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All 49 seats to Breckland District Council 25 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Winner of each seat at the 2023 Breckland District Council election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2023 Breckland District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Breckland District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The boundaries for this election were the same as those used in 2015 and 2019.
Summary
[edit]Overview
[edit]Previous to this election, the Conservative Party held the council in the 2019 election with a very large majority: it lost a small number of seats in that election, with the Green and Labour parties and some Independent candidates gaining seats.[3]
In 2023, the Conservative party again lost seats, though maintained a majority on the council with thirty of the 49 available seats. The Labour Party made the largest gains, with six additional seats from the district's largest towns of Thetford and Dereham. One additional independent was elected, the Green Party lost one of the two seats they had gained in 2019 back to the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats gained a seat for the first time in over twenty years.[4][5]
Nominations
[edit]As in previous elections, the number of candidates selected by each party in 2023 varied considerably.[6][7] In the 2023 election cycle, considerably more non-Conservative candidates registered to stand than in other recent elections. The Conservative Party nominated 43 candidates, down from 47 at the previous election: the reduction was mostly in already opposition-held wards, for example not nominating candidates in the Labour-held wards of Thetford Burrell and Thetford Priory.
Labour nominated 39 candidates, its largest total in some years, and far more independent candidates were nominated, up to 21 from just 8 in 2019. The Liberal Democrats stood six candidates, up from just one in 2019. The Green Party nominated one fewer, down to six, and UKIP stood just one candidate, down from two in 2019. Reform UK was the only new party to stand, nominating two candidates.
Election result
[edit]2023 Breckland District Council election | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidates | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
Conservative | 43 | 30 | 1 | 8 | ![]() |
61.2 | 44.6 | 24,550 | -13.7 | |
Labour | 39 | 12 | 6 | 0 | ![]() |
24.4 | 27.9 | 15,346 | +6.7 | |
Independent | 21 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ![]() |
10.2 | 16.3 | 8,984 | +5.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ![]() |
2.0 | 5.9 | 3,170 | +4.8 | |
Green | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ![]() |
2.0 | 4.5 | 2,498 | -2.6 | |
Reform UK | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
0.0 | 0.6 | 313 | +0.6 | |
UKIP | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
0.0 | 0.3 | 153 | –1.0 |
Note that gains/losses in the above table are taken compared to 2019: that is, excluding changes due to by-elections to allow for a more direct comparison from one election to the next. Changes in the individual ward results below, however, do take by-elections and individual ward histories into account.
Ward results
[edit]All Saints & Wayland
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Sarah Elizabeth Suggitt | 848 | 47.2 | −17.0 | |
Conservative | Phil Cowen | 790 | 43.9 | −19.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Ian Minto | 626 | 34.8 | N/A | |
Liberal Democrats | Ulrike Corinna Behrendt | 504 | 28.0 | N/A | |
Labour | Ed Szczepanowski | 305 | 17.0 | −8.1 | |
Labour | Sue Szczepanowski | 301 | 16.7 | −8.3 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,812 | 33.05 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended both seats: both of their candidates were incumbent councillors.
Ashill
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Fabian Royston Eagle | 549 | 69.6 | +4.8 | |
Green | Anne Rix | 137 | 17.4 | −5.2 | |
Labour | Nicola Joanne Newell | 103 | 13.1 | +0.5 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 806 | 35.98 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended this seat with the incumbent candidate.
Attleborough Burgh & Havercroft
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Taila Joan Taylor | 613 | 53.1 | +11.3 | |
Independent | Stephen Paul Fraser | 431 | 37.3 | N/A | |
Conservative | Michelle Julie Barron | 378 | 32.8 | −5.9 | |
Labour | David Hodgkinson | 278 | 24.1 | +1.7 | |
Labour | Tom Stewart | 244 | 21.1 | +6.0 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,158 | 21.33 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Independent gain from Independent | Swing |
The Conservatives were defending both seats. Taila Taylor, incumbent, won the seat as an independent in 2019 before switching to the Conservative Party. The other incumbent Conservative, Keith Martin, did not re-stand. Taylor was involved in 2021 in a notable row with the Town Council over bullying allegations which the council accepted were false, leading to a large financial settlement.[8][9]
Attleborough Queens & Besthorpe
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Sam Taylor | 685 | 47.2 | −6.9 | |
Conservative | Tristan John Ashby | 685 | 47.2 | +2.1 | |
Conservative | Oliver Rhodri | 558 | 38.4 | −5.6 | |
Labour | Marcia Solloway-Brown | 484 | 33.3 | +3.4 | |
Labour | Paul Smith | 421 | 29.0 | N/A | |
Labour | Vic Peters | 410 | 28.2 | N/A | |
Independent | Debbie Lane | 409 | 28.2 | N/A | |
Reform UK | Kabeer Kher | 142 | 9.8 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,455 | 23.69 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended all three seats: Rhodri and Ashby were incumbent councillors.
