Fenland District Council elections

Fenland District Council in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2015, 39 councillors are returned from 24 wards.[1] The elections are held concurrently with the local government elections for Chatteris Town Council, March Town Council, Whittlesey Town Council, Wisbech Town Council and the other parish councils in the district (except for the 1979 local elections), when the general election was held with district elections and the town and parish elections were pushed back to 24 May 1979.[2]

Fenland rejected the introduction of a directly elected mayor by 17,296 votes to 5,509, on a turnout of just under 34%, in a referendum held in July 2005.[3]

The Electoral Reform Society declared Fenland District Council top of the Rotten Boroughs table in the 2019 elections. 12 councillors out of 39 – all Conservative – were returned unopposed.[4]

Political control

Since the foundation of the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[5]

ControlDates
No overall control1973 – 1976
Conservative1976 – 1995
Labour1995 – 1999
Conservative1999 – present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2014 have been:[6]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
John Clark Conservative8 May 201422 Feb 2018
Chris Seaton Conservative22 Feb 201823 May 2019
Chris Boden Conservative23 May 2019

Council elections
ElectionConservativeLabourLiberal Democrat[lower-alpha 1]GreenOthers Total
1973[7][8]208001240
1976[7][9]27810440[lower-alpha 2]
1979[7]24630740
1983[7][10]22860440
1987[7][11]25460540
1991[7][12]27620540[lower-alpha 3]
1995[13]142120340
1999[14][15]28710340[lower-alpha 4]
2003[16]36300140[lower-alpha 5]
2007[17]39000140
2011[18]34020440
201534020339[lower-alpha 6]
2019[19]260211039
2023[20]35020643

Composition since 1973
1973



1976



1979



1983



1987



1991



1995



1999



2003



2007



2011



2015



2019



2023



  • Notes:
  1. Liberal Party prior to 1982, SDP-Liberal Alliance from 1982 to 1988.
  2. New ward boundaries: The District of Fenland (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975.
  3. Minor alterations to district boundaries: The Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire (County Boundaries) Order 1989 and The Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk (County Boundaries) Order 1990.
  4. One seat was left vacant at this election.
  5. New ward boundaries: The District of Fenland (Electoral Changes) Order 2002.
  6. New ward boundaries: The Fenland (Electoral Changes) Order 2014.

District result maps
  • 2003 results map
    2003 results map
  • 2007 results map
    2007 results map
  • 2011 results map
    2011 results map

By-election results

1995-1999
Manea By-Election 6 March 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 278 50.1
Labour 133 24.0
Independent 98 17.6
Liberal Democrats 46 8.2
Majority 145 26.1
Turnout 555 50.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Leverington By-Election 31 July 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 434 56.7 +10.8
Labour 252 32.9 -21.2
Independent 79 10.3 +10.3
Majority 182 23.8
Turnout 765 24.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
March West By-Election 31 July 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour 574 50.6 -0.3
Conservative 561 49.4 +0.3
Majority 13 1.2
Turnout 1,135 27.7
Labour hold Swing
March East By-Election 30 October 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour 707 59.4 +8.2
Conservative 483 40.6 +10.0
Majority 224 18.8
Turnout 1,190
Labour hold Swing

1999-2003
Manea By-Election 24 June 1999
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 298 71.8 +71.8
Labour 57 13.7 -37.3
Liberal Democrats 42 10.1 -38.9
Independent Labour 18 4.3 +4.3
Majority 241 58.1
Turnout 415 37.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
March East By-Election 7 June 2001
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour 1,596 49.6
Conservative 1,366 42.4
Liberal Democrats 258 8.0
Majority 230 7.2
Turnout 3,220
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Whittlesey Bassenhally By-Election 12 July 2001
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 402 49.2 +2.0
Liberal Democrats 343 42.0 -0.8
Labour 72 8.8 -1.2
Majority 59 7.2
Turnout 817 25.7
Conservative hold Swing
Wisbech South West By-Election 26 July 2001
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 546 65.4 +20.5
Labour 289 34.6 +10.1
Majority 257 30.8
Turnout 835 16.5
Conservative hold Swing

2003-2007
Roman Bank By-Election 30 September 2004
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Hatton 501 50.2 -21.9
Liberal Democrats Maddy Forster 254 25.5 +25.5
Independent 155 15.5 +15.5
Labour 88 8.8 -19.1
Majority 247 24.7
Turnout 998 21.0
Conservative hold Swing
Manea By-Election 2 February 2006[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Sears 264 45.0
Liberal Democrats Christopher Howes 136 23.2
Independent Mark Archer 136 23.2
Independent Stephen Wilson 39 6.6
Labour Richard Hibbert 12 2.0
Majority 128 21.8
Turnout 587 42.1
Conservative hold Swing
Slade Lode By-Election 13 July 2006[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Florence Newell 259 57.2 +17.8
Liberal Democrats Christopher Howes 194 42.8 +12.0
Majority 65 14.4
Turnout 453 26.7
Conservative hold Swing

