2023 Fenland District Council election

The 2023 Fenland District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Fenland District Council in Cambridgeshire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England. The Conservatives retained their majority on the council.

2023 Fenland District Council election
4 May 2023 (2023-05-04)
All 43 seats to Fenland District Council
22 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
  Blank Blank
Leader Chris Boden Mike Cornwell
Party Conservative Independent
Last election 26 seats, 50.1% 10 seats, 20.4%
Seats before 26 10
Seats after 35 6
Seat change Increase9 Decrease4
  Third party Fourth party
  Blank Blank
Party Liberal Democrats Green
Last election 2 seats, 10.5% 1 seat, 12.8%
Seats before 2 1
Seats after 2 0
Seat change Steady Decrease1
Leader before election

Chris Boden
Conservative

 Leader after election

Chris Boden
Conservative

Overview

Prior to the election the council had been under Conservative majority control since 1999, and the leader of the council was Chris Boden, who had been in post since 2019.[1] The independent councillors, Liberal Democrats and the Green councillor formed a single political group called the "Fenland Independent Alliance", led by independent councillor Mike Cornwell.[2]

New ward boundaries took effect for this election, increasing the number of seats on the council from 39 to 43.[3][4]

The Conservatives won 35 of the seats on the council, retaining their majority. The Green Party lost their only seat on the council, and the opposition group leader, Mike Cornwell, lost his seat by a single vote.[5][6]

Overall results

The overall results were:[7]

2023 Fenland District Council election
Party Candidates Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 43 35
  Independent 19 6
  Liberal Democrats 5 2
  Green 6 0
  Labour 20 0
  Alliance for Democracy and Freedom (UK) 2 0
  Reform UK 1 0

Ward results

The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Fenland District Council following the close of nominations on 5 April 2023.[8] The results by each ward were as follows, with an asterisk(*) indicating a sitting councillor standing for re-election.[9]

Chatteris North & Manea
Chatteris North & Manea (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charlie Marks* 825
Conservative Alan Gowler 701
Conservative James Carney 692
Green Emma Pollard 527
Labour Janet O'Keefe 425
Green Liz Wright 396
Turnout 25.48
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Chatteris South
Chatteris South (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Benney* 578
Conservative Peter Murphy* 517
Conservative Anne Hay* 509
Independent Daniel Divine* 383
Labour Amanda Hirson 307
Independent Aurelia Stempien-Wyrwal 296
Green Steven Chappell 286
Breakthrough Matt Jeal 154
Turnout 25.92
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Doddington & Wimblington
Doddington & Wimblington (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Maureen Davis* 732
Conservative David Connor* 708
Labour Katie Clark 256
Labour Philip Snowdon 246
Liberal Democrats Liam O'Rourke 218
Turnout 30.9
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

Elm & Christchurch
Elm & Christchurch (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Matthew Summers 447
Independent Dal Roy 402
Conservative Petya Kneksis 396
Conservative Boryana Pehlivanova 317
Labour Marian Phillips 211
Turnout 25.11
Independent hold Swing
Independent hold Swing

Leverington & Wisbech Rural
Leverington & Wisbech Rural (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Samantha Clark* 926
Conservative Chris Seaton* 889
Conservative Brenda Barber 818
Labour Benedict Allen 406
ADF Hermien Dyer 215
ADF Mark Dyer 209
Independent Charles Cutler 167
Turnout 30.07
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

March East
March East (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent John Clark* 604
Conservative Mark Purser* 555
Conservative Stuart Harris 509
Conservative Levent Ali 477
Independent Jennifer Lawler 455
Labour Martin Field 445
Labour Angela Mayes 419
Labour Katharine Bultitude 410
Turnout 28.28
Independent hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative gain from Independent Swing

John Clark was elected in 2019 as a Conservative, but had left the party to sit as an independent in February 2023.[10]

