Cheshire West and Chester Council election, 2015

Cheshire West and Chester Council Election, 2015
7 May 2015
All 75 seats to Cheshire West and Chester Council
38 seats needed for a majority
Turnout 68.2%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Samantha Dixon Mike Jones
Party Labour Conservative Independent
Leader's seat Chester City Tattenhall
Seats before 32 42 0
Seats won 38 36 1
Seat change Increase 6 Decrease 6 Increase 1

Results map for CWaC, showing Labour with most urban seats and Conservatives with most rural seats, with some seats on the edges of towns in mixed control, and an independent in Parkgate.

Colours denote winning party. Striped wards have mixed representation.
Council Leader before election

Mike Jones
Conservative

 Elected Council Leader

Samantha Dixon
Labour

The 2015 Cheshire West and Chester Council election took place on 7 May 2015, electing members of Cheshire West and Chester Council in England.[1] This was on the same day as other local elections across the country as well as the general election. All 75 seats were contested. Labour won a small majority with a total of 38 seats on a 3.2% swing from the Conservatives,[2] meaning that the council moved from Conservative control to Labour control.

Cheshire West and Chester was the only council to change hands in this way in the 2015 elections,[3] and this unique result has been variously attributed to public dissatisfaction with fracking in the area,[4][5][6] local planning issues,[4] the organisation and leadership of the local parties,[2][7][8][9] and to a generally difficult climate for Conservatives in the area.[8] In addition, the only Liberal Democrat (Lib Dem) seat on the council was lost, while an independent was elected to the Parkgate ward. No other minor party won a seat, but both the Green Party and United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) fielded large numbers of candidates and saw significant positive swings. Labour's Samantha Dixon became the first woman to lead the council, while the previous leader Mike Jones survived a Conservative leadership challenge and became Leader of the Opposition.

Background

A photograph of a circular glass building with six storeys
HQ, the headquarters of Cheshire West and Chester Council

Cheshire West and Chester (CWaC) had been governed since its formation in 2009 by the Conservative Party.[10] However, the Conservatives lost seats in CWaC against the national trend at the 2011 local election,[11] and the Chester area was identified by The Economist before the election as a challenging area for the party.[12] The election also took place at an especially bad period nationally for the Liberal Democrats, who lost 310 councillors in England at the previous local elections,[13][14] and at a period of growth for other minor parties – especially UKIP, who won the CWaC council area in the 2014 European Parliament elections and were identified by the BBC as potential spoiler candidates.[10] Although there were several by-elections in the 2011-2015 term,[15][16] the number of councillors representing each party did not change over the course of the Council.

In total, there were 75 Conservative candidates, 75 Labour candidates, 45 Green candidates, 43 Liberal Democrat candidates, 33 UKIP candidates, 4 TUSC candidates, 1 Socialist Labour candidate and 9 candidates running as independents.[17] Of the incumbents, 14 did not seek re-election, including several parliamentary candidates:[5] Bob Thompson, formerly the only Lib Dem on the council, stood for Parliament in City of Chester;[18] the former Labour councillor Julia Tickridge stood in Weaver Vale;[19] and Justin Madders, previous leader of the Labour group, stood in and was elected to Ellesmere Port and Neston.[20]

Election proceedings

A map showing turnout across the council area
Turnout by ward, from lowest (darkest) to highest (lightest)

The Statement of Persons Nominated was published on Friday 10 April 2015.[21] The election took place on 7 May 2015, on the same day as the general election, various parish council elections, town council elections in Frodsham, Neston, Northwich and Winsford, and a referendum on town planning in Malpas.[22] As is standard for council elections in the United Kingdom, first-past-the-post voting was used in single seat wards, and block voting was used in multi-seat wards. All 75 seats on the CWaC council were up for election. Of around 34,000 postal ballots issued, about 1,300 papers for Frodsham and the Garden Quarter district of Chester were voided and re-issued due to a printing error that removed the party emblems of some candidates,[23] and 284 were not delivered in time for the election.[24] An attack leaflet targeted at Labour leader Samantha Dixon was distributed to Chester city centre residents on the day of the election which lacked printing details and may have contained "incorrect information", in violation of the Representation of the People Act 1983.[25] Cheshire Police confirmed that they were investigating the leaflet.[25]