2007-2011
Parsons Drove and Wisbech St Mary By-Election 3 April 2008[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Phil Wait 646 61.8
Labour Dave Goode 191 18.3
Independent Paul Carpenter 119 11.4
UKIP Paul Clapp 55 5.3
Liberal Democrats Chris Howes 35 3.3
Majority 455 43.5
Turnout 1,046
Conservative hold Swing
Parson Drove and Wisbech St Mary By-Election 11 December 2008[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Scrimshaw 512 50.6
Liberal Democrats Gavin Booth 208 20.6
Labour Dave Goode 190 18.8
Green Paul Carpenter 101 10.0
Majority 304 30.0
Turnout 1,011
Conservative hold Swing
March West By-Election 8 October 2009[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Steve Count 803 53.9 -5.2
Labour Martin Field 460 29.9 +29.9
Liberal Democrats Ann Elliott 250 16.2 -24.7
Majority 370 24.0
Turnout 1,540 28
Conservative hold Swing
The Mills By-Election 4 March 2010[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Chambers 301 45.9 -11.2
Liberal Democrats Christopher Howes 264 40.2 -2.7
UKIP Sandra Rylance 58 8.8 +8.8
Labour Max Kelly 33 5.0 +5.0
Majority 37 5.7
Turnout 656 31.8
Conservative hold Swing
Wisbech Kirkgate By-Election 15 April 2010[27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Dave Patrick 287 51.3
Conservative Steve Tierney 145 25.9
Labour Barry Diggle 74 13.2
UKIP Paul Clapp 54 9.6
Majority 142 25.4
Turnout 560 31.1
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing

2011-2015
Staithe By-Election 22 September 2011[28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Hodgson 228 42.0 -13.1
Labour John White 166 30.6 +1.8
Liberal Democrats Robert McLaren 90 16.6 +16.6
UKIP Will Schooling 39 7.2 -8.9
Independent Phil Webb 20 3.7 +3.7
Majority 62 11.4
Turnout 543 28.8
Conservative hold Swing

This by-election was due to the Conservative incumbent cllr Farmer being disqualified for a firearms offence.[29] This was cllr Tierney's third attempt to win a seat on FDC.

Wisbech By-Election October 2014[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Steve Tierney 257 44.6
UKIP Andrew Hunt 201 34.9
Labour Kathy Dougall 79 13.7
Liberal Democrats Josie Ratcliffe 24 4.2
Independent Erbie Murat 15 2.6
Majority 56
Turnout 576
Conservative hold Swing

2019-2023
Lattersey By-Election 6 May 2021[31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jason Mockett 449 62.71
Labour Jes Hibbert 267 37.29
Majority 716
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. "Elections Explained". Fenland District Council. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  2. "Hansard". www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  3. "Result: Mayoral Referendum". Fenland Citizen. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  4. "Top of the rotten boroughs". www.cambstimes.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  5. "Fenland". BBC News Online. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  6. "Council minutes". Fenland District Council. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  7. Local elections in Britain: a statistical digest, edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher. 1993
  8. The Times reported this election result as Conservative 18, Labour 8, Independent 14. "Liberals capture Eastbourne and exceed ambition to win 1,000 loval government seats". The Times. 9 June 1973.
  9. "Heavy Labour losses in district polls". The Times. 8 May 1976.
  10. The Times reported this election result as Conservative 19, Labour 8, Liberal 4, SDP 2, Independent 7. "How votes were cast in local government elections". The Times. 7 May 1983.
  11. "Results in Thursday's local elections". The Times. 9 May 1987.
  12. The Times reported this election result as Conservative 28, Labour 6, Liberal Democrat 2, Independent 4. "Complete round-up of results from Thursday's local council elections". The Times. 4 May 1991.
  13. "Complete list of results from Thursday's council elections". The Times. 6 May 1995. p. 10.
  14. "How the Nations Voted". The Times. 8 May 1999.
  15. "Fenland". BBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  16. "Fenland". BBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  17. "Fenland". BBC News. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  18. "Fenland". BBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  19. "Fenland". BBC News. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  20. "Fenland". BBC News. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  21. "Comfortable winner Sears". Cambs Times. 10 February 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  22. Rory, Carroll (19 July 2006). "Election: Florence back on council". Fenland Citizen.
  23. "Convincing win for Conservatives". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. 12 April 2008.
  24. "Result of Poll Parson Drove and Wisbech St Mary Ward". Fenland District Council. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  25. "Tories keep it 39 out of 40 with decisive by election contest for Fenland District Council". The Cambs Times. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  26. "Declaration of Result - The Mills Ward of Fenland District Council". Fenland District Council. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  27. "Dave Patrick stuns Tories and wins Wisbech seat on Fenland District Council for Lib Dems". Wisbech Standard. 16 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  28. "Tories retain Staithe seat on Fenland Council despite 7% swing towards Labour". Wisbech Standard. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  29. "By-election". www.edp24.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  30. "Conservatives win". www.edp24.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  31. "2021 electiins". www.fenland.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
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