Bedingfield
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Ian Sherwood | 377 | 52.6 | −21.7 | |
Labour | Doug Jefferson | 194 | 27.1 | +1.4 | |
Independent | Ruth Louise Hargreaves | 146 | 20.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 728 | ||||
Turnout | 709 | 29.59 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended this seat. Ian Sherwood was an incumbent 2019 councillor, but for the seat of Swaffham.
The Buckenhams and Banham
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Stephen Askew | 486 | 59.9 | +5.0 | |
Labour | Barry Sumner | 326 | 40.1 | +27.4 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 821 | 31.13 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended this seat with their incumbent councillor.
Dereham Neatherd
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alison Mary Webb | 828 | 46.7 | −6.0 | |
Conservative | Linda Helen Monument | 744 | 42.0 | −9.9 | |
Conservative | William Robert James Richmond | 701 | 39.5 | −7.9 | |
Green | Philip Neil Morton | 688 | 38.8 | −14.1 | |
Independent | Zoe Flint | 569 | 32.1 | N/A | |
Labour | Issy Myhill | 555 | 31.3 | N/A | |
Labour | Howard Hawkes | 475 | 26.8 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,785 | 30.02 | |||
Conservative gain from Green | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Green party councillor Philip Morton got the most votes here in 2019 but failed to defend the seat: Linda Monument and Alison Webb defended the other two seats for the Conservatives, with the third Conservative 2018 candidate, William Richmond, also re-standing and this time being successfully elected.
Dereham Toftwood
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kendra Bryony Cogman | 572 | 49.7 | +12.7 | |
Labour | Sarah Simpson | 555 | 48.3 | +4.5 | |
Conservative | Stuart Richard Green | 518 | 45.0 | −5.4 | |
Conservative | Philip James Duigan | 512 | 44.5 | −7.3 | |
Majority | 1,163 | 25.62 | |||
Turnout | |||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
The Conservatives were the defending party in both seats: Duigan was an incumbent councillor.
Dereham Withburga
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Harry Clarke | 665 | 67.0 | +22.1 | |
Labour | Ray O'Callaghan | 574 | 57.8 | +20.0 | |
Conservative | Robin James Hunter-Clarke | 305 | 30.7 | −8.8 | |
Conservative | Judy Rogers | 263 | 26.5 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,003 | 23.17 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
In 2019 Labour and the Conservatives each won a seat here. The Labour incumbent, Harry Clarke, re-stood: the Conservative incumbent Kay Grey did not.
Forest
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Sam Chapman-Allen | 469 | 66.1 | −4.6 | |
Conservative | Robert George Kybird | 455 | 64.1 | +3.4 | |
Labour | Viola Ross-Smith | 217 | 30.6 | +4.7 | |
Labour | Matthew Stirrup | 193 | 27.2 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 727 | 29.23 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservative Party defended both seats with incumbent councillors: this is the seat of their council leader, Sam Chapman-Allen.
Guiltcross
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Marion Penelope Chapman-Allen | 479 | 53.5 | −14.2 | |
Labour | Liz Bernard | 416 | 46.5 | +14.2 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 909 | 35.27 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended this ward with their incumbent councillor.
Harling and Heathlands
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Nunn | 498 | 64.2 | −7.3 | |
Labour | Hayley Balster | 278 | 35.8 | +7.3 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 791 | 29.50 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended this ward with their incumbent councillor.
