Local elections 2023: Future of the leadership of West Norfolk Council is up in the air
The future of the leadership of West Norfolk Council is up in the air after a dramatic day of election results.
The ruling Conservative group took only 21 seats from yesterday’s election whereas 28 seats were needed for a majority win.
The Independent group took 18 seats and was followed by Labour, with 11 seats.
Current leader of the council Stuart Dark said: “It’s been a long day for everybody, obviously we knew from the national posistion from the results overnight that it would be a challenging day and that’s been shown around Norfolk and the country.
“I think from our perspective, we as a local borough council can be proud of what we’ve done over the past four years for West Norfolk. Quite clearly the national position impacted on us here.
“The public has spoken and the public is always right. We’ve lost a number of good councillors, but we’ve still got 21 Conservative councillors which makes us the largest group on the council so over the next few days we’ll work towards what will happen next.”
Two more Liberal Democrats joined the council, meaning there is a total of three and the Green Party now has two seats.
A coalition will need to be formed.
And, many areas have seen an average fall in the turnout of voters.
Labour leader Charles Joyce said: “It could have been much better for the Labour Party but it could have been a lot worse and we’re looking to be the kingmaker which means at some stage we will try and do a deal.
“But first of all we have to get the agreement of the Labour Party central office.”
The results are:
Walsoken, West Walton & Walpole Ward (two seats): Julian Kirk and Richard Blunt – Conservative
Richard Blunt received 659 votes and Julian Kirk gained 706.
They won against Independent James Whittaker who gained 425 votes and Labour’s Simon Pick who had 277.
The Woottons Ward (three seats): Paul Bland and Simon Ring – Independents and Richard Coates – Conservative
Paul Bland received a total of 1,039 votes, Simon Ring received 953 votes and Richard Coates secured 842 votes.
Conservative’s Graham Middleton, who was a cabinet member, lost his seat with a total of 806 votes.
Labour’s Peter Smith gained 633 votes and Greville Lord Howard of Rising had 781 votes.
Gayton & Grimston Ward (two seats): Michael De Whalley – Green and Anota Bal – Independent
Micheal De Whalley keeps his seat and gained 732 votes and said that he was “confident in being re-elected.”
He’s joined by Anota Bal who secured 681 votes.
Conservative Sue Fraser received 548 votes.
Gaywood North Ward (three seats): Rob Colwell and David Sayers – Liberal Democrat and Sandra Elizabeth Collop – Labour
Rob Colwell received a total of 685 votes and David Sayers secured a total of 543 votes.
Sandra Collop received a total of 504 votes.
John Peter Crofts, Liberal Democrat, gained 492 votes, Helen Patricia Dalgliesh, Labour, had 428 votes.
Vicky Holly Fairweather, Green Party, obtained 207 votes, Wilf Lambert, Labour, gained 404 votes and Philip Anthony Trask, Conservative, received 384 votes.
Springwood Ward (one seat): Jo Rust – Independent
She said: “I’m really happy that my local residents, the ones I’ve been supporting for the last four years have put their faith in me again and I can’t wait to start doing work to improve our environment even more.
“I’m over the moon, to get some more play equipment in and just carry on serving residents with the things that they need.”
Conservative’s Richard Parr received 196 votes and Labour’s Richard Johnson gained 155 votes.
Upwell & Delph Ward (two seats): Colin Rose – Independent and Vivienne Spikings – Conservative
Conservatives Vivienne Spikings gained a total of 614 votes and Colin Rose obtained a total of 561 votes.
They both remain in their seats and there was a turnout of 26%.
In the same area, Liberal Democrat’s Graham Dent gained 525 votes and Conservative’s Gina Wise received 507 votes.
Terrington Ward (two seats): Paul Kunes – Conservative and Sandra Squire – Independent
Paul Kunes gained a total of 591 votes and Independent’s Sandra Squire obtained 515 votes.
Labour’s Matt Hannay had a total of 350 votes and Conservative’s Remi Clark gained a total of 439 votes.
There was a 24% turnout in voters.
Fairstead Ward (two seats): Margaret Wilkinson and Steve Everett – Labour
Current deputy mayor Margaret Wilkinson received a total of 368 votes, with Steve Eeverett obtaining 330 votes.
Conservative’s Andrew Wilson had 262 votes and Green Party’s Joel Blackmur had 175 votes.
There was a 16.8% turnout of voters.
Massingham with Castle Acre Ward (one seat): Alistair Beales – Independent
Alistair Beales gained 569 votes and was against Conservative’s Timothy Mark Tilbrook who had 308 votes.
There was a 37% turnout for Massingham with Castle Acre Ward.
Gaywood Chase Ward (one seat): Joshua Lowe – Labour
It was the eighth Labour win so far, with Joshua Lowe receiving 227 votes.
He was the former councillor of Gaywood North Bank ward and won against Independent Rick Morrish who received 134 votes and Conservative’s Liam Hind who gained 120 votes.
Burnham Market & Docking Ward (one seat): Samantha Sandell – Conservative
Samantha Sandell received a total of 518 votes, compared to 252 from Labour’s Ken Hubbard.
There was a turnout of 38%.
Bircham with Rudhams Ward (one seat): Chris Morley – Independent
Chris Morley remains in his seat and received a total of 503 votes.
Conservative’s Michael John Baylis Chenery of Horsbrugh received 306 votes.
There was a turnout of 27%.
North Lynn Ward (two seats): Ben Jones and Micaela Bartrum – Labour
It was a Labour win for North Lynn with Micaela Batrum receiving 329 votes and Ben Jones gaining 355 votes.
Conservative’s Bill Cox received 155 votes.
Denver Ward (one seat): Peter Hodson – Conservative
It was a Conservative win for Denver with Peter Hodson taking over from Independent Alan Holmes who previously served.
Peter Hodson received 311 votes and Alan Holmes received 293 votes.
Denver had a turnout of 31%.
Hunstanton Ward (two seats): Angie Dickinson – Conservative and Paul Beal – Independent
Angie Dickinson received a total of 609 votes and Paul Beal obtained 522 votes.
They both remain in their seats and Hunstanton had a turnout of 39%.
They were up against Labour’s Mark Fuchter who gained 361 votes, Conservative’s Howard Johnston who received 510 votes, Independent David Nice who had 436 votes and Labour’s Ed Robb who got 256 votes.
Dersingham Ward (two seats): Judith Collingham and Tony Bubb – Conservative
Judith Collingham received a total of 828 votes and was followed closely by Tony Bubb who got 813 votes.
They won against Green Party’s Jordan Stokes who received 511 votes, Labours Richard Pennington who gained 456 votes and Independent John Houston who had 437.
Heacham Ward (two seats): Terry Parish – Independent and Andrew Jamieson – Conservative
Terry Parish received a total of 1,006 votes and Andrew Jamieson obtained 494 votes.
In Heacham’s Ward, Conservative’s Michael Jackson received 393 votes and Labour’s Michelle Carter got 463.
Feltwell Ward (two seats): Martin Storey and Adrian Lawrence – Conservative
Both Conservatives keep their seats on Feltwell ward, with Martin Storey receiving 550 votes and Adrian Lawrence gaining 447 votes.
They won against Heritage Party’s Gary Conway, who received 98 votes along with Labour’s Phil Davies who had 302 votes and Independent Terry Hipsey who gained 373 votes.
Airfield Ward (two seats): Jim Moriarty – Independent and Pallavi Devulapalli – Green
Jim Moriarty said: “It was an amazing result for the Independent party and the Greens, I’m very pleased and thankful to the people of Airfield Ward.”
Jim Moriarty recieved 784 votes and Pallavi Devulapalli obtained 455 votes.
Pallavi Devulapalli added: “We want to make the council more democratic, we feel that people are shut out of politics and that’s not how it should be.
“We want more green spaces, better healthcare and more access to spaces where people can be healthy.”
They won against Independent Micheal Howland who gained 326 votes and Conservatives Graham Philpot who received 357 votes.
Old Downham Town Ward (one seat): Joshua Osbourne – Labour
Labour’s Joshua Osbourne received a total of 301 votes and won against Conservative’s Barry Hobbs who had 194 votes and Independent’s Zara Hipsey with 155.
Downham Old Town had a turnout of 29%.
North Downham Ward (one seat): Andy Bullen – Independent
Independent Andy Bullen received a total of 207 votes and beat Conservative’s Matthew Saywer who got 176 votes.
He also beat Labour’s Eamonn McCusker who got 119 votes along with Independent Barry Whiles who received 166 votes.
St Margaret's with St Nicholas Ward (two seats): Francis Bone and Deborah Heneghan – Labour
Francis Bone remains in his seat after gaining 373 votes and is joined by Deborab Heneghan who gained 299 votes.
Green Party’s Claire Archer received 206 votes and Rob Archer obtained 250 votes.
Conservative’s Josh Maddocks had 225 votes and Tony Wright got 211.
Independent Andrew Williams received 116 votes.
Methwold ward (one seat): Tom Ryves - Independent
A total of 370 people voted for Tom Ryves, with Methwold having 27% turnout.
Conservative’s Mick Peake received a total of 221 votes.
Wissey ward (one seat): Sue Lintern – Independent
A total of 465 people voted for Sue Lintern, meaning she will take over from Conservative’s Colin Talbot Sampson who received 270 votes.
There was a voting turnout of 34% and one vote was uncounted for.