The count for the parliamentary election to City of Chester took priority, and so the count for CWaC began on at 2 PM, 8 May.[22][26] The count took place at Northgate Arena, and ended up running through the whole of the allotted 9 hour day without a decisive result.[5] The count was suspended on a "cliffhanger", with Labour and the Conservatives tied at 36 seats each after a recount was called on the two decisive two-seat ward of the Newton.[5] The count resumed on 9 May, and after a quick "bundle recount" suggested a Labour lead, the Conservative Party asked for a full recount, lasting another three and a half hours.[27] The second recount revealed that Labour's Gill Watson led by 34 votes over the incumbent Adrian Walmsley in the final seat.[5][27] The final result was delivered at 5.30 PM on 9 May, 2015 after 14 hours of counting.[28]

Vote share

  Conservative (39.74%)
  Labour (38.09%)
  Lib Dem (7.88%)
  UKIP (6.89%)
  Green (5.21%)
  Independent & other (2.19%)

The final results saw the Conservatives retain the largest share of the popular vote, but with a smaller proportion than at the previous election. Labour gained 6 seats (5 from Conservative, 1 from Lib Dem), the Conservatives lost 6 seats (5 to Labour, 1 to independent) and the Lib Dems lost their only seat in Hoole to Labour.[6] Labour therefore won an absolute majority, with 38 seats to the Conservatives 36 on the 75 seat council.[3] This made CWaC the only council in the entire country to transfer from Conservative to Labour control at the 2015 elections,[lower-alpha 1] a result that was described by ConservativeHome as a "catastrophic loss"[9] and by the Chester Chronicle as "deeply embarrassing" for the local Conservative party.[3][6][36]

No minor parties won any seats, but UKIP and the Greens saw large positive swings both across the borough and in individual wards, including a 9% swing to UKIP in Blacon[37] and a 17.5% swing to the Greens in Garden Quarter where they finished second.[26]

 Summary of the May 2015 Cheshire West and Chester Council results
Political party Group leader Candidates Total
votes		 Total
seats		 Seats
gained		 Seats
lost		 Seats,
net change		 Seats,
of total (%)		 Votes,
of total (%)		 Total votes,
change (%)
Labour Samantha Dixon 75 115,473 38 6 0 +6 50.7 38.1 +1.7
Conservative Mike Jones 75 120,477 36 0 6 -6 48.0 39.7 -5.6
Independent N/A[lower-roman 1] 9 6,104 1 1 0 +1 1.3 2.0 N/A
Liberal Democrat Bob Thompson (outgoing)[lower-roman 2] 43 23,887 0 0 1 -1 0.0 7.9 -4.0
UKIP N/A 33 20,882 0 0 0 0 0.0 6.9 +5.3
Green N/A 45 15,802 0 0 0 0 0.0 5.2 +4.7
Socialist Labour N/A 1 286 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.1 -0.0
TUSC N/A 4 230 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.1 New
Total 285 303,141 75 - - - Turnout 68.2 -
  1. ↑ As the only independent on the council, Martin Barker is the defacto independent group leader.
  2. ↑ As the only Lib Dem on the council, Thompson was the defacto group leader but did not stand for re-election. No Lib Dems were subsequently elected.

In all, there were 22 new councillors to CWaC council – 12 from Labour, 9 from the Conservatives and one independent.[27] Local Labour leader Samantha Dixon became the council leader, making her the first woman to hold the role,[7] while former council leader Mike Jones remained leader of the Conservative group despite a leadership challenge.[36]

Following the election, the first council meeting under Labour control took place on 21 May 2015.[38] The new administration significantly restructured the council: the existing scrutiny committees were merged while new local committees were established for Chester, Ellesmere Port, Northwich and Winslow, and rural Cheshire, and the roles of Lord Mayor of Chester and Chair of the Council were separated.[38] This meant that the casting vote remained with former Lord Mayor, Bob Rudd (Labour), instead of the new Lord Mayor, Hugo Deynem (Conservative), which Conservatives criticized for politicizing the role.[38] The new overview and scrutiny committee was arranged on a nonpartisan basis, with equal numbers of Labour and Conservative members and the casting vote given to the independent Martin Barker.[38]

Reactions and analysis

Butler swing from 2011
Map showing swing to Labour across the majority of wards, swing to Conservatives in some areas of Ellesmere Port and Northwich, and some rural wards.
Labour/Conservative swing by ward
Map showing swing to Labour across the majority of wards, swing to Lib Dems across southern seats, swing to independents in Malpas and Parkgate, swing to Greens in Garden Quarter, swing to UKIP in Ellesmere Port Town.
Largest party/second party swing by ward

As leader of the only Labour group to take control of a former Conservative council at the elections, Samantha Dixon described her local party as "a little ray of hope in the North West" but warned that it would be difficult to operate Labour policies under a national Conservative majority government, and proposed a more consensual cross-party approach to running the council.[6][7] The outgoing Conservative leader, Mike Jones, suggested that a Labour majority of just one would decrease private sector confidence in the council.[7][36]

