Christchurch Borough Council election, 2015

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Map of the results of the 2015 Christchurch Borough Council election. Conservatives in blue, independents in grey and UK Independence Party in purple. Christchurch UK local election 2015 map.svg
Map of the results of the 2015 Christchurch Borough Council election. Conservatives in blue, independents in grey and UK Independence Party in purple.

The 2015 Christchurch Borough Council election took place on 7 May 2015 to elect members of Christchurch Borough Council in Dorset, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council. [1]

Christchurch, Dorset Town & Borough in England

Christchurch is a town and borough on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in the county of Hampshire, it became part of the administrative county of Dorset in the 1974 reorganisation of local government. Covering an area of 19.5 square miles (51 km2), Christchurch had a 2013 population of 48,368, making it the fourth-most populous town in Dorset, close behind Weymouth which has a population of 54,539.

Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, similarly chartered communities were known as royal burghs, although the status is no longer granted.

Dorset County of England

Dorset is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the non-metropolitan county, which is governed by Dorset County Council, and the unitary authority areas of Poole and Bournemouth. Covering an area of 2,653 square kilometres (1,024 sq mi), Dorset borders Devon to the west, Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north-east, and Hampshire to the east. The county town is Dorchester which is in the south. After the reorganisation of local government in 1974 the county's border was extended eastward to incorporate the Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch. Around half of the population lives in the South East Dorset conurbation, while the rest of the county is largely rural with a low population density.

Contents

Background

After the last election in 2011 the Conservatives had a majority on the council with 21 seats, while independents had two seats and there was one Liberal Democrat. [2] However the only Liberal Democrat councillor, Peter Hall of Town Cente ward, defected to the Conservatives in June 2011. [3]

Liberal Democrats (UK) Political party in the United Kingdom

The Liberal Democrats are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. They presently have 11 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, 96 members of the House of Lords, and one member of the European Parliament. They also have five Members of the Scottish Parliament and a member each in the Welsh Assembly and London Assembly. The party reached the height of its influence in the early 2010s, forming a junior partner in a coalition government from 2010 to 2015. It is presently led by Vince Cable.

A Councillor is a member of a local government council.

69 candidates stood in 2015 for the 24 seats on the council, including a full slate of 24 from the Conservatives. [4] Labour had 20 candidates and the UK Independence Party 16, up from 11 and 6 respectively in 2011. [5] Other candidates were six from the Green party and three independents, including the two sitting councillors in Jumpers ward, Colin Bungey and Fred Neale. [5] After the Liberal Democrats stood 11 candidates in 2011 they had no candidates in 2015, with the party's candidate for the Christchurch parliamentary constituency saying that the local party "wanted to concentrate on the general election campaign". [4]

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom which has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists. The party's platform emphasises greater state intervention, social justice and strengthening workers' rights.

UK Independence Party British political party

The UK Independence Party is a hard Eurosceptic, right-wing political party in the United Kingdom. It currently has one representative in the House of Lords and seven Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). It has four Assembly Members (AMs) in the National Assembly for Wales and one member in the London Assembly. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two Members of Parliament and was the largest UK party in the European Parliament.

Green Party of England and Wales Political party in England and Wales

The Green Party of England and Wales is a green, left-wing political party in England and Wales. Headquartered in London, since September 2018, its co-leaders are Siân Berry and Jonathan Bartley. The Green Party has one representative in the House of Commons, one in the House of Lords, and three in the European Parliament. In addition, it has various councillors in UK local government and two members of the London Assembly.

Three Conservative councillors, Mike Duckworth, Gillian Geary and Myra Mawbey, stood down at the election. [5] Meanwhile, the election in North Highcliffe and Walkford ward was delayed until June 2015 after the death of one of the candidates. [6]

Election result

The Conservatives remained in control of the council after winning 19 of the 22 seats contested in May. [1] They lost one seat to the UK Independence Party, but retained all of the other seats they had been defending, including both seats in Town Centre ward where Peter Hall held his seat as a Conservative after his defection from the Liberal Democrats in 2011. [7] The UK Independence Party gain came in Grange ward where Janet Abbott was elected and the party got an increased vote share across the council. [7] Meanwhile, the only other seats not won by the Conservatives came in Jumpers where the two independent councillors, Colin Bungey and Fred Neale, held their seats. [7]

The Conservatives also won both seats at the June delayed election in North Highcliffe and Walkford ward. [8]

Christchurch local election result 2015 [1] [8] [9]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 2101-187.557.728,859-5.6%
  Independent 20008.34.72,331-2.4%
  UKIP 110+14.220.510,242+14.0%
  Labour 0000013.86,899+4.6%
  Green 000003.31,672+3.3%

The above totals include the delayed election in North Highcliffe and Walkford.