Hermitage
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Mitchell Thurbon | 316 | 41.1 | N/A | |
Conservative | Robert Andrew Hambidge | 297 | 38.7 | −32.6 | |
Labour | John Peter Barnard | 155 | 20.2 | −8.5 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 777 | 34.29 | |||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing |
Robert Hambidge was the incumbent Conservative councillor in the seat. The Conservative elected in 2019, Trevor Carter, resigned in 2021.[10] Hambidge won the resulting by-election with a small majority over the Liberal Democrat candidate, Ian Minto (who ran in All Saints & Wayland ward in this election).[11]
Launditch
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Mark Alexander Kiddle-Morris | 378 | 51.8 | −21.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Matthew Weatherill | 213 | 29.2 | N/A | |
Labour | Paul Siegert | 139 | 19.0 | −7.5 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 735 | 35.10 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended this seat with their incumbent councillor.
Lincoln
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent | Roger David Atterwill | 958 | 65.0 | +15.4 | |
Conservative | Richard William Duffield | 607 | 41.2 | −6.0 | |
Labour | Danielle Claire Glavin | 421 | 28.6 | N/A | |
Conservative | Paula Ann Wood | 389 | 26.4 | −15.6 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,482 | 34.70 | |||
Independent hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
This ward is being defended by incumbent independent councillor Roger Atterwill, and incumbent Conservative Richard Duffield. Atterwill is the leader of the Independent Group on the council.[12]
Mattishall
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Paul Donald Claussen | 680 | 47.1 | −5.2 | |
Conservative | Paul Jonathan Plummer | 633 | 43.8 | −10.7 | |
Labour | Bob Burrell | 620 | 42.9 | +13.2 | |
Green | Ann Bowyer | 580 | 40.1 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1467 | 32.48 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Both Conservative councillors are incumbent: Plummer won the seat formerly held by Conservative Ian Martin, who resigned due to ill health, in a 2022 by-election.[13][14]
Nar Valley
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Samuel Wilkinson | 455 | 61.5 | −13.1 | |
Labour | Cliff Wilson | 285 | 38.5 | +13.1 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 748 | 32.88 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended this seat with their incumbent councillor.
Necton
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Nigel Charles Wilkin | 397 | 50.9 | −10.5 | |
Labour | Joe Sisto | 383 | 49.1 | +10.5 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 786 | 35.87 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended this seat with their incumbent councillor.
Saham Toney
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Helen Susan Crane | 674 | 61.6 | +9.6 | |
Green | Peter Kevin Bate | 523 | 47.8 | −4.5 | |
Conservative | David Robert Mullenger Sawyer | 407 | 37.2 | −9.6 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,107 | 26.45 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Green hold | Swing |
The Green Party gained a seat here in 2019, coming first in the poll. Their candidate in 2023 is new. Helen Crane defends the other seat for the Conservatives.
Shipdham-with-Scarning
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Paul Jonathan Hewett | 549 | 43.8 | −18.9 | |
Conservative | Lynda Susan Turner | 502 | 40.1 | −16.2 | |
Labour | Timothy Philip Kinnaird | 438 | 35.0 | −0.4 | |
Labour | Michael Christopher O'Neil | 353 | 28.2 | N/A | |
Green | Geoffrey Gilbert Plank | 271 | 21.6 | N/A | |
Reform UK | Scott Daynes | 171 | 13.7 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,253 | 28.73 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives held both seats with incumbent councillors.
Swaffham
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent | Judy Anscombe | 925 | 47.5 | N/A | |
Conservative | Jacob Morton | 847 | 43.5 | −0.3 | |
Independent | David Sydney Wickerson | 838 | 43.0 | −11.9 | |
Conservative | Paul Robert Wiliam Darby | 835 | 42.9 | +4.4 | |
Independent | Bob Wade | 832 | 42.7 | N/A | |
Conservative | Leanne Smart | 781 | 40.1 | −0.4 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,978 | 28.04 | |||
Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Independent hold | Swing |
Independent candidate David Wickerson came first here in 2019 and is defending his seat. The other two seats went to Conservative candidates who are not re-standing, though the sole unsuccessful member of the 2019 Conservative slate, Paul Darby, is standing again.