Fracking was noted by both the Chester Chronicle and BBC News as a politically hot topic in Cheshire, particularly around Upton where one gas company had planning permission for a drilling site,[39][40] and the Conservative loss was partly attributed to community fears about the practice.[4][6] Matt Bryan, an anti-fracking Labour candidate in Upton unseated the sitting Conservative councillor in what the Chester Chronicle described as arguably "the biggest poll shock".[5] The Labour MP for City of Chester, Chris Matheson, who had similarly defeated the incumbent Stephen Mosley against the national trend, described unhappiness with fracking planning permission procedures and planning more generally as key issues that had helped Labour locally.[4]

The loss of the safe Conservative seat of Parkgate to the independent Martin Barker was also described as a "surprise" by AboutMyArea.[41] Barker stood on a platform of localism for Parkgate and his victory was attributed by the site to dissatisfaction with the choice of Conservative candidate, who lived outside Parkgate in Mickle Trafford.[41][42]

On taking office, Dixon credited the result to a "positive campaign" by the Labour Party rather than any mistakes by the Conservative Party.[7] However, Private Eye's "Rotten Boroughs" column blamed "own goals" by Jones – such as removing the planning committee chairperson[43] and withdrawing the party whip from councillors who voted against developments that Jones supported,[44] insulting members of the public,[45] and removing a respect clause from the council constitution[46] – for having "handed victory to Labour".[2][8] There was similar criticism from ConservativeHome, whose correspondent accused Jones of behaving "in a way which allowed our opponents to paint us as dodgy, or even corrupt",[9] and from councillor Mark Stocks, who launched an unsuccessful leadership challenge against Jones, saying:

"As the only council in the entire country to make the transition from Conservative to Labour, someone has to take the responsibility for what must be considered a monumental defeat. This responsibility has to start at the top. For me, it is an unavoidable belief that with proper leadership, Cheshire West and Chester would have followed the national trend and remained under Conservative control."[8]

Jones, supported by other Conservative councillors, rejected this suggestion, noting the fact that the local Conservative Party had taken the largest share of the popular vote at the council election and retained the parliamentary seat of Weaver Vale against opinion poll predictions. When looked at this way, Jones said, the result "does not seem like a catastrophe".[8]

Results by ward

Blacon

Blacon (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Jones, Reginald Francis 3,579 21.07
Labour Nelson, Marie 3,349 19.72
Labour Gahan, Carol Margaret 3,119 18.36
Conservative Dunn, Christian Philip 1,109 6.53
UKIP Ingram, Steve 1,054 6.21
UKIP Erskine, Chris 1,037 6.11
Conservative Roberts, Alexander Edward 979 5.76
Conservative Jackson, Jack Alex 941 5.54
UKIP Hutchison, Liz 805 4.74
Green Watson, Christine 482 2.84
Green Gorzelak, Zoe Marie 303 1.78
Green Watson, Colin Drysdale 227 1.34
Turnout 6,295 61.2[47]
Labour hold
Labour hold
Labour hold

Boughton

Boughton (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Delaney, Martyn 1,308 46.53
Conservative Vaughan, Kate Elizabeth 933 33.19
Green Parkes, Allison Clare 308 10.96
UKIP Nichols, Stephen Carter 262 9.32
Turnout 2,827 63.0
Labour hold

Chester City

Chester City (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Dixon, Samantha Kate 909 47.52
Conservative Dunn, Carlotta Eva 607 31.73
Green Davidson, Andy 178 9.30
UKIP Erskine, Katie 125 6.53
Liberal Democrat McGlinchey, Noel 94 4.91
Turnout 1,928 63.5
Labour hold

Chester Villages

Chester Villages ( Christleton, Guilden Sutton, Mickle Trafford and Waverton), (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Parker, Margaret Phyllis 2,744 28.04
Conservative Parker, Stuart 2,734 27.94
Labour Davies, Steve 1,241 12.68
Labour Rudd, Sandra 1,019 10.41
Liberal Democrat Hopkinson, Ian 587 6.00
UKIP Rees, Paul 585 5.98
Green D'Arcy, Paula Irene 536 5.48
Green Burling, Darren James 341 3.48
Turnout 5,430 78.0
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Davenham and Moulton

