2023 Luton Borough Council election

The 2023 Luton Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Luton Borough Council in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England. Labour retained its majority on the council.

2023 Luton Borough Council election
4 May 2023 (2023-05-04)
All 48 seats to Luton Borough Council
25 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
  Blank Blank
Leader Hazel Simmons David Franks
Party Labour Liberal Democrats
Last election 32 seats, 56.7% 12 seats, 17.2%
Seats before 28 17
Seats won 30 15
Seat change Increase2 Decrease2
  Third party Fourth party
  Blank Blank
Leader John Young N/A
Party Conservative Independent
Last election 4 seats, 19.2% 0 seats, 3.9%
Seats before 2 1
Seats won 3 0
Seat change Increase1 Decrease1
Leader before election

Hazel Simmons
Labour

 Leader after election

Hazel Simmons
Labour

Overview

New ward boundaries were drawn up for this election, increasing the number of wards from 19 to 20, although the overall number of councillors stayed the same at 48.[1][2]

The council had been controlled by Labour since 2007, with its leader since then being Hazel Simmons. Issues debated by the candidates included the ongoing financial impact on the council of money it lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when flights from council-owned Luton Airport were stopped. Suggestions for how to improve the town centre were also debated, with Historic England having added the town centre's main street, George Street, to its Heritage at Risk Register in November 2022.[3][4]

Shortly before the election, three Labour councillors who were not re-selected to be Labour candidates at this election left the party; two (Ghulam Javed and Summara Khurshid) joined the Liberal Democrats and one (Anne Donelon) sat as an independent.[5][6]

Labour retained a majority on the council, winning 30 of the 48 seats. Of the councillors elected at this election, 20 had not been councillors in the previous term.[7] The two former Labour councillors who joined the Liberal Democrats shortly before the election both stood as Liberal Democrat candidates; both were defeated by Labour.[8]

Summary

Election result

The overall results were:[9]

2023 Luton Borough Council election
Party Candidates Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 48 30 2 Increase2
  Liberal Democrats 33 15 2 Decrease2
  Conservative 15 3 1 Increase1
  Independent 8 0 1 Decrease1
  Reform UK 2

Results by ward

The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Luton Borough Council following the close of nominations on 5 April 2023.[10] The results were as follows, with sitting councillors standing for re-election marked with an asterisk(*):[8]

Barnfield
Barnfield (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats David Franks* 1,690
Liberal Democrats Jeff Petts* 1,627
Liberal Democrats Amjid Ali* 1,551
Labour Shahriar Ahmed 1,174
Labour Sameera Saleem* 956
Labour Anwar Haque 932
Conservative Alex Dearden 378
Conservative Sam Deekue 371
Conservative Zahid Mohmand 274
Turnout 3,199 36.1
Registered electors 8,862
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats win (new seat)

Beech Hill
Beech Hill (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rumi Chowdhury 2,158
Labour Javed Hussain* 2,127
Labour Rehana Malik 1,928
Liberal Democrats Mahbubul Karim 958
Liberal Democrats Adrees Latif 947
Liberal Democrats Ghulam Javed* 737
Turnout 3,220 36.1
Registered electors 8,917
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)

Biscot
Biscot (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Zanib Raja 937
Labour Tahmina Saleem* 929
Independent Fazilat Ali-Khan 713
Independent Tipu Moheeuddin 643 N/A
Liberal Democrats Shahin Uddin 525
Liberal Democrats Junaid Malik 431 N/A
Turnout 2,222 34.4
Registered electors 6,463
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

Bramingham
Bramingham (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stuart Miller 1,601
Conservative John Baker 1,529
Conservative Aziz Ambia 1,463
Labour Desmond Billington 1,279
Labour Bodrul Amin 1,268
Labour Mehmood Khan 1,171
Turnout 3,179 33.1
Registered electors 9,591
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative win (new seat)

Central
Central (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fatima Begum* 626
Labour Yaqub Hanif 447
Independent Belal Ahmed 195
Liberal Democrats Abid Aziz 122
Liberal Democrats Amir Aziz 110
Independent Anwar Hussain 78
Turnout 858 16.5
Registered electors 5,203
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)

Challney
Challney (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Basit Mahmood 1,572
Labour Khtija Malik* 1,562
Labour Tom Shaw* 1,546
Liberal Democrats Mohammed Javid 654
Liberal Democrats Shahid Zaman 593
Liberal Democrats Farzana Ahktar 587
Turnout 2,540 27.4
Registered electors 9,270
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

Dallow
Dallow (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mohammed Farooq 1,101
Labour Alia Khan* 1,059
Liberal Democrats Bashrat Hussain 619
Liberal Democrats Abbas Hussain* 492
Turnout 1,793 32.3
Registered electors 5,556
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

Dallow ward was represented by three councillors prior to the boundary changes which took effect for this election. Immediately before the election it was represented by two Labour and one Liberal Democrat councillors, the latter being Abbas Hussain who defected from Labour shortly before the election.

Farley
Farley (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Javeria Hussain* Unopposed
Labour Mahmood Hussain* Unopposed
Labour Dave Taylor* Unopposed
Registered electors
Labour hold
Labour hold
Labour hold

High Town
High Town (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Taylor 798
Labour Umme Ali* 783
Independent John French 446 N/A
Independent Mohammed Shahid 294 N/A
Conservative Lesley Hill 231
Turnout 1,436 23.1
Registered electors 6,224
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

Leagrave
Leagrave (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Maria Lovell* 1,020
Labour Francis Steer 842
Conservative Ifthekher Alom 692
Conservative Malik Nikyalvi 465
Reform UK James Fletcher 224
Turnout 1,860 27.1
Registered electors 6,863
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

Lewsey
Lewsey (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hazel Simmons* 1,008
Labour Yarun Begum 912
Conservative Edward Carpenter 272
Independent Afia Parveen 142
Turnout 1,366 22.0
Registered electors 6,215
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

Northwell
Northwell (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rob Roche* 1,400
Labour Amy Nicholls* 1,397
Labour Babatunde Ajisola 1,306
Conservative Philip Turner 664
Conservative Ash Ali 520
Conservative Shashi Rudrangi 482
Independent Anwar Hussain 217
Reform UK Jim Cohen 231
Turnout 2,338 25.4
Registered electors 9,214
Labour hold Swing
Labour gain from Independent Swing
Labour win (new seat)

Prior to the election Northwell was represented by two councillors, one of whom (Anne Donelon) had been elected as Labour but subsequently left the party and sat as an independent.

Poets
Poets (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jacqui Burnett* 919
Labour Aslam Khan* 866
Liberal Democrats Taimoor Ali 749
Liberal Democrats Evaline Omondi 692
Turnout 1,752 30.2
Registered electors 5,803
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)

Round Green
Round Green (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Gillian Fry 910
Liberal Democrats Zahoor Ahmed 799
Labour Raja Khan 785
Labour Yasmin Waheed* 682
Conservative Saiful Choudhury 160
Conservative Mohammed Shaikh 136
Turnout 1,884 29.3
Registered electors 6,433
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing

Prior to the election Round Green was represented by three councillors: two Liberal Democrats and one Labour.

Saints
Saints (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Saima Hussain* 1,630
Labour Ghulam Abbas 1,594
Labour Shahanara Naser 1,525
Liberal Democrats Anwar Malik 1,202
Liberal Democrats Summara Khurshid* 1,187
Liberal Democrats Baber Hussain 1,078
Turnout 3,052 35.4
Registered electors 8,615
Labour hold Swing
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

South
South (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Steve Stephens 710
Labour Charmaine Isles 645
Labour David Agbley* 589
Liberal Democrats Deborah Abodunrin-Olokode 602
Turnout 1,378 22.9
Registered electors 6,025
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing
Labour hold Swing

Stopsley
Stopsley (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Richard Underwood* 2,185
Liberal Democrats David Wynn* 2,142
Liberal Democrats Nigel Marshall 2,137
Labour Shajarul Islam 629
Labour Imtiaz Ahmed 596
Labour Sadiqul Choudhury 593
Turnout 2,884 31.5
Registered electors 9,170
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats win (new seat)

Sundon Park
Sundon Park (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Steve Moore* 1,010
Liberal Democrats Clive Mead* 962
Labour Deanne Johnson 722
Labour Masood Akhtar 630
Turnout 1,767 31.6
Registered electors 5,592
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Vauxhall
Vauxhall (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Terry Keens* 893
Liberal Democrats Lee Bridgen* 868
Labour Shana Begum 422
Labour Bobby Thomas 389
Turnout 1,354 26.3
Registered electors 5,142
Liberal Democrats win (new seat)
Liberal Democrats win (new seat)

Wigmore
Wigmore (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Claire Gallagher 1,809
Liberal Democrats Alan Skepelhorn* 1,760
Labour Raja Ahmed* 374
Labour Barnes Mayunga 338
Turnout 2,249 32.4
Registered electors 6,931
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

References
  1. "The Luton (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2022/824, retrieved 29 April 2023
  2. "Notice of election" (PDF). Luton Borough Council. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  3. Holmes, Amy (25 April 2023). "Local elections 2023: Can Labour continue its winning run in Luton?". BBC News. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  4. "Luton's George Street added to Historic England's at risk register". BBC News. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  5. "Luton councillor removed from key roles after leaving Labour Party". Bedfordshire Live. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  6. "Councillors". Luton Borough Council. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  7. "Local elections 2023: Conservatives lose control of Central Beds". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  8. "Local election results 2023". Luton Borough Council. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  9. "Luton election result". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023. Note that when ward boundaries have changed, as here, the BBC coverage compares results to a notional pre-election position which in this case appears to have differed from the actual immediate pre-election position due to the defections shortly beforehand.
  10. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Luton Borough Council. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
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