Tower Division, Suffolk

Last updated

Tower
County Council constituency
for the Suffolk County Council
District West Suffolk
Region East of England
Population22,028 (2019)
Electorate17,045 (2025)
Major settlements Bury St Edmunds Town Centre
Current constituency
Created2005
Seats2
CouncillorDavid Nettleton (Independent)
Martin Robinson (Reform)
Local council West Suffolk Council
Created fromNorthgate & St. Olaves, Risbygate & Sextons

Tower Division is an electoral division in Suffolk which returns two county councillors to Suffolk County Council.

Contents

Geography

It is made up of the central and North West Bury St Edmunds and consists of the West Suffolk council wards of Miden, St Olaves, Tollgate, and Abbeygate along with a small part of Westgate ward between the River Linnet, Hospital Road, and Petticoat lane. [1]

History

The first elections for this division were held as part of the 2005 United Kingdom local elections, after the two seat Suffolk County Council division was created through The County of Suffolk (Electoral Changes) Order 2004. [2] [3] The first two councillors elected for this new division were David Lockwood (Labour) with 3,181 votes, and Paul Hopfensperger (Conservative) with 2,747 votes. To date, these are the highest number of votes received at any election for a Tower Divison candidate.

The seats of the division are currently held by one Independent (formerly a Conservative party) councillor after David Nettleton defected to the Conservatives in December 2019 having been originally elected as an independent, then becoming an independent again in July 2025, [4] [5] and one Reform councillor, Martin Lewis Robinson. Robinson is the first ever Reform councillor to be elected in Suffolk, who won a by-election on July 3, 2025 following the death of Cllr Robert Everitt (Conservative) in April 2025. [6]

Members for Tower

MemberPartyTermMemberPartyTerm
David Lockwood Labour 2005–2009 Paul Hopfensperger Conservative 2005–2008 [7]
Independent 2008–2009
Paul Farmer Conservative 2009–2010 Mark Ereira-Guyer Green 2009–2017
Stefan Oliver Conservative 2010–2013
David Nettleton Independent 2013–2019
Conservative 2019–2025Robert Everitt Conservative 2017–2025 [8]
Martin Robinson Reform UK 2025–present
David Nettleton Independent 2025–Present

Election results

Elections in the 2020s

2025 Suffolk County Council By-election: Tower [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reform UK Martin Robinson 1,332 28.8 N/a
Green Clare Higson1,15525.0Decrease2.svg
Conservative Joanna Rayner80817.5Decrease2.svg
Labour Judith Moore66714.4Decrease2.svg
Independent Frank Stennett4078.8Decrease2.svg
Liberal Democrats James Porter2595.6Increase2.svg
Majority 177
Rejected ballots40.1Decrease2.svg
Turnout 4,63327.2
Registered electors 17,045Increase2.svg551
Reform UK gain from Conservative Swing
2021 Suffolk County Council election: Tower [10] [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Everitt * 2,277 33.7 +4.9
Conservative David Nettleton * 2,104
Green Steph Holland1,99329.5+7.4
Green Matthew Rowe1,489
Labour Donna Higgins1,40920.8+5.2
Labour Marilyn Sayer830
Independent Frank Stennett69110.2N/A
Liberal Democrats David Poulson2694.0–2.3
Communist Darren Turner1201.8N/A
Majority 2844.2+1.0
Rejected ballots93215.3Increase2.svg15.1
Turnout 6,09036.9Increase2.svg3.8
Registered electors 16,494Increase2.svg928
Conservative hold Swing –1.2
Conservative gain from Independent Swing

Elections in the 2010s

2017 Suffolk County Council election: Tower [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Everitt 1,833 22.9 +0.2
Independent David Nettleton * 1,628 20.4 –5.4
Independent Paul Hopfensperger [13] 1,62320.3N/A
Green Mark Ereira-Guyer *1,40617.6–9.9
Labour Quentin Cornish99812.5–4.1
Labour Alex Griffin907
Liberal Democrats Julia Lale5076.3–1.1
Liberal Democrats Sheena Rawlings173
Majority 2052.6+7.3
Turnout 5,14733.1
Registered electors 15,566
Conservative gain from Green Swing 2.8
Independent hold Swing
2013 Suffolk County Council election: Tower
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Green Mark Ereira-Guyer * 1,481 23.2 –3.9
Independent David Nettleton 1,389 21.8 –4.2
Conservative Robert Everitt1,22719.3–9.5
Conservative Patsy Warby1,008
UKIP Luke Levene98315.4+15.4
Labour Diane Hind89514.0+5.0
Labour Nicola Ridgeway840
UKIP James Lumley823
Liberal Democrats Judy Roadway3996.3–2.8
Majority 1621.4–0.3
Turnout 6,37429.6–5.5
Green hold Swing +0.2
Independent gain from Conservative Swing +2.7
Tower By-Election 11 November 2010 [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Stefan Oliver 1,005 28.8 0.0
Independent David Nettleton95027.2+1.2
Labour Kevin Hind75921.7+12.6
Green Pippa Judd47913.7−13.4
Liberal Democrats David Chappell3008.6−0.4
Majority 55
Turnout 3,50520.9
Conservative hold Swing −0.6

Elections in the 2000s

2009 Suffolk County Council election: Tower [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Paul Farmer 2,042 28.8
Green Mark Ereira-Guyer 1,924 27.1
Independent David Nettleton1,84626.0
Conservative Richard Rout1,726
Labour Keith Waterson6459.1
Liberal Democrats Daniel Warren6419.9
Labour Kevin Hind624
Liberal Democrats Allan Jones605
Majority 118 & 781.7
Turnout 10,05332.7
Registered electors 15,576
Conservative hold Swing
Green gain from Labour Swing
2005 Suffolk County Council election: Tower
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour David Lockwood * 3,181 32.7
Conservative Paul Hopfensperger [16] 2,747 28.3
Labour Ray Nowak *2,720-
Conservative Robert Everitt2,663-
Liberal Democrats David Chappell1,73817.9
Liberal Democrats Daniel Warren1,266-
UKIP Brian Lockwood8018.2
Independent David Nettleton7998.2
UKIP Ivan Cook509-
Independent Melinda Nettleton498-
Green Adam Stacey4554.7
Green Samantha Hunt Stacey432-
Majority274.5
Turnout 68.6
Labour win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

References

  1. ↑ "Tower Electoral Division Profile 2017" (PDF). www.suffolkobservatory. Suffolk Observatory. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "The County of Suffolk (Electoral Changes) Order 2004", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 9 December 2004, SI 2004/3252
  3. ↑ "Suffolk County Council Election Results" (PDF).
  4. ↑ "David Nettleton - Suffolk County Council". Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  5. ↑ "Top Tory quits in middle schools protest". eadt.co.uk. East Anglian Daily Times. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Santos, Joao. "First Reform UK candidate chosen in Suffolk County Council's Tower Division by-election win in Bury St Edmunds". Suffolk News. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "Top Tory quits in middle schools protest". eadt.co.uk. East Anglian Daily Times. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Tributes paid following death of 'kind and wise' Bury St Edmunds community leader Robert Everitt". suffolknews.co.uk. Suffolk News. 22 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  9. ↑ "West Suffolk: Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). suffolk.gov.uk. Suffolk County Council. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "West Suffolk: Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). suffolk.gov.uk. Suffolk County Council. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  11. ↑ "Official Declaration of Result - Tower". Twitter. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "Forest Heath & St Edmundsbury: Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). suffolk.gov.uk. Suffolk County Council. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "Councillor Paul Hopfensperger - Official Website".
  14. ↑ "Tower by-election results". Suffolk County Council. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "Suffolk County Council Elections 2009". elections.suffolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  16. ↑ "Councillor Paul Hopfensperger - Official Website".
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