Davenham and Moulton (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Weltman, Helen Catherine 3,283 17.52
Conservative Pearson, James 3,262 17.41
Conservative Sinar, Gaynor Jean 2,971 15.86
Labour Cooper, Rebecca 2,417 12.90
Labour Cooper, Andrew Graham 2,316 12.36
Labour McGregor, Kyle 1,796 9.59
UKIP McDonald, Simon Gerald 1,040 5.55
UKIP Roberts, Glyn 854 4.56
Liberal Democrat Gaskill, Pamela Joyce 798 4.26
Turnout 7,421 70.4
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Dodleston and Huntington

Dodleston and Huntington (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Williams, Mark Graham 1,439 52.65
Labour Creswick, Jacky 717 26.23
Liberal Democrat Ward, Christopher John 321 11.75
UKIP Evans, David S 256 9.37
Turnout 2,748 77.3
Conservative hold

Ellesmere Port Town

Ellesmere Port Town, (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Clare, Lynn 2,386 36.03
Labour Crook, Jess 2,134 32.23
UKIP Starkey, Jeanette 802 12.11
Conservative Meldrum, Gordon Douglas 403 6.09
Conservative Pritchard, Graham 395 5.96
Green Boyle, Stefanie Anne 307 4.64
Green Benzie, James Douglas 195 2.94
Turnout 3,759 55.7
Labour hold
Labour hold

Elton

Elton (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Smith, Stephen Robert 1,224 53.13
Conservative Heatley, Graham 1,080 46.88
Turnout 2,335 66.2
Labour gain from Conservative

Farndon

Farndon (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Greenwood, Howard 1,138 45.59
Liberal Democrat Roberts, Paul David 990 39.66
Labour Cornwell, Paul Alfred 244 9.78
Green Clement, Alexander James 124 4.97
Turnout 2,504 74.5
Conservative hold

Frodsham

Frodsham (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Dawson, Andrew William 2,456 26.08
Conservative Riley, Lynn 2,178 23.13
Labour Garvey, Michael 1,435 15.24
Labour Fletcher, Deborah 1,305 13.86
Pusey, Michael John 493 5.24
Independent Reynolds, Tom 477 5.07
Green Pendlebury, Jonny 421 4.47
Green Beesley, Sue 409 4.34
Liberal Democrat Roberts, Vera Sandra 242 2.57
Turnout 5,321 71.4
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Garden Quarter

Garden Quarter (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Rudd, Bob 953 40.94
Green Green, Catherine Mary 802 34.45
Conservative Longe, Ed 491 21.09
Liberal Democrat Senior, Chris 82 3.52
Turnout 2,338 58.6
Labour hold

Gowy

Gowy (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Johnson, Eleanor 1,367 60.97
Labour Dixon, Nick 367 16.37
UKIP Davies, Mandie 211 9.41
Green Mitchell, Steven 151 6.74
Liberal Democrat Jones, Trevor Glyn 146 6.51
Turnout 2,446 74.3
Conservative hold

Grange

Grange (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Sherlock, Tony 1,545 79.43
Conservative Eardley, Simon James Vernon 269 13.83
Green Isaac, Ged 131 6.74
Turnout 1,962 57.0
Labour hold

Great Boughton

Great Boughton (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Board, Keith William Edward 2,191 21.62
Conservative Hall, Pamela Theresa 2,153 21.24
Labour Creswick, John 1,464 14.44
Labour Bradshaw, Lee 1,373 13.55
Liberal Democrat Price, Rose 909 8.97
UKIP Cowley, Harry 652 6.43
UKIP Lowe, Peter James 597 5.89
Green Hannay, Philip 407 4.02
Green Weaver, Graham John 390 3.85
Turnout 5,581 76.1
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Handbridge Park

Handbridge Park (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Daniels, Razia 2,852 26.88
Conservative Sullivan, Neil Anthony 2,558 24.11
Labour Freeman, Jim 1,438 13.55
Labour McGuirk, Pat 1,400 13.20
Green Davies, Alexandra Valerie 679 6.40
Liberal Democrat Speirs, Peter James 546 5.15
UKIP Smillie, Fraser 453 4.27
UKIP Weddell, Allan Andrew James 349 3.29
Green Leeson, Dominic 335 3.16
Turnout 5,684 76.0
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Hartford and Greenbank

Hartford and Greenbank (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Kaur, Susan 2,496 28.09
Conservative Parkes, Patricia Mary 2,027 22.81
Labour Bowden, Derek 1,288 14.49
Labour Naylor, Peter 1,230 13.84
UKIP Loftus, Martin David 854 9.61
Liberal Democrat Jones, Wendy 519 5.84
Green Hardiker, Owen Robert 472 5.31
Turnout 4,958 75.1
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Helsby

