2023 Colchester City Council election

The 2023 Colchester City Council election is due to take place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Colchester City Council.[1] Seventeen members of the council are due to be elected, one from each of the wards. This set of seats were last up for election in 2019.

2023 Colchester City Council election
4 May 2023 (2023-05-04)
17 out of 51 seats to Colchester City Council
26 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
  Blank Blank
Leader Darius Laws Chris Pearson
Party Conservative Labour
Last election 19 seats, 34.5% 13 seats, 28.2%
Seats before 19 15
  Third party Fourth party
  Blank Blank
Leader Martin Goss Mark Goacher
Party Liberal Democrats Green
Last election 14 seats, 29.1% 3 seats, 8.3%
Seats before 15 2
Leader of the Council before election

David King
Liberal Democrats

 Leader of the Council after election

TBD

The Liberal Democrat–Labour–Green coalition will be defending their majority on the council.

Background

Following the results of the previous election, the Conservative–Independent coalition lost control of the council. On 17 May 2022, it was announced that negotiations between the Liberal Democrats, Labour, and the Green Party would result in a new three-party coalition that would run Colchester Borough Council throughout the 2022-2023 term.[2]

David King (Mile End), a Liberal Democrat, was subsequently elected leader of the council, replacing the defeated Paul Dundas (Stanway) of the Conservatives. A new Cabinet was formed consisting of four Liberal Democrats, three Labour, and one Green Party member.

Timeline

2022
  • May 30: Martin Leatherdale (Lexden & Braiswick) leaves the Conservative group to sit as an Independent before resigning several days later, triggering a by-election.[3][4]
  • July 28: A by-election is held in Lexden & Braiswick. Sara Naylor is elected for the Conservatives.[5]
  • September 28: Mark Goacher (Castle) leaves the Green group to sit as an Independent.[6][7]
  • October 20: Independent councillors Gerard Oxford (Highwoods) and Beverly Oxford (Highwoods) resign, triggering a double by-election.[8][9][10]
  • November 24: Colchester is granted City status, with Colchester Borough Council changing its name to Colchester City Council.[11]
  • December 8: A double by-election is held in Highwoods. Catherine Bickersteth (Labour) and Alison Jay (Liberal Democrats) are elected.
  • December 15: Steph Nissen (Castle), the leader of the Green group on the council, leaves the Green Party and defects to Labour. The same day, former Green and sitting Independent, Mark Goacher (Castle), announced he would rejoin the Green group that he had left several months previously.[12] He subsequently becomes leader of the Green group.

2023
  • March 2: Deputy Leader of the Council and Labour group leader, Adam Fox (Old Heath & The Hythe), annouces his intention to resign as Labour group leader and stand down as a councillor when his term expires in May 2023.[13]
  • March 8: Chris Pearson (Berechurch) is elected as Labour group leader.[14]
  • March 27: Notice of election published.
  • April 4: Candidate nominations close at 4pm.
  • April 5: Statement of Persons Nominated released.
  • April 17: Deadline to register to vote.
  • April 18: Deadline to register for a postal vote.
  • April 24: Deadline to register for a proxy vote.
  • May 4: Date of electon. Polling stations open between 7am and 10pm.

Summary

Candidates by party
Conservative Party (17/17)





Labour Party (17/17)





Liberal Democrats (17/17)





Green Party (17/17)





Reform UK (4/17)





Independent (3/17)





Election result
2023 Colchester City Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Conservative 13
  Labour 11
  Liberal Democrats 9
  Green 1
  Independent 0 N/A
  Reform UK 0 N/A

Incumbents
Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing
Berechurch Chris Pearson Labour Yes
Castle Mark Goacher Green Yes
Greenstead Tim Young Labour Yes
Highwoods Alison Jay[lower-alpha 1] Liberal Democrats Yes
Lexden & Braiswick Lewis Barber Conservative Yes
Marks Tey & Layer Andrew Ellis Conservative Yes
Mersea & Pyefleet Patricia Moore Conservative No
Mile End Phil Coleman Liberal Democrats No
New Town & Christ Church Sam McLean[lower-alpha 2] Labour Co-op Yes
Old Heath & The Hythe Adam Fox Labour Co-op No
Prettygate Leigh Tate[lower-alpha 3] Conservative Yes
Rural North Nigel Chapman Conservative No
Shrub End Sam McCarthy Liberal Democrats Yes
St. Anne's & St. John's Helen Chuah Liberal Democrats No
Stanway Lesley Scott-Boutell Liberal Democrats Yes
Tiptree Barbara Wood Conservative No
Wivenhoe Mark Cory Liberal Democrats Yes

Candidates

The Statement of Persons Nominated details the candidates standing in each ward. It was released on 5 April 2023.[15]