East Downham ward (one seat): Josie Ratcliffe – Liberal Democrat
Josie Ratcliffe won against Conservative’s Tony White after receiving a total of 310 votes, with 158 people voting for White.
There was a 23% turnout in East Downham, with three votes being uncounted for.
South Downham Ward (one seat): Don Tyler - Conservative
Don Tyler remains in his seat after receiving 278 votes.
Independent Steve Moyses received 195 votes, Liberal Democrat’s Elaine Heath got 166 votes and 109 people voted for Labour’s Heather Fouracre.
South Downham had a turnout of 37%.
Gaywood Clock ward (one seat): Alex Ware - Labour
Alex Ware remains in her seat at Gaywood Clock ward after receiving 263 votes over Conservative’s Mike Roberts who had 118.
Tilney, Mershe Lande & Wiggenhall Ward (two seats): Barry Ayres and Brian Long - Conservative
Both Conservatives remain in their seats with Barry Ayres receiving 524 votes and Brian Long gaining 517 votes.
Independent Ashley Collins received a total of 400 votes and Labour’s Niall Haigh obtained 357 votes.
South and West Lynn Ward (two seats): Alexandra Kemp - Independent and Charles Joyce - Labour
Alexandra Kemp recieved a total of 481 and will serve alongside Labours Charles Joyce who obtained 357 votes.
Both will remain in their posts as councillors.
“We work well together,” said Cllr Kemp, who has been elected for the past 11 years.
“We’ve got a lot to get done, repairs for social housing, we want to make sure that we build a new doctor’s surgery on Nar Ouse Way which is really important for the community.
“These are the things we need to see, lots of improvement.”
Other contenders included Conservative’s Rosalie Costin with 124 votes and David Costin with 121 votes.
Labour’s John Wheatley received 161 votes.
The turnout was 20.7%.
West Winch: Thomas Barclay – Conservative and Simon Nash – Independent
Thomas Barclay received a total of 422 votes and will serve alongside Simon Nash who obtained 407 votes.
Mr Nash said: “It was very satisfying, I want to provide transparency and accountability and to make sure the constitution and the law is followed.”
Other candidates included Peter Gidney (Independent) with 320 votes, Labour’s Christopher Heneghan with 238 votes, Independent Benjamin Lemmon with 390 votes and Conservative’s Olivia Morris receiving 370 votes.
Clenchwarton (one seat): Steven David Bearshaw - Independent
Steven Bearshaw received 443 votes over Conservative’s David Whitby who had 249 votes, meaning he has lost his seat.
There was a turnout of 30% with one uncounted vote.
Brancaster ward (one seat): Tom de Winton - Conservative
Tom De Winton received a total of 421 votes compared to Independent’s Bob Lawton, who received 319 votes.
There was a turnout of 38%, compared to 41.5% previously.
Emneth and Outwell ward (Two seats): Chris Crofts – Conservative and Harry Arthur Sidney Humphrey – Conservative
Both Conservatives remained in their seats as councillors, with Chris Crofts receiving 517 votes and Harry Arthur Sidney Humphrey obtaining 437 votes.
Independants Yvonne Howard had 417 votes and Earl Elvis of Outwell of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party recieved 188 votes.
Four votes were not counted for and there was a turnout of 22.9%.
Snettisham Ward (One seat): Stuart Dark- Conservative
Previously serving for Heacham ward, Stuart Dark will now represent Snettisham after receiving 413 votes in his favour in a 36% turnout.
Labour’s Lesley Marriage received a total of 145 and Independent candidate Avril Pauline Wright gained 241 votes.
The turnout of voters was comparable to last year in the Snettisham ward, with 37.49% of voters taking part in 2022.
Below are all of the candidates for this year’s elections:
Key: C – Conservative, G – Green, I – Independent, L – Labour, LD – Liberal Democrats, OMRLP – Official Monster Raving Loony Party, HP – Heritage Party – Freedom. Family. Nation, none given (NG) *Denotes sitting councillor **Denotes sitting councillor running in a separate seat
West Norfolk
One ward – Watlington – was uncontested, meaning that Independent councillor Jim Bhondi has been immediately elected.
