Lewes District Council elections

Lewes District Council in East Sussex, England is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2019, 41 councillors are elected from 21 wards.

Following the elections in May 2015, on 2 May 2019 and on 4 May 2023, the Council was composed as follows

YearConservativeLiberal DemocratGreen PartyIndependent LabourUKIP
2015241132 01
2019[1] 19 8 9 2 3 0
2023[2] 0 15 17 0 9 0

Political control

Since the first election to the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[3]

Party in controlYears
Conservative1973–1991
Liberal Democrats1991–2011
Conservative2011–2013
No overall control2013–2015
Conservative2015–2018
No overall control2018–present

The leaders of the council since 1999 have been:[4]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Ann De Vecchi Liberal DemocratsMay 19998 May 2011
Tony Nicholson Conservative25 May 201120 Feb 2012
James Page Conservative20 Feb 201226 Feb 2014
Rob Blackman Conservative26 Feb 2014Sep 2015
Andy Smith Conservative14 Oct 20155 May 2019
Isabelle Linington Conservative20 May 201915 Jul 2019
Zoe Nicholson Green15 Jul 201920 Jul 2020
James MacCleary Liberal Democrats20 Jul 202015 Jul 2021
Zoe Nicholson Green15 Jul 202118 Jul 2022
James MacCleary Liberal Democrats18 Jul 2022

Political parties

From its formation, until 2013, the council comprised mainly Conservative and Liberal Democrat or Liberal councillors, with a small number of independents and some Labour councillors at different points. However, in 2013 two Conservative members of the council crossed the floor and joined UKIP, giving the party its first Lewes District councillors. This also meant that the Conservatives lost control of the council, putting it in No overall control. In 2015, neither of the previous UKIP members were re-elected; however, a new UKIP District Councillor was elected to the council, and, for the first time in its history, three Green Party councillors.

2019 saw the Conservative Party return 19 councillors, and the Green Party increase their representation to nine councillors, becoming the second largest party, ahead of the Liberal Democrats, who managed eight. The Labour Party elected three councillors, and they were joined by two Independents.

However in 2021, one Green Party Councillor left the Green Party to join the Liberal Democrats on Lewes Council, making the Liberal Democrats the second largest party.[5] In 2022 the Labour Party gained a seat from the Conservatives in a by-election. Then, in the 2023 local elections for all 41 Council seats, the Conservatives and Independents lost all of their remaining seats of Lewes Council, leaving the Green Party as the largest group, the Liberal Democrats as the second largest group, and the Labour Party as the remaining group.

Council elections
  • 1973 Lewes District Council election
  • 1976 Lewes District Council election
  • 1979 Lewes District Council election
  • 1983 Lewes District Council election (New ward boundaries)[6]
  • 1987 Lewes District Council election
  • 1991 Lewes District Council election
  • 1995 Lewes District Council election (District boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)[7]
  • 1999 Lewes District Council election
  • 2003 Lewes District Council election (New ward boundaries reduced the number of seats by 7)[8][9]
  • 2007 Lewes District Council election
  • 2011 Lewes District Council election
  • 2015 Lewes District Council election
  • 2019 Lewes District Council election (New ward boundaries)

By-election results

1999-2003
Peacehaven North By-Election 6 December 2001
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 450 49.3 +10.1
Labour 293 32.1 +10.5
Liberal Democrats 169 18.5 -20.7
Majority 157 17.2
Turnout 912 16.3
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

2003-2007
Peacehaven North By-Election 15 December 2005[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chistopher Bishop 406 64.6 +12.7
Liberal Democrats Carla Butler 113 18.0 -12.0
Labour John Carden 109 17.4 -0.8
Majority 293 46.6
Turnout 628 18.2
Conservative hold Swing
Ouse Valley and Ringmer By-Election 17 August 2006[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Gardiner 715 43.7 +21.6
Conservative Paul Gander 521 31.8 +6.5
Seagulls Edward Bassford 359 21.9 +21.9
Labour Trevor Hopper 41 2.5 -10.7
Majority 194 12.9
Turnout 1,636 33.4
Liberal Democrats gain from Independent Swing