Thetford Boudica
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Stuart David Terry | 505 | 55.8 | +9.3 | |
Labour | Terry Land | 477 | 52.7 | N/A | |
Conservative | Barbara Joyce Tullett | 324 | 35.8 | −18.3 | |
No Description | Zak Marketis | 123 | 13.6 | N/A | |
No Description | Philip Reynolds | 118 | 13.0 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 925 | 26.06 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Labour are defending both seats here. They gained one from UKIP in 2019, and the other from the Conservatives in a 2022 by-election after the resignation of Mark Robinson, who came first here in 2019.[15][16]
Thetford Burrell
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Chris Harvey | 546 | 54.3 | +17.0 | |
Labour | David Blackbourn | 470 | 46.7 | −0.6 | |
Independent | Carla Barreto | 293 | 29.1 | +7.3 | |
Independent | Geoff Mealing | 258 | 25.6 | N/A | |
Independent | Bob Seys | 226 | 22.5 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,020 | 24.12 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Both seats here were defended by the Labour Party. Chris Harvey was an incumbent councillor: this was also the seat of Breckland's Labour group leader Terry Jermy, though this election he stood instead in Thetford Priory.
Thetford Castle
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Ann Blackbourn | 465 | 43.2 | +6.7 | |
Labour | Hazel McCambridge | 414 | 38.5 | +4.8 | |
Conservative | Jane Lilian James | 318 | 29.6 | −18.3 | |
Conservative | Roy Frederick William Brame | 305 | 28.3 | −22.4 | |
No Description | Kirstie Robb | 159 | 14.8 | N/A | |
UKIP | Denis Melvin Crawford | 153 | 14.2 | N/A | |
No Description | Ijaz Karim | 126 | 11.7 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,092 | 24.84 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
The Conservatives were defending both seats with incumbent councillors.
Thetford Priory
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Terry Jermy | 629 | 56.6 | +19.1 | |
Labour | Mike Brindle | 551 | 49.6 | +4.8 | |
Independent | Ron Wood | 320 | 28.8 | N/A | |
No Description | Gordon Margrie | 200 | 18.0 | N/A | |
No Description | Mark Petrie Taylor | 199 | 17.9 | −18.2 | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,136 | 22.77 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
The Labour Party defended both seats here, having gained one from UKIP in 2019. Independent candidate Mark Taylor formerly stood here for UKIP.
Upper Wensum
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gordon Bambridge | 946 | 52.5 | −0.2 | |
Conservative | Bill Borrett | 917 | 50.9 | −1.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mark Foley | 823 | 45.6 | +14.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Roger Keith Norman | 688 | 38.2 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,819 | 34.95 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservative party defended both seats with incumbent councillors. This was the only seat to have a Liberal Democrat candidate in the previous election.
Watton
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent | Keith Stephen Gilbert | 903 | 49.3 | −20.3 | |
Conservative | Claire Rosemary Bowes | 798 | 43.6 | −0.4 | |
Conservative | Tina Kiddell | 770 | 42.0 | −7.0 | |
Independent | Pat Warwick | 485 | 26.5 | N/A | |
Independent | Gilian Lee Turrant | 466 | 25.4 | N/A | |
Labour | Brian English | 341 | 18.6 | +2.9 | |
Labour | Andrew Dujon | 303 | 16.5 | N/A | |
Green | Jane Keidan Cooper | 299 | 16.3 | −12.4 | |
Labour | Barry John Hale | 285 | 15.6 | N/A | |
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 1,842 | 26.32 | |||
Independent hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
The Conservatives defended two of the three seats here with incumbent candidates: the third incumbent councillor is independent Keith Gilbert, who came first in 2019 as well as doing so this year.
References
[edit]- ^ "Councillor details – Councillor Sam Chapman-Allen". www.breckland.gov.uk. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Councillor details – Councillor Terry Jermy". www.breckland.gov.uk. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project – 2019 – Breckland". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ McMillan, Aaron (9 May 2023). "Breckland District Council 2023 election result reaction". Dereham Times. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Local election results in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk". ITV News. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "District & Parish Elections". Breckland Council. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Breckland local election". whocanivotefor.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Attleborough: Mayor of 'The Godfather' town hits out at bullying". 21 February 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2023 – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "Attleborough Town Council's 'Godfather' bullying row costs £114k". 13 May 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2023 – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "Former army officer resigns as councillor for 'personal reasons'". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Hermitage Ward". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Councillor details – Councillor Roger Atterwill". www.breckland.gov.uk. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Former Tory councillor backs independent candidate in by-election". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Mattishall Ward". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Former Thetford mayor resigns as councillor". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Thetford Boudica Ward". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2023.