Helsby (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative McKie, Alan Leonard 1,511 52.10
Labour Long, Una 1,064 36.69
Green Hampton, David 191 6.59
Liberal Democrat Melnyczuk, Valerie A 134 4.62
Turnout 2,934 73.5
Conservative hold

Hoole

Hoole (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Black, Alex 2,215 21.45
Labour Chidley, Angie 1,829 17.72
Conservative George, Lesley Elizabeth 1,190 11.53
Liberal Democrat Williams, Mark Andrew 1,170 11.33
UKIP Rogers, Rosemary 1,149 11.13
Conservative Lucas, Aden 1,051 10.18
Liberal Democrat Rollo, Alan 769 7.45
Green Wilderspin-Jones, Diana Mary 540 5.23
Green Jones, Steven Richard 411 3.98
Turnout 5,178 71.9
Labour gain from Liberal Democrat
Labour hold

Kingsley

Kingsley (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Oultram, Ralph Edward 1,520 55.37
Labour Peacock, Jill 500 18.21
UKIP Proudfoot, Chris 292 10.64
Green Dedman, Alex 220 8.01
Liberal Democrat England, George Martin 213 7.76
Turnout 2,720 76.7
Conservative hold

Lache

Lache (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Mercer, Jane 1,341 52.12
Conservative Tomlinson, Michael 784 30.47
UKIP Stroud, John 240 9.33
Green Smart, Kevin 119 4.62
Liberal Democrat Hassan, Aminul 89 3.46
Turnout 2,586 65.3
Labour hold

Ledsham and Manor

Ledsham and Manor (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Rooney, Peter 2,004 24.07
Conservative Anderson, Gareth 1,803 21.66
Conservative Griffiths, Rob 1,585 19.04
Labour Zaman, Brenda Margaret 1,581 18.99
UKIP Starkey, Jonathan Charles 659 7.92
Liberal Democrat Taylor, Robert Michael 493 5.92
Independent McQuade, Ann 200 2.40
Turnout 4,738 73.4
Labour hold
Conservative hold

Little Neston and Burton

Little Neston and Burton (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Jones, Nige 2,174 21.84
Labour Gittins, Louise Clare 2,108 21.18
Conservative Loch, Kay 1,961 19.70
Labour McHale, Ray 1,473 14.80
Liberal Democrat Cummins, Tony 853 8.57
UKIP Kettle, Sue 736 7.39
Liberal Democrat Farrance, Richard Adam 544 5.46
TUSC Rimmington, Joe 106 1.06
Turnout 5,370 76.1
Conservative hold
Labour hold

Malpas

Malpas (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Whitehurst, Chris 1,241 52.01
Independent Lowick Higgie, Charles 777 32.56
Labour Black, Janet 206 8.63
Green Boxall, Michael John 162 6.79
Turnout 2,419 70.0
Conservative hold

Marbury

Marbury (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Gibbon, Lynn Joyce 3,253 20.10
Conservative Wright, Norman Geoffrey 2,952 18.24
Conservative Hammond, Don 2,898 17.90
Labour Dalby, Debbie 1,886 11.65
Labour Morlidge, Jo 1,698 10.49
Labour Falzon, Michael 1,481 9.15
Liberal Democrat Makepeace, Annie 1,193 7.37
Green Ismail, Sez 826 5.10
Turnout 6,580 68.9
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Neston

Neston (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Williams, Andrew 1,058 50.69
Conservative Lloyd, Paul 693 33.21
Green Nicholls, Geoffrey Lane 161 7.71
Liberal Democrat Gaskell, Derek 140 6.71
TUSC Khan, Declan Wells 35 1.68
Turnout 2,097 63.7
Labour hold

Netherpool

Netherpool (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Roberts, Diane Elizabeth 1,127 66.06
Conservative Harris, Jack 302 17.70
UKIP Kirk, Alistair 207 12.13
Green Sinclair, Kier Aaron 70 4.10
Turnout 1,714 61.9
Labour hold

Newton

Newton (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Beacham, Richard Mark 2,101 19.96
Labour Watson, Gill 1,672 15.88
Conservative Walmsley, Adrian Peter 1,638 15.56
Conservative Brown, Pauline Frances 1,554 14.76
Liberal Democrat Gant, Mark Edward 827 7.86
UKIP Samuel, Frank 626 5.95
Green Brown, Simon Ward 581 5.52
Independent Ebo, John Brian 505 4.80
Liberal Democrat Mead, Annie 501 4.76
Green Horbury, Mary Elizabeth 477 4.53
TUSC Cunningham, Kenny 46 0.44
Turnout 5,460 69.2
Labour gain from Conservative
Labour gain from Conservative