2015-2019
Lewes Bridge by-election 2 June 2016[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Will Elliott 543 44.6 +17.1
Green Johnny Denis 345 28.3 +7.7
Labour Richard Hurn 212 17.4 +1.3
Conservative Roy Burman 117 9.6 -2.4
Majority 198 16.3
Turnout 1,217
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Seaford West by-election 8 June 2017[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Liz Boorman 1,573 51.8 +6.6
Liberal Democrats Will Elliott 806 26.6 -0.5
Labour Barbara Hayes 363 12.0 +12.0
UKIP Eric Woodward 152 5.0 -14.2
Green Zoe Ford 141 4.6 -3.9
Majority 767 25.3
Turnout 3,035
Conservative hold Swing
Ouse Valley & Ringmer by-election 7 September 2017[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Johnny Denis 835 38.7 +22.3
Conservative Clare Herbert 660 30.6 +1.6
Liberal Democrats James Gardiner 457 21.2 -8.0
Labour Tim Telford 167 7.7 -4.4
UKIP Phil Howson 38 1.8 -11.5
Majority 175 8.1
Turnout 2,161 42
Green gain from Conservative Swing
Chailey and Wivelsfield by-election 2 July 2018[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nancy Bikson 563 53.6 +4.9
Liberal Democrats Marion Hughes 324 30.8 +5.0
Labour Nicholas Belcher 104 9.9 +9.9
Green Brenda Barnes 60 5.7 -6.4
Majority 239 22.7
Turnout 1,051
Conservative hold Swing

2019-2023
Seaford East by-election 6 May 2021[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Turner 820 47.5 +6.8
Green James Meek 452 26.2 +4.1
Liberal Democrats Pinky Adil 347 20.1 +20.1
Labour Ann Biddle 109 6.3 -10.2
Majority 368 21.3
Turnout 1,728
Conservative hold Swing
Seaford West by-election 6 May 2021[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Linda Wallraven 1,028 56.3 +9.9
Liberal Democrats Olivia Honeyman 401 22.0 +22.0
Green Gemma McFarlane 277 15.2 -19.0
Labour Chris Purser 120 6.6 -12.8
Majority 627 34.3
Turnout 1,826
Conservative hold Swing
Peacehaven West by-election 12 May 2022[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ciarron Clarkson 641 54.7 +54.7
Conservative Katie Sanderson 467 39.8 +13.8
Green Holly Atkins 32 2.7 -14.9
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Lee 32 2.7 -13.8
Majority 174 14.8
Turnout 1,172
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

References
  1. "Full Results Notice (Lewes District District Council) - 2 May 2019" (PDF). Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  2. "Full Results Notice (Lewes District District Council) - 4 May 2023" (PDF). Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  3. "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  4. "Council minutes". Lewes and Eastbourne Councils. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  5. "Council's mental health champion resigns from Lewes Green group". sussexexpress.co.uk. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  6. legislation.gov.uk - The District of Lewes (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1979. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.
  7. legislation.gov.uk - The East Sussex, West Sussex and Kent (County Boundaries) Order 1992. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.
  8. "Lewes". BBC Online. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  9. legislation.gov.uk - The District of Lewes (Electoral Changes) Order 2001. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
  10. "Lib Dem infighting sees mixed byelection results". guardian.co.uk. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  11. "By-election - Lewes District Council" (PDF). Lewes District Council. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  12. "Local Elections Archive Project — Lewes Bridge Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  13. "Local Elections Archive Project — Seaford West Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  14. "Result of poll" (PDF). Lewes District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  15. "Local Elections Archive Project — Chailey and Wivelsfield Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  16. "Local Elections Archive Project — Seaford East Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  17. "Local Elections Archive Project — Seaford West Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  18. "Local Elections Archive Project — Peacehaven West Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
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