Airfield: Pallavi Devulapalli (G), Michael Howland* (I), Jim Moriarty** (I), Graham Philpot (C)
Bircham with Rudhams: Michael Chenery of Horsbrugh (C), Chris Morley* (I)
Brancaster: Tom De Winton (C), Bob Lawton* (I)
Burnham Market & Docking Ward: Ken Hubbard (L), Samantha Sandell* (C)
Clenchwarton: Steven Bearshaw (I), David Whitby* (C)
Denver: Peter Hodson (C), Alan Holmes* (LD)
Dersingham: Tony Bubb* (C), Judith Collingham* (C), John Houston (I), Richard Pennington (L), Jordan Stokes (G)
Downham Old Town: Zara Hipsey (I), Barry Hobbs (C), Joshua Osborne (L)
East Downham: Josie Ratcliffe* (LD), Tony White (C)
Emneth & Outwell: Chris Crofts* (C), Yvonne Howard (I), Harry Humphrey* (C), Earl Elvis of Outwell (OMRLP)
Fairstead: Joel Blackmur (G), Steve Everett (L), Margaret Wilkinson* (L), Andrew Wilson (C)
Feltwell: Gary Conway (HP), Phil Davies (L), Terry Hipsey (I), Adrian Lawrence (C), Martin Storey* (C)
Gayton & Grimston: Bal Anota (I), Andrew Michael de Whalley* (G), Sue Fraser (C)
Gaywood Chase: Liam Hind (C), Joshua Lowe (L), Rick Morrish (I)
Gaywood Clock: Mike Roberts (C), Alex Ware* (L)
Gaywood North Bank: Michael Baldwin (C), Sandra Collop* (L), Rob Colwell (LD), John Crofts (LD), Helen Dalgliesh (L), Vicky Fairweather (G), Wilf Lambert (L), David Sayers (LD), Philip Trask (C)
Heacham: Michelle Carter (L), Michael Jackson (C), Andrew Jamieson (C), Terry Parish* (I)
Hunstanton: Paul Beal* (I), Angie Dickinson** (C), Mark Fuchter (L), Howard Johnston (C), David Nice (I), Ed Robb (L)
Massingham with Castle Acre: Alistair Beales (I), Timothy Tilbrook (C)
Methwold: Mick Peake (C), Tom Ryves* (I)
North Downham: Andy Bullen*(I), Eamonn McCusker (L), Matthew Sawyer (C), Barrie Wiles (I)
North Lynn: Micaela Bartrum (L), Bill Cox (C), Ben Jones* (L)
Snettisham: Stuart Dark**(C), Lesley Marriage (L), Avril Wright (I)
South & West Lynn: David Costin (C), Rosalie Costin (C), Charles Joyce* (L), Alexandra Kemp* (I), John Wheatley (L)
South Downham: Heather Fouracre (L), Elaine Heath (LD), Steve Moyses (I), Don Tyler* (C)
Springwood: Richard Johnson (L), Richard Parr (C), Jo Rust* (I)
St Margaret’s with St Nicholas: Claire Archer (G), Rob Archer (G), Francis Bone* (L), Deborah Heneghan (L), Andrew Williams (I), Tony Wright (C)
Terrington: Remi Clark (C), Matt Hannay (L), Paul Kunes* (C) Sandra Squire* (I)
The Woottons: Paul Bland (I), Richard Coates (C), Greville Lord Howard Of Rising* (C), Graham Middleton* (C), Simon Ring (I), Peter Smith (L)
Tilney, Mershe Lande & Wiggenhall: Barry Ayres* (C), Ashley Collins (I), Niall Haigh (L), Brian Long* (C)
Upwell & Delph: Graham Dent (LD), Colin Rose* (I), Vivienne Spikings* (C), Gina Wise (C)
Walsoken, West Walton & Walpole: Richard Blunt* (C), Julian Kirk* (C), Simon Pick (L), James Whitaker (I)
West Winch: Thomas Barclay (C), Peter Gidney* (I), Christopher Heneghan (L), Benjamin Lemmon (I), Olivia Morris (C), Simon Nash* (I)
Wissey: Sue Lintern (I), Colin Sampson* (C)
North Norfolk District Council
The Raynhams: Evie-May Ellis (LD), Vincent FitzPatrick (I), Nigel Housden* (I), Julia Marozzi (C), Christopher Rowe (L), Ritchie Tennant (G)
Walsingham: Adam Coombes (L), Tom FitzPatrick* (C), Ashley Perks (LD)
Wells with Holkham: Michael Dalby (C), Peter Fisher* (LD), Phil Harris (L)
Breckland
Ashill: Fabian Eagle* (C), Nicola Newell (L), Anne Rix (G)
Bedingfeld: Ruth Hargreaves (I), Doug Jefferson (L), Ian Sherwood** (C)
Forest: Sam Chapman-Allen* (C), Robert Kybird* (C) Viola Ross-Smith (L), Matthew Stirrup (L)
Hermitage: John Barnard (L), Robert Hambidge* (C), Mitchell Thurbon (LD)
Launditch: Mark Kiddle-Morris* (C), Paul Siegert (L), Matthew Weatherill (LD)
Nar Valley: Peter Wilkinson* (C), Cliff Wilson (L)
Necton: Joe Sisto (L), Nigel Wilkin* (C)
Swaffham: Judy Anscombe (I), Paul Darby (C), Jacob Morton (C), Leanne Smart (C), Bob Wade (I), David Wickerson* (I)