Ward results

Burton and Wickton (2 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative David Flagg1,190
Conservative Colin Jamieson1,164
UKIP Dan Mills564
UKIP Cindy McGrail562
Independent Brian Taylor335
Labour James Kennedy300
Labour Jacqueline Milton299
Turnout 4,41471.0+20.5
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Grange (2 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Denise Jones645
UKIP Janet Abbott635
Conservative Paul Hilliard584
UKIP Carl Williams547
Labour Antoinette Pearce377
Labour David Munnik371
Green Graham Kendrick225
Turnout 3,38455.1+20.7
Conservative hold Swing
UKIP gain from Conservative Swing
Highcliffe (2 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Vicki Hallam1,283
Conservative John Lofts1,221
UKIP Robin Ede618
UKIP Jean Bell541
Labour Carol Wilcox250
Labour Vera Hill242
Turnout 4,15574.8+17.4
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Jumpers (2 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Independent Colin Bungey1,014
Independent Fred Neale982
Conservative Norma Fox678
Conservative Will Edwards652
Labour Robin Thorpe270
Green Robert Staite214
Labour Howard Wortley211
Green Nigel Ware174
Turnout 4,19570.5+24.2
Independent hold Swing
Independent hold Swing
Mudeford and Friars Cliff (3 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Claire Bath1,900
Conservative Andy Barfield1,897
Conservative Trevor Watts1,437
UKIP Robert Clifford945
Labour Lindsay Turner558
Labour Robert Brannan515
Turnout 7,25274.4
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Portfield (2 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Travis Fox1,081
Conservative Lisle Smith868
UKIP Jane Brown676
Labour Julie Keeble507
Labour Bob McNair416
Turnout 3,54866.8+27.4
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Purewell and Stanpit (2 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Bernie Davis1,066
Conservative Ray Nottage966
UKIP Diane Rollinson657
UKIP Terry Spooner561
Labour Clare Martens432
Green Anthony Sanders421
Turnout 4,10370.4+22.2
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
St Catherine's and Hurn (2 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Sue Spittle1,603
Conservative Margaret Phipps1,494
UKIP Inez Baxter599
Labour Alan Matthews308
Labour Valerie Matthews298
Turnout 4,30276.5+20.5
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Town Centre (2 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Peter Hall1,045
Conservative Wendy Grace993
UKIP Liz Faherty585
UKIP Olga Turner476
Labour George Gregory365
Green Joanne Dyton349
Green Steven Thomas289
Turnout 4,10270.2+21.0
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
West Highcliffe (3 seats) [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Trish Jamieson1,945
Conservative Lesley Dedman1,834
Conservative David Jones1,745
UKIP Philip Glover922
UKIP Douglas Oakley751
Labour Robert Maskell534
Labour Abdul Qureshi371
Turnout 8,09174.3+21.3
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

North Highcliffe and Walkford delayed election

The election in North Highcliffe and Walkford ward take place on 18 June 2015, delayed from 7 May when the rest of the council voted, after the death of Labour candidate Richard Walls. [6] The two seats were won by Conservatives Sally Derham Wilkes and Nick Geary. [8]

North Highcliffe and Walkford (2 seats) [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Sally Derham Wilkes793
Conservative Nick Geary775
UKIP Robin Grey315
UKIP Janet Hatton288
Labour Donald Barr143
Labour Gareth Walls132
Turnout 2,44641.0-12.1
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Local election results 2015 in full". The Guardian . 15 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  2. "England council elections". BBC News Online. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  3. Clark, Katie (22 June 2011). "Lib-Dem councillor quitting to join Tories". Bournemouth Daily Echo . Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Christchurch Borough Council elections: No Lib Dem candidates". BBC News Online. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Clark, Katie (11 April 2015). "No Lib Dem candidates to stand in Christchurch". Bournemouth Daily Echo . NewsBank.
  6. 1 2 "Election delayed after candidate's death". Bournemouth Daily Echo . 7 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Frampton, Will (9 May 2015). "Vote 2015: Tories maintain their dominance in Christchurch". Bournemouth Daily Echo . NewsBank.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Elections for the North Highcliffe & Walkford ward". dorsetforyou.com. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Results of the election to Christchurch Borough Council". dorsetforyou.com. Retrieved 24 May 2015.