Parkgate

Parkgate (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Barker, Martin 931 39.22
Conservative Merrill, Andrew 878 36.98
Labour Jilani, Abdul Kadir 314 13.23
Green Peers, Oliver James 251 10.57
Turnout 2,411 77.1
Independent gain from Conservative

Rossmore

Rossmore (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Merrick, Pat 1,074 59.17
Conservative Jones, Linda Ellen 328 18.07
Socialist Labour Spain, Kenny 286 15.76
Green Evans-Stone, Joanne Frances 127 7.00
Turnout 1,831 59.3
Labour hold

Saughall and Mollington

Saughall and Mollington (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Crowe, Brian 1,280 44.93
Independent Jones, Carl Denis 737 25.87
Labour Atkin, Sally Clare 572 20.08
UKIP Walton, John 172 6.04
Liberal Democrat Senior, Sally Louise 88 3.09
Turnout 2,872 75.3
Conservative hold

Shakerley

Shakerley (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Stocks, Mark Lister 1,414 63.95
Labour Jamieson, Philippa 597 27.00
Liberal Democrat Thompson, Mary Elizabeth 200 9.05
Turnout 2,237 65.4
Conservative hold

St Paul's

St Paul's (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Claydon, Angela Janette 2,789 36.83
Labour Bisset, Robert Ian 2,286 30.19
Conservative Kwateng, Francis 1,216 16.06
Conservative Loch, Steve 830 10.96
Liberal Democrat Handley, Graham 452 5.97
Turnout 4,436 65.7
Labour hold
Labour hold

Strawberry

Strawberry (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Henesy, Mark Anthony 1,493 48.66
Conservative Hebson, Nicholas 1,155 37.65
UKIP Mugridge, Sarah Jane 377 12.29
TUSC Lee, Dan 43 1.40
Turnout 3,082 73.6
Labour hold

Sutton

Sutton (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Donovan, Paul Francis 2,649 30.99
Labour Meardon, Nicole 2,241 26.22
Conservative Evans, Sandra 1,053 12.32
Conservative Evans, Lee David 1,042 12.19
UKIP Moore, Alan 923 10.80
Green Joinson, Chloe 360 4.21
Liberal Democrat Handley, Rosemarie 280 3.28
Turnout 4,784 67.2
Labour hold
Labour hold

Tarporley

Tarporley (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Moore Dutton, Eveleigh 1,938 67.36
Liberal Democrat Priestner, Ian Douglas 510 17.73
Labour Wilson, Carol 429 14.91
Turnout 2,906 75.0
Conservative hold

Tarvin and Kelsall

Tarvin and Kelsall (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Leather, John 2,588 29.37
Conservative Deynem, Hugo William Edward 2,414 27.39
Liberal Democrat Lush, Ted 1,066 12.10
Liberal Democrat Hyde, Andrew Paul 957 10.86
Labour Edwards, David 686 7.78
Labour Lewis, Gina 611 6.93
Green McEvoy, Louis 491 5.57
Turnout 5,082 73.7
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Tattenhall

Tattenhall (1 seat)[48]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Jones, Mike 1,414 52.23
Liberal Democrat Walley, Edward 448 16.55
Labour Vernon, John Robert 439 16.22
UKIP Hill, Ray 406 15.00
Turnout 2,723 74.3
Conservative hold

Upton

Upton (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Houlbrook, Jill 1,956 21.24
Labour Bryan, Matt 1,723 18.71
Conservative McNae, Hilarie June 1,657 17.99
Labour Ford, David Vincent 1,429 15.51
Liberal Democrat Evans, Jean Elizabeth 814 8.84
Liberal Democrat Cameron, James Alexander 591 6.42
UKIP Evans, Jules 545 5.92
Green Howells, Aled Rhys 496 5.38
Turnout 5,045 71.5
Conservative hold
Labour gain from Conservative

Weaver and Cuddington

Weaver and Cuddington (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Fifield, Charles 3,194 16.86
Conservative Williams, Paul 3,180 16.79
Conservative Tonge, Harry 2,580 13.62
Labour Cernik, Robert 1,772 9.35
Independent Edwards, Gillian 1,764 9.31
Labour Bryce, Callum 1,745 9.21
Labour Stott, Andy 1,603 8.46
UKIP Watkin, Chris 1,357 7.16
Liberal Democrat Donhue, Stephen M 928 4.90
Green Robinson, Andy 820 4.33
Turnout 7,380 71.3
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Whitby

