5 | -3.8 | |
Majority | 130 | 14.7 | |||
Turnout | 890 | 21.3 | -34.64 | ||
UKIP gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
The 2016 Beaver by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Jill Britcher.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | James Galloway | 260 | 11.04 | ||
UKIP | Serge Goldenberg-Kosbab | 181 | 7.68 | ||
Green | Maria Pizzey | 99 | 4.2 | ||
Conservative | David Robey | 753 | 31.98 | ||
Labour | John Charles Suddards | 1052 | 44.68 | ||
Majority | 299 | 12.7 | |||
Turnout | 2354 | 56.81 | -0.29 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Euan Anckorn | 415 | 31.27 | -1.2 | |
Green | Steve Campkin | 97 | 7.3 | +7.3 | |
Conservative | Simon Howard-Smith | 697 | 52.52 | +12 | |
UKIP | Liah Macpherson | 113 | 8.51 | +8.51 | |
Majority | 282 | 21.25 | +10.7 | ||
Turnout | 1327 | 64.07 | +1.92 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ashford Independents | Ian McAllister Anderson | 227 | 38.02 | +23.1 | |
Conservative | Nathan Iliffe | 247 | 41.37 | -6.6 | |
Labour | Dylan Jones | 85 | 14.23 | +6 | |
Green | Peter Morgan | 36 | 6 | +6 | |
Majority | 20 | 3.35 | |||
Turnout | 597 | 32.8 | -43.25 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
The 2018 Kennington by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Phil Sims.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ashford Independents | Rachael Carley | 67 | 10.38 | +10.38 | |
Conservative | Charles Dehnel | 229 | 35.5 | -11.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Adrian Gee-Turner | 70 | 10.85 | -7.8 | |
Green | Geoffery Meaden | 190 | 29.45 | +5.9 | |
UKIP | Philip Meads | 22 | 3.41 | +3.41 | |
Labour | Carly Ruppert Lingham | 17 | 2.63 | -7.7 | |
Independent | Sarah Williams | 49 | 7.59 | +7.59 | |
Majority | 39 | 6 | |||
Turnout | 645 | 32.52 | -3.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
The 2019 Downs North by-election was triggered by the death of Councillor Stephen Dehnel.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ashford Independents | Trish Cornish | 247 | 60.2 | +60.2 | |
Labour | Garry Harrison | 29 | 7 | -12.9 | |
Conservative | Aline Hicks | 115 | 28 | -33.5 | |
Green | Thom Pizzey | 11 | 2.6 | +2.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Samuel Strolz | 8 | 1.9 | -16.7 | |
Majority | 132 | 32.1 | |||
Turnout | 410 | 22.05 | -5.2 | ||
Ashford Independents gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
The 2020 Park Farm North by-election was triggered by the election of Councillor Jo Gideon to the UK Parliament as MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Trevor Brooks | 469 | 41.9 | ||
Independent | Garry Harrison | 105 | 9.4 | ||
Labour | Dylan Jones | 402 | 36 | ||
Green | Thom Pizzey | 70 | 6.2 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Jacqueline Stamp | 64 | 5.7 | ||
Majority | 66 | 5.9 | |||
Turnout | 1115 | 23.47 | -0.6 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
The 2021 Beaver by-election was triggered by the death of Councillor Alex Ward.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Green | Geoffery Meaden | 273 | 51.8 | +20.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Carol Wilcox | 15 | 2.8 | -8.6 | |
Conservative | Sarah Williams | 239 | 45.5 | +7.9 | |
Majority | 34 | 6.4 | |||
Turnout | 529 | 25.96 | -5.6 | ||
Greens gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
The 2021 Downs North by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Charles Dehnel.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ashford Independents | Barry Ball | 101 | 21.1 | -7 | |
Green | Dawnie Nilsson | 191 | 39.9 | +21.5 | |
Labour | Terry Pavlou | 23 | 4.8 | +4.8 | |
Conservative | James Ransley | 163 | 34.1 | -6.5 | |
Majority | 28 | 5.8% | |||
Turnout | 478 | 23.66 | -11.39 | ||
Greens gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
The 2021 Highfield by-election was triggered by the death of Councillor Gerald White.
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