March North
March North (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Steve Count* 563
Conservative Kim French* 558
Independent Paul Hicks 553
Independent Mike Cornwell* 552
Labour Hannah Orbell 471
Conservative Ashley Smith 447
Labour Martyn Balmont 392
Labour George Broughton 372
Liberal Democrats Stephen Court 319
Reform UK David Maryan 115
Turnout 28.29
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Independent hold Swing

March South
March South (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jan French* 416
Conservative Gary Christy 409
Labour Clare Hale 263
Labour Robert Williams 207
Green Simon Wilkes* 174
Turnout 26.76
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

March West & Benwick
March West & Benwick (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Woollard 549
Conservative Tim Taylor 533
Labour Stewart Hearn 359
Turnout 25.11
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Parson Drove & Wisbech St Mary
Parson Drove & Wisbech St Mary (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Gavin Booth* 706
Conservative Michael Humphrey* 688
Liberal Democrats Diane Cutler 617
Conservative Anthony Georgiou 552
Conservative Clayton Payne 495
Liberal Democrats Rasa McGill 342
Labour Sebastian O'Keefe 194
Turnout 26.77
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Conservative win (new seat)

Whittlesey East & Villages
Whittlesey East & Villages (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Boden* 698
Conservative Alex Miscandlon* 631
Conservative Haq Nawaz 579
Independent Bob Wicks* 520
Green David Habbin 312
Labour Stephen Clay 302
Turnout 25.92
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Whittlesey Lattersey
Whittlesey Lattersey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jason Mockett* 190
Labour Ian Moyes 120
Turnout 24.51
Registered electors
Conservative hold Swing

Whittlesey North West
Whittlesey North West (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dee Laws* 689
Conservative Elisabeth Sennitt Clough 597
Labour Peter Gilman 266
Green John Male 247
Turnout 25.95
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Whittlesey South
Whittlesey South (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kay Mayor* 537
Independent Roy Gerstner 472
Conservative Maria Boccia 432
Independent Peter Bibb 337
Turnout 28.90
Conservative win (new seat)
Independent win (new seat)

Wisbech North
Wisbech North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lucie Foice-Beard 198
Independent Alan Wheeldon 96
Independent Marina Jennings 35
Turnout 17.01
Conservative win (new seat)

Wisbech Riverside
Wisbech Riverside (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nick Meekins* 447
Conservative Dave Oliver 400
Labour Kathryn Hearn 255
Turnout 19.85
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Nick Meekins had been elected in 2019 as an independent, but had joined the Conservatives in 2021.[11]

Wisbech South
Wisbech South (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Samantha Hoy* 859
Conservative Steve Tierney* 823
Conservative Susan Wallwork* 793
Independent Ruth Freeman 496
Independent Peter Freeman 491
Turnout 24.70
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Wisbech Walsoken & Waterlees
Wisbech Walsoken & Waterlees (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sidney Imafidon 656
Conservative Billy Rackley* 638
Independent David Patrick* 557
Conservative Sylwia Salvidge 549
Independent Garry Monger 523
Independent Simon Crowson 441
Turnout 25.24
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Independent win (new seat)

References
  1. "Your councillors". Fenland District Council. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  2. "Independent people truly representing communities". Fenland Citizen. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  3. "The Fenland (Electoral Changes) Order 2023", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2023/48, retrieved 7 May 2023
  4. "Notice of Election" (PDF). Fenland District Council. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  5. Burnett, Tom; Senior, Matthew; Taylor, Joanna (5 May 2023). "Fenland District Council 2023 local election results in full as Tories retain control". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  6. "Local elections 2023: Tories hold East Cambs as 18-year old wins seat". BBC News. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  7. "Fenland election result". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  8. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Fenland District Council. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  9. "District Election Results". Fenland District Council. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  10. Elworthy, John (9 February 2023). "Former Fenland Council leader John Clark quits Conservative Party". Cambs News. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  11. "Why I quit as an independent to re-join Tories". Wisbech Standard. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
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