Whitby (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Jones, Brian 2,104 25.82
Labour Shore, Karen Louise 1,828 22.43
Conservative Anderson, Brian 1,368 16.79
Conservative Crompton, Robert Redford 1,248 15.31
UKIP Lomax, Glen 905 11.10
Green Bowers, Sarah Ann 267 3.28
Liberal Democrat Marlow, Tom 223 2.74
Green Griffiths, Tony 207 2.54
Turnout 3,983 60.9
Labour hold
Labour gain from Conservative

Willaston and Thornton

Willaston and Thornton (1 seat)
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Hogg, Myles 1,912 75.39
Labour Evans, James Robert 624 24.61
Turnout 2,569 76.8
Conservative hold

Winnington and Castle

Winnington and Castle (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Naylor, Sam 1,719 23.75
Labour Dolan, Paul 1,675 23.14
Conservative Sinar, Jim 1,193 16.48
Conservative Ford, Kathy 1,147 15.85
UKIP Wright, Amos Daniel 588 8.12
Green Bower, Darrelle Ann 391 5.40
Liberal Democrat Chapman, Alice Philippa 305 4.21
Northwich Independent Bower, Phillip Michael Dawson 220 3.04
Turnout 4,284 59.6
Labour hold
Labour hold

Winsford Over and Verdin

Winsford Over and Verdin (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Blackmore, Tom 2,279 15.59
Labour Beckett, Don 2,154 14.74
Conservative Baynham, Michael 1,717 11.75
Labour Neil, Arthur Leslie 1,684 11.52
Conservative Jones, Lynda 1,589 10.87
Conservative Dolphin, Margaret 1,440 9.85
UKIP Fawley-Hopkins, Kerrie Jane 1,059 7.24
Liberal Democrat Barton, Bob 796 5.45
Liberal Democrat Parkinson, Charlie 659 4.51
Liberal Democrat Parkey, Brandon 545 3.73
Green Quormby, Sue 350 2.39
Green Brown, Alice Rebecca 346 2.37
Turnout 5,847 59.3
Labour hold
Labour hold
Conservative hold

Winsford Swanlow and Dene

Winsford Swanlow and Dene (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Burns, Stephen 1,677 23.20
Labour Armstrong, David 1,306 18.07
Liberal Democrat Gaskill, Malcolm Ian 945 13.07
Conservative Rimmer, Phil 861 11.91
Liberal Democrat Theron, Bev 767 10.61
Conservative Greenwood, Lesley 744 10.29
UKIP Kendrick, David Michael 705 9.75
Green Hatton, Marc William Vincent 224 3.10
Turnout 4,120 60.4
Labour hold
Labour hold

Winsford Wharton

Winsford Wharton (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Clarke, Brian Michael 1,920 28.08
Labour Booher, Pamela 1,785 26.10
Conservative Hardy, Charles 926 13.54
Conservative Jones, Peter 903 13.21
Liberal Democrat Bore, Chris 437 6.39
Liberal Democrat Fitzmaurice, Janet 351 5.13
Green Barwell, Lyndsay 288 4.21
Green Molton, Ian 228 3.33
Turnout 4,181 58.1
Labour hold
Labour hold

Witton

Witton (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes %
Labour Lawrenson, Tony 2,011 34.22
Labour Armstrong, Val 1,355 23.06
Conservative McDowell, George 1,222 20.79
Conservative Nelson, Linda 924 15.72
Liberal Democrat Hinde, Keith 365 6.21
Turnout 3,665 57.2
Labour hold
Labour hold

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Although CWaC elects all members at once every four years, many councils elect members in thirds and have more frequent elections. This means that although CWaC was the only council to transfer directly from Labour to Conservative control at the 2015 elections, it was not the only one to change hands this way between 2011 and 2015. Labour also gained two councils – Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and West Lancashire Borough Council – from no overall control at the 2015 elections.[29] West Lancashire was also held by the Conservatives at the 2011 election, but elects its representatives in thirds.[30] This means there were other elections intervening, and West Lancashire went into no overall control at the 2014 local election.[31] In addition, Crawley, Derbyshire,[32] Dudley, Harlow, Nottinghamshire,[33] Redditch and Southamption were gained by Labour from Conservative control at some point between the 2011 and 2014 local elections and held at the 2015 elections.[29][14][34][35]

