2011 UK local government election
Map of the results of the 2011 Eastbourne Borough Council election. Liberal Democrats in yellow and Conservatives in blue. The 2011 Eastbourne Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Eastbourne Borough Council in East Sussex, England. The whole council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats stayed in overall control of the council.[ 1]
Background Before the election the Liberal Democrats controlled the council with 20 seats, compared to 7 for the Conservatives, after taking control at the 2007 election .[ 2] A total of 94 candidates stood for the 27 seats on the council being contested, while 10 sitting councillors stood down at the election, 8 Liberal Democrats and 2 Conservatives.[ 2] Important seats for control of the council were expected to be Old Town and Sovereign, as well as Hampden Park and Upperton.[ 2]
Local issues at the election included plans for the redevelopment of the town centre, which was supported across parties, and calls to improve Eastbourne's transport links.[ 3] However, with the Liberal Democrats in government nationally together with the Conservatives, national government decisions, such as the increase in tuition fees , were also an issue during the election.[ 3]
Election result The Liberal Democrats remained in control of the council with 15 seats, but lost 5 seats to the Conservatives.[ 4] [ 5] The Conservatives gained all 3 seats in Sovereign ward and also took the 2 seats the Liberal Democrats had been defending in Upperton.[ 5] This took the Conservatives to 12 councillors,[ 6] but the Liberal Democrats held on to all 3 seats in Old Town ward after a recount, to keep a 3-seat council majority.[ 5] Overall turnout at the election was 44.17%,[ 7] compared to 42.26% in 2007.[ 8]
Eastbourne local election result 2011[ 7] [ 9] Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/− Liberal Democrats 15 0 5 -5 55.6 39.4 13,341 -5.6 Conservative 12 5 0 +5 44.4 38.0 12,893 -0.5 Green 0 0 0 0 0.0 10.6 3,590 +1.7 Labour 0 0 0 0 0.0 10.4 3,515 +5.2 UKIP 0 0 0 0 0.0 1.2 404 -1.2 Independent 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.5 160 N/A
Ward results Devonshire (3 seats)[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Liberal Democrats Margaret Bannister 1,529 Liberal Democrats Neil Stanley 1,304 Liberal Democrats Steve Wallis 1,273 Conservative Margaret Parker 672 Conservative Sandra Elkin 666 Conservative Grant Sanders 580 Labour Steven Clark 412 Labour Richard Goude 345 Labour Jean Winstone 337 Green Linda Wintle 295 Green Bill Palethorpe 256 Independent Keith Gell 160 Turnout 7,829 34.5 +0.0 Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Hampden Park (3 seats)[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Liberal Democrats Pat Hearn 1,394 Liberal Democrats Jim Murray 1,266 Liberal Democrats Mike Thompson 1,225 Conservative Caroline Ansell 692 Conservative Kate Glover 672 Conservative Sam Chapman 643 Labour Dave Brinson 470 Labour Jake Lambert 418 Labour Gerry Stonestreet 344 Green Leslie Dalton 255 Green Ivor Hueting 220 Green Rob Sier 166 Turnout 7,765 40.1 +8.2 Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Langney (3 seats)[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Liberal Democrats Alan Shuttleworth 1,434 Liberal Democrats Harun Miah 1,328 Liberal Democrats Troy Tester 1,282 Conservative Tony Freebody 726 Conservative John Glover 720 Conservative Jan Jenkins 705 Labour Lee Comfort 278 Green Christine Quarrington 270 Labour Sean Meekings 258 Labour Roy Noble 218 Turnout 7,219 34.4 +0.4 Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Meads (3 seats)[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Barry Taylor 2,239 Conservative David Elkin 2,232 Conservative Nigel Goodyear 2,126 Liberal Democrats Tom Banner 797 Liberal Democrats Jean Fisher 766 Liberal Democrats Margaret Ticehurst 734 Green Harry Boys 414 Labour Jean Couture 411 UKIP Ian Cameron 404 Labour Dennis Scard 373 Green Dorothy Forsyth 361 Labour Manek Jaffer 349 Turnout 11,206 51.4 +3.5 Conservative hold Swing Conservative hold Swing Conservative hold Swing