Incumbent councillors are marked with an asterisk *

Berechurch
Berechurch ward
Berechurch
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Amir Anbouche
Green John Clifton
Labour Chris Pearson*
Liberal Democrats Simon Collis
Reform UK Diane Baker N/A

Castle
Castle ward
Castle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Simon Crow
Green Mark Goacher*
Labour Charlie Jasper
Liberal Democrats Martin Gillingham

Greenstead
Greenstead ward
Greenstead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Crees
Green Lisa Cross
Labour Tim Young*
Liberal Democrats Chantelle-Louise Whyborn
Reform UK Kevin Blair N/A

Highwoods
Highwoods ward
Highwoods
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Linghorn-Baker
Green Ryan Meadows N/A
Labour Pauline Bacon
Liberal Democrats Alison Jay*

Lexden & Braiswick
Lexden & Braiswick ward
Lexden & Braiswick
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lewis Barber*
Green Roger Bamforth
Labour Sarah Bruce
Liberal Democrats Thomas Stevenson

Marks Tey & Layer
Marks Tey & Layer ward
Marks Tey & Layer
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Ellis*
Green Amy Sheridan
Labour John Spademan
Liberal Democrats Lydia De-Col

Mersea & Pyefleet
Mersea & Pyefleet ward
Mersea & Pyefleet
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Carl Powling
Green Libby Kirkby-Taylor N/A
Independent John Akker N/A
Labour William Hayton
Liberal Democrats John Knight
Reform UK Sophie Preston-Hall N/A

Mile End
Mile End ward
Mile End
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Phoebe Butcher
Green Amanda Kirke
Labour James Pey
Liberal Democrats Venessa Moffat

New Town & Christ Church
New Town & Christ Church ward
New Town & Christ Church
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Piggott
Green Bob Brannan
Independent Ian Partridge N/A
Labour Co-op Sam McLean*
Liberal Democrats Catherine Spindler

Old Heath & The Hythe
Old Heath & The Hythe ward
Old Heath & The Hythe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Martin
Green Andrew Canessa
Independent Jeffrey Drew N/A
Labour Fay Smalls
Liberal Democrats Shaun Boughton

Prettygate
Prettygate ward
Prettygate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Leigh Tate*
Green Natalie Edgoose
Labour Richard Bourne
Liberal Democrats John Loxley

Rural North
Rural North ward
Rural North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Rowe
Green John Burgess
Labour Barbara Nichols
Liberal Democrats Karen Maxwell

Shrub End
Shrub End ward
Shrub End
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Angela Linghorn-Baker
Green Sara Ruth N/A
Labour Luke Hayes
Liberal Democrats Sam McCarthy*

St. Anne's & St. John's
St. Anne's & St. John's ward
St. Anne's & St. John's
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rowan Knight
Green Sebastian Dwyer N/A
Labour Abigail Chambers
Liberal Democrats Natalie Sommers

Stanway
Stanway ward
Stanway
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Janice Seabrook
Green Pam Nelson N/A
Labour Ian Yates
Liberal Democrats Lesley Scott-Boutell*

Tiptree
Tiptree ward
Tiptree
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Dundas
Green Clare Burgess
Labour Elizabeth Holford
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Stevens
Reform UK Ashley Girling N/A

Wivenhoe
Wivenhoe ward
Wivenhoe
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Higginson
Green Jo Wheatley
Labour Heather Lowe
Liberal Democrats Mark Cory*

References
  1. "Election timetables for scheduled local government elections in England". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  2. "Colchester Council to be run by three party coalition". Daniel Rees. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  3. "Colchester councillor Martin Leatherdale becomes Independent". Viktoria Yordanova. Colchester Gazette. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  4. "Colchester councillor confirms resignation just weeks after election". Tom Dalby. Colchester Gazette. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  5. "2022 - Lexden and Braiswick Ward election - 28 July". Colchester City Council. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  6. "Councillor Mark Goacher - Party Representation History". Colchester Borough Council. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  7. "Colchester Green Mark Goacher steps down from local party". Lewis Adams. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  8. "Gerard and Beverley Oxford resign from Colchester Council". Lewis Adams. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  9. "Councillor vacancy for Highwoods ward". Colchester Borough Council. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  10. "Notice of Election Highwoods". Colchester Borough Council. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  11. "Colchester, Britain's oldest town, becomes its newest city". ITV News. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  12. "Colchester Green Party leader defects and councillor returns". Lewis Adams. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  13. "Deputy leader of Colchester Council Adam Fox to leave role". Elliot Deady. Colchester Gazette. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  14. "Colchester City Labour Group unveils new leader". George King. Colchester Gazette. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  15. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Colchester City Council. Retrieved 5 April 2023.

Notes
  1. Elected at the 2022 Highwoods by-election.
  2. Elected at the 2022 New Town & Christ Church by-election.
  3. Elected at the 2021 Prettygate by-election.
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