References

  1. ↑ "Upcoming elections & referendums". The Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Rotten Boroughs" (26 May 2015). "Dickhead Alert". Private Eye (1393).
  3. 1 2 3 "Labour take control of Cheshire West and Chester Council". Northwich Guardian. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 David Holmes (20 May 2015). "Chester Labour MP Chris Matheson back from his first week at Parliament". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Michael Green (8 May 2015). "Election 2015: Cheshire West and Chester Council on a knife-edge as count is suspended overnight". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 David Holmes (9 May 2015). "WATCH Election 2015: Labour take control of Cheshire West and Chester Council". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Carmella de Lucia, David Holmes and Frances Barrett (9 May 2015). "Election 2015: Cheshire West and Chester Council set for first woman leader". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 David Holmes (27 May 2015). "Chester Tory leadership challenger launches damaging attack on Conservative CWaC chief Mike Jones". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 "A Conservative councillor: Why was Cheshire West and Chester a Labour gain?". ConservativeHome. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  10. 1 2 Phil McCann (6 May 2015). "Election 2015: Cheshire's long-awaited council votes". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "ELECTION: Cheshire West and Chester remains Tory controlled". Chester Chronicle. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "The Boomtown Reds". The Economist. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt (23 May 2014). "Lib Dem local election results suggest party could lose 20 parliamentary seats". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  14. 1 2 "England council results". BBC News. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  15. ↑ "Labour returned in Ellesmere Port's Town Ward". Talking West Cheshire. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  16. ↑ Frances Barrett (11 July 2014). "Labour celebrate victory in both council by-elections". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  17. ↑ Frances Barrett (10 April 2015). "Election 2015: Cheshire West and Chester Council candidates revealed". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  18. ↑ David Holmes (16 April 2015). "General Election 2015: City of Chester Parliamentary candidates". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  19. ↑ "Weaver Vale Labour Party choose Julia Tickridge to fight general election". Chester Chronicle. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  20. ↑ Michael Green (8 May 2015). "Election 2015: Ellesmere Port and Neston won by Labour". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  21. ↑ "Statements of Persons Nominated - Local elections". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  22. 1 2 "Town and Parish". West Cheshire Elections 2015. Chester West and Chester Council. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  23. ↑ Frances Barrett (23 April 2015). "Cheshire West and Chester ballot papers re-issued due to printing error". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  24. ↑ David Holmes (6 May 2015). "Election 2015: Postal votes in Cheshire West still not arrived". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  25. 1 2 David Holmes (8 May 2015). "Election 2015: Chester police investigate leaflet attacking Labour leader". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  26. 1 2 Michael Green (8 May 2015). "Election 2015 Live: Cheshire West and Chester Council election results". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  27. 1 2 3 "Double delight for Labour as party controls Cheshire West and Chester Council". Chester Standard. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  28. ↑ Michael Green (9 May 2015). "Local elections live: Cheshire West and Chester Council election count resumes". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  29. 1 2 "Local Election Results 2015". BBC News. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  30. ↑ "Election 2011 - England council elections - West Lancashire". BBC News. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  31. ↑ "Vote 2014 - West Lancashire Borough Council". BBC News. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  32. ↑ "Derbyshire election 2013: Labour wins back control". BBC News. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  33. ↑ "Nottinghamshire election 2013: Narrow win for Labour". BBC News. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  34. ↑ "Vote 2012 - English Council Results". BBC News. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  35. ↑ "Election 2011 - English council elections". BBC News. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  36. 1 2 3 David Holmes (20 May 2015). "Chester Tory chief Mike Jones survives leadership challenge after election defeat". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  37. ↑ David Holmes (4 May 2015). "Election 2015: Chester UKIP candidate for parliament and council 'proud' to have stood for party". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  38. 1 2 3 4 David Holmes (26 May 2015). "Cheshire West and Chester Council have bad-tempered first meeting under Labour control". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  39. ↑ Phil McCann (6 May 2015). "Will fracking decide Chester?". BBC News. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  40. ↑ "Anti-frackers build for demonstration outside HQ after Tory majority rejects debate". Chester Chronicle. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  41. 1 2 "Parkgate Electorate Vote Local in Historic Victory for an Independent". AboutMyArea. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  42. ↑ "Candidate Statements - CWAC Elections 2015 : Parkgate Ward". AboutMyArea. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  43. ↑ David Holmes (23 May 2013). "Was I sacked over student village vote?' asks ex-chairman of Cheshire West and Chester Council's key planning committee". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  44. ↑ Jim Green (23 September 2013). "Come clean call in row on Chester village vote". Chester Standard. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  45. ↑ "Probe over d***head comment by council leader". Chester Standard. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  46. ↑ David Holmes (3 March 2015). "Cheshire West and Chester Council loses respect (clause)". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  47. ↑ "Official turnout for borough wards". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  48. ↑ "Elections 2015 - Results for Tattenhall Ward". Retrieved 8 May 2015.

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