Old Town (3 seats)[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Liberal Democrats Carolyn Heaps 2,432 Liberal Democrats Janet Coles 1,934 Liberal Democrats John Ungar 1,738 Conservative Anne Angel 1,726 Conservative Vivienne De Havilland-Geraghty 1,350 Conservative Danielle Perry 1,193 Green Pippa Oliphant 631 Labour Helen Key 418 Labour Paul Richards 374 Labour Sarah Richards 340 Turnout 12,136 53.4 −1.4 Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Ratton (3 seats)[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Colin Belsey 2,357 Conservative Sandie Howlett 2,076 Conservative Colin Murdoch 1,991 Liberal Democrats Linda Beckmann 999 Liberal Democrats Roger Howarth 984 Liberal Democrats Barbara Rodohan 908 Green Nancy Dalton 523 Labour Christopher Hall 471 Labour James Nolan 394 Labour Helen Sedgwick 360 Turnout 11,063 53.1 +4.8 Conservative hold Swing Conservative hold Swing Conservative hold Swing
St Anthony's (3 seats)[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Liberal Democrats David Tutt 2,169 Liberal Democrats Jon Harris 1,929 Liberal Democrats Gill Mattock 1,913 Conservative Nick Ansell 846 Conservative Simon Herbert 759 Conservative Robert Borland 752 Labour Jackie Ferguson 383 Labour David Salmon 348 Labour Ian Culshaw 332 Green Hugh Norris 287 Turnout 9,718 43.8 +2.5 Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Sovereign (3 seats)[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Philip Ede 1,904 Conservative Patrick Warner 1,767 Conservative Gordon Jenkins 1,745 Liberal Democrats Margaret Salsbury 1,193 Liberal Democrats Stephen Holt 1,169 Liberal Democrats Grace Loseby 1,106 Green Jocelyn McCarthy 488 Labour Sharon Wentworth 359 Turnout 9,731 40.6 +1.6 Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Upperton (3 seats)[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Tom Liddiard 1,731 Conservative Annabelle West 1,707 Conservative Alun Cooke 1,694 Liberal Democrats Alex Hough 1,394 Liberal Democrats Pat Rodohan 1,378 Liberal Democrats Hilary Lewis 1,324 Green Kenneth Webb 427 Labour Margaret Barr 313 Labour Lucette Davies 305 Labour Elizabeth Goude 304 Turnout 10,577 46.4 +0.1 Conservative hold Swing Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
By-elections between 2011 and 2015 A by-election was held in Meads on 31 May 2012 after the resignation of Conservative councillor Nigel Goodyear.[ 10] The seat was held for the Conservatives by Caroline Ansell with a majority of 1,318 votes over Liberal Democrat Gerard Thompson.[ 10]
Meads by-election 31 May 2012[ 10] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Conservative Caroline Ansell 1,783 59.6 +7.1 Liberal Democrats Gerard Thompson 465 15.5 −3.2 Labour Dennis Scard 323 10.8 +1.2 UKIP Ian Cameron 322 10.8 +1.3 Independent Keith Gell 100 3.3 +3.3 Majority 1,318 44.1 Turnout 2,993 39 −12 Conservative hold Swing
References ^ "England council elections". BBC News Online . 10 May 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011 . ^ a b c "Council elections: Follow our live blog for minute by minute coverage". Eastbourne Herald . 5 May 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011 . ^ a b Stewart, Louise (21 April 2011). "Eastbourne's local elections". BBC News Online . Retrieved 22 December 2011 . ^ Travers, Tony (7 May 2011). "Expert view Lib Dem collapse good news for Cameron". The Guardian . p. 5. ^ a b c "Eastbourne council elections results". Eastbourne Herald . 6 May 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011 . ^ "Liberal Democrats hold Eastbourne with cut majority". BBC News Online . 7 May 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011 . ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Election Results 2011". Eastbourne Borough Council. Retrieved 21 December 2011 . ^ "Election Results 2007". Eastbourne Borough Council. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011 . ^ "Local authority elections: England". The Guardian . 7 May 2011. p. 30. ^ a b c "Carolien wins Meads for Conservatives". Eastbourne Herald . 1 June 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2015 .