2019 Breckland District Council election

The 2019 Breckland District Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of Breckland District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The boundaries for this election were the same as those used in 2015.

2019 Breckland District Council election

← 2015 2 May 2019 2023 →

All 49 council seats
26 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
  Blank Blank Blank
Party Conservative Labour Independent
Last election 42 2 1
Seats won 37 6 4
Seat change -5 +4 +3

  Fourth party Fifth party
  Blank Blank
Party Green UKIP
Last election 0 4
Seats won 2 0
Seat change +2 -4

Map of the 2019 election results. For vote leaders in the split wards, see the full results section.

Party before election

Conservative

Elected Party

Conservative

The Conservative Party held the council with a very large majority, losing one seat to the Green Party (who also won an independent seat and thereby gained their first ever seats in the district) and three to independent candidates, though they gained one seat from UKIP. UKIP lost all four of its seats, with the remaining three being taken by the Labour Party, which became the second largest party on the council with six seats.

Summary

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Election result

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2019 Breckland District Council election
Party Candidates Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 47 37 1 6   5 75.5 58.3 28,126 +11.5
  Labour 31 6 4 0   4 12.2 21.2 10,247 +2.3
  Independent 8 4 3 0   3 8.2 11.1 5,346 +6.1
  Green 7 2 2 0   2 4.1 7.1 3,410 +0.5
  UKIP 2 0 0 4   4 0.0 1.3 630 –20.6
  Liberal Democrats 1 0 0 0   0.0 1.1 521 +0.2

Total votes cast: 48,280.

In addition to the elections, a referendum was held on the Swaffham neighbourhood plan. This passed 1,572 votes in favour (81.5%) to 334 votes against (18.5%). 1,930 ballot papers were issued and the turnout was 30.5%.

Breckland Politics 2015-2019

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After the 2015 election, 42 councillors were Conservatives, 4 were UKIP, 2 Labour, and 1 independent. This had changed by 2015 in the following ways:

Party Seats (2015 election) Seats (April 2019)
Conservative 42 38
UKIP 4 3
Labour 2 3
Independent 1 3
Ind. Unionist 0 1
Total 49 48

The Conservatives retained control of the council with a sizeable majority throughout this period, despite losing four councillors. The changes were caused by three defections or resignations from the Conservative group, one seat change in a by-election, and one death shortly before the 2019 election. Two Conservative councillors left to sit as independents. One was Pablo Dimoglou of Mattishall, who resigned after accusing Council leader William Nunn of an undisclosed connection to the ownership of a local golf club in which the council had invested, before apologising for the allegation and resigning from the group; the other was Thomas Monument of Dereham Withburga, who was found guilty of assault after head-butting and punching an ex girlfriend.[1][2] One Conservative (John Rogers of Saham Toney) left to sit as a Unionist. There was also a Labour gain from the Conservatives in a by-election in the Thetford Priory ward in September 2017.[3] A UKIP councillor, John Newton of Castle Ward in, died in January 2019; his seat was not filled by a by-election due to the close proximity of this election.[4]

There were also a number of Conservative holds in by-elections: Attleborough Queens & Besthorpe in 2016, and Harling & Heathlands and Saham Toney in 2017.

In the run-up to the 2019 election, the parties nominated a variable number of candidates. The Conservatives again by a wide margin nominated the most candidates, this time nominating one fewer than in 2015 and thus failing to contest just two of the 49 council seats. The Labour Party nominated 31 candidates, up from a previous 25, being the only party to significantly increase their candidate total. This was a major factor in far fewer wards being uncontested than in 2015. There were also more independent candidates, a total of eight, up from a previous total of three. The Green party meanwhile nominated two fewer candidates; the largest drop in candidate numbers was seen by UKIP, who having stood eighteen candidates previously now only stood two. The Liberal Democrats further decreased their number of candidates from two to one.

Conservative Party (47/49)





Labour Party (31/49)





Independent (8/49)





Green Party (7/49)





UKIP (2/49)





Liberal Democrats (1/49)





Unlike in 2015, none of the council's 27 wards were uncontested.

Full results by ward

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All Saints & Wayland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sarah Elizabeth Suggitt 983 64.2
Conservative Phil Cowen 971 63.5
Labour Irene Macdonald 384 25.1
Labour Joseph Dickerson 383 25.0
Majority
Turnout 1614 32.38
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Ashill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Fabian Royston Eagle 513 64.8 +14.0
Green Anne Patricia Melba Rix 179 22.6 +6.7
Labour James Gornall 100 12.6 +12.6
Majority
Turnout 814 37.39
Conservative hold Swing
Attleborough Burgh & Havercroft (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Martin 563 51.0
Independent Taila Taylor 462 41.8
Conservative Adrian Charles Stasiak 428 38.7
Labour Timothy Clarke 247 22.4
Labour Peter Panayi 167 15.1
Majority
Turnout 1151 28.85
Conservative hold Swing
Independent gain from Conservative Swing
Attleborough Queens & Besthorpe (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Vera Julia Dale 712 54.1
Conservative Tristan John Ashby 593 45.1
Conservative Oliver Rhodri 578 44.0
Independent Anthony Crouch 526 40.0
Labour Phil Spiby 393 29.9
Majority
Turnout 1333 24.51
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

Note: Anthony Crouch also contested this seat for UKIP in 2015, getting 23.1% on that occasion.

Bedingfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mike Nairn 483 74.3
Labour Natasha Morgan 167 25.7
Majority
Turnout 709 29.59
Conservative hold Swing
The Buckenhams and Banham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen Askew 458 54.9
Green Jan Prior 270 32.4
Labour Chrissie Nebbett 106 12.7
Majority
Turnout 843 33.10
Conservative hold Swing
Dereham Neatherd (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Philip Neil Morton 837 52.9
Conservative Alison Mary Webb 834 52.7
Conservative Linda Helen Monument 821 51.9
Conservative William Robert James Richmond 750 47.4
Majority
Turnout
Green gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Dereham Toftwood (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip James Duigan 556 51.8
Conservative Hilary Bushell 541 50.4
Labour Chris Bunting 470 43.8
Labour Kendra Cogman 397 37.0
Majority
Turnout 1129 25.91
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Dereham Withburga (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Clarke 455 44.9
Conservative Kay Elizabeth Grey 401 39.5
Labour Amy-Jane Brooks 383 37.8
Independent Thomas Monument 376 37.1
Majority
Turnout 1035 23.45
Labour hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Forest (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Samuel Hayden Chapman-Allen 459 70.7
Conservative Robert George Kybird 394 60.7
Labour David Hodgkinson 168 25.9
Majority
Turnout 692 31.07
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Guiltcross
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Marion Penelope Chapman-Allen 584 67.7
Labour James Waters 279 32.3
Majority
Turnout 907 36.78
Conservative hold Swing
Harling and Heathlands
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Nunn 535 71.5
Labour Liz Bernard 213 28.5
Majority
Turnout 785 30.76
Conservative hold Swing
Hermitage
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Trevor Richard Carter 561 71.3
Labour Dawn Karen Fairbrother 226 28.7
Majority
Turnout 828 37.13
Conservative hold Swing
Launditch
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Kiddle-Morris 472 73.5
Labour Mike Hirst 170 26.5
Majority
Turnout 690 33.81
Conservative hold Swing
Lincoln (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Roger David Atterwill 732 49.6
Conservative Richard William Duffield 696 47.2
Conservative Robert Ramsay Richmond 619 42.0
Green Henry Johnson 421 28.5
Majority
Turnout 1498 35.59
Independent gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Mattishall (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Robert Martin 931 54.5
Conservative Paul Donald Claussen 894 52.3
Independent Pablo Martin Marino Dimoglou 556 32.5
Labour Elizabeth Hunton 508 29.7
Majority
Turnout 1743 39.72
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Nar Valley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Samuel Wilkinson 496 74.6
Labour Vic Peters 169 25.4
Majority
Turnout 702 31.95
Conservative hold Swing
Necton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nigel Charles Wilkin 445 61.4
Labour Joe Sisto 280 38.6
Majority
Turnout 756 35.59
Conservative hold Swing
Saham Toney (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Timothy Edward Birt 525 52.3
Conservative Helen Susan Crane 522 52.0
Conservative Theresa Ruth Hewett 469 46.8
Majority
Turnout 1020 25.77
Green gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Shipdham With Scarning (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Jonathan Hewett 645 62.7
Conservative Lynda Susan Turner 579 56.3
Labour Linda Goreham 364 35.4
Majority
Turnout 1085 25.26
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Swaffham (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent David Sydney Wickerson 1,187 54.9
Conservative Ed Colman 946 43.8
Conservative Ian Sherwood 876 40.5
Conservative Paul Darby 833 38.5
Labour Joanna Navarre 608 28.1
Labour John Zielinski 511 23.6
Majority
Turnout 2199 34.55
Independent gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Thetford Boudica (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Steven Robinson 419 54.1
Labour Stuart David Terry 360 46.5
Conservative Lesley Elizabeth Polley 335 43.2
Majority
Turnout 823 23.04
Conservative hold Swing
Labour gain from UKIP Swing
Thetford Burrell (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Terry Jermy 507 47.3
Labour Chris Harvey 400 37.3
UKIP Denis Melvin Crawford 236 22.0
Independent Carla Barreto 233 21.8
Conservative Mia Browne 205 19.1
Conservative Jason Allan Smith 188 17.6
Majority
Turnout 1092 26.21
Labour hold Swing
Labour gain from UKIP Swing
Thetford Castle (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roy Brame 467 50.7
Conservative Jane Lilian James 441 47.9
Labour David Curzon-Berners 336 36.5
Labour Toby Stokes 310 33.7
Majority
Turnout 1012 23.95
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative gain from UKIP Swing
Thetford Priory (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mