Weymouth and Portland Borough Council in Dorset, England existed from 1974 to 2019. One-third of the council was elected each year, followed by one year where there was an election to Dorset County Council instead. The council was abolished and subsumed into Dorset Council in 2019.
The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority prior to the district coming into effect the following year. From 1973 until its abolition in 2019 political control of the council was held by the following parties: [1]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1973–1976 | |
Conservative | 1976–1980 | |
No overall control | 1980–2019 |
The role of mayor was largely ceremonial at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. Political leadership was instead provided by the chair of the management committee, sometimes referred to as the leader of the council. The leaders from 2002 until the council's abolition in 2019 were: [2]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anne Thomas | Labour | 2002 | 2004 | |
Brian Ellis | Liberal Democrats | 2004 | 2007 | |
Nigel Reed | Conservative | 2007 | 2008 | |
Mike Goodman | Conservative | 2008 | 2010 | |
Geoff Petherick | Conservative | 2010 | 2011 | |
Mike Goodman | Conservative | 2011 | 2014 | |
Mike Byatt | Labour | 2014 | May 2015 | |
Ian Bruce | Conservative | May 2015 | May 2016 | |
Jeff Cant | Conservative | May 2016 | 31 Mar 2019 |
Date | Election | Full council | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Con | Lab | LD | Ind | UKIP | Gr | Con | Lab | LD | Ind | UKIP | Gr | |
Jun 2004 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 5 | – | – | 8 | 9 | 14 | 5 | – | – |
May 2006 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 11 | 7 | 13 | 5 | – | – |
Jun 2006 | By-Election: LD to Con | 12 | 7 | 12 | 5 | – | – | |||||
May 2007 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 14 | 6 | 11 | 5 | – | – |
Feb 2008 | Death of councillor | 14 | 6 | 10 | 5 | – | – | |||||
May 2008 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | – | – | 16 | 4 | 12 | 4 | – | – |
2008 | Defection: Ind to Con | 17 | 4 | 12 | 3 | – | – | |||||
2008 | Defection: LD to Con | 18 | 4 | 11 | 3 | – | – | |||||
Oct 2008 | Defection: LD to Con | 19 | 4 | 10 | 3 | – | – | |||||
Dec 2009 | By-Election: Con to Lab | 18 | 5 | 10 | 3 | – | – | |||||
May 2010 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | – | – |
May 2011 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 17 | 7 | 10 | 2 | – | – |
May 2011 | Defection: Con to Ind | 16 | 7 | 10 | 3 | – | – | |||||
May 2012 | 2 | 6 | 4 | – | – | – | 14 | 11 | 8 | 3 | – | – |
May 2013 | By-Election: Con to Lab | 13 | 12 | 8 | 3 | – | – | |||||
May 2014 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 11 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 1 | – |
Mar 2015 | Defection: Lab to Ind | 11 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 1 | – | |||||
May 2015 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 14 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 1 | – |
May 2016 | 1 | 7 | 4 | – | – | 1 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Dec 2016 | Defection: Con to Gr | 13 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||||
May 2017 | By-election: LD to Con | 14 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||||
Dec 2017 - May 2018 | By-election: Ind to Con Defection: UKIP to Con By-election: Gr to Con | 16 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | 517 | 49.9 | +19.4 | ||
Liberal Democrats | 342 | 33.0 | −14.1 | ||
Conservative | 178 | 17.2 | −5.2 | ||
Majority | 175 | 16.9 | |||
Turnout | 1,037 | 27.7 | |||
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Kevin Brookes | 497 | 41.3 | −1.9 | |
Labour | 408 | 33.9 | +1.1 | ||
Liberal Democrats | 299 | 24.8 | +0.8 | ||
Majority | 89 | 7.4 | |||
Turnout | 1,204 | 44.1 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Ian Bruce | 436 | 35.0 | +11.3 | |
Labour | 412 | 33.1 | −5.2 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Ray Banham | 340 | 27.3 | −10.7 | |
Independent | 58 | 4.7 | +4.7 | ||
Majority | 24 | 1.9 | |||
Turnout | 45.5 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | ||||
A by-election was held in Wyke Regis ward on 10 December 2009 following the death of councillor Doug Hollings (Conservative).
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kate Wheller | 579 | 40.1 | +3.9 | |
Conservative | Helen Glavin | 486 | 33.7 | −30.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Trefor Morgan | 268 | 18.6 | +18.6 | |
Citizen's Action Party | Richard Denton-White | 111 | 7.7 | +7.7 | |
Majority | 93 | 6.4 | |||
Turnout | 1,444 | 33.4 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
A by-election was held in Melbombe Regis ward on 16 May 2013 following the death of councillor Peter Farrell (Conservative) in April 2013. [10] Farrell had been elected in May 2012 and so the election was for the period May 2013 to May 2016.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Stewart Pearson | 279 | |||
Conservative | Andrew Manvell | 258 | |||
Independent | James Williamson | 204 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Stephanie Taylor | 170 | |||
Green | Jonathan Orrell | 143 | |||
Majority | 21 | ||||
Turnout | 1,058 | 21.24 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
A by-election was held in Wey Valley ward on 20 October 2016 following the resignation of Cory Russell (Conservative).
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tony Ferrari | 475 | 62.3 | +0.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Robin Vaughan | 118 | 15.5 | N/A | |
Labour | Grafton Straker | 96 | 12.6 | −9.8 | |
Green | James Askew | 74 | 9.7 | −6.1 | |
Majority | 357 | 46.8 | |||
Turnout | 764 | 27.25 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
A by-election was held in Westham East ward on 4 May 2017 following the resignation of councillor Sally Maslin (Liberal Democrats). [11]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Mike Byatt | 294 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Andreas Scheffler | 270 | |||
Green | Caz Dennett | 260 | |||
Labour | David Joseph Greenhalf | 236 | |||
Majority | 24 | ||||
Turnout | |||||
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | ||||
A by-election was held in Tophill East ward on 8 February 2018 following the resignation of councillor David Hawkins (Independent). [12]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Katharine Garcia | 362 | 46.9 | +16.7 | |
Labour | Becky Blake | 354 | 45.9 | +23.0 | |
Green | Sara Harpley | 56 | 7.3 | -5.3 | |
Majority | 8 | 1.0 | |||
Turnout | 772 | ||||
Conservative gain from Independent | Swing | ||||
A by-election was held in Tophill West ward on 8 February 2018 following the resignation of councillor Jason Webb (Conservative). [12]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Kerry Baker | 511 | 53.8 | +13.7 | |
Labour | Giovanna Lewis | 356 | 37.5 | -22.4 | |
Green | Carole Timmons | 82 | 8.6 | +8.6 | |
Majority | 155 | 16.3 | |||
Turnout | 949 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Green councillor Claudia Moore (Weymouth West, elected as a Conservative) resigned from the council on 20 December 2017. [15] The vacancy was originally going to be left to be filled in the scheduled on-third election on 3 May 2018. However, following the government's approval of the Dorset mergers with first elections 2 May 2019, [16] the election was cancelled and the by-election for Weymouth West was called for 3 May 2018. [7]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Richard Nickinson | 558 | 39.3 | +2.4 | |
Green | Val Graves | 508 | 35.8 | +16.2 | |
Labour | David Greenhalf | 354 | 24.9 | -18.7 | |
Majority | 50 | 3.5 | |||
Turnout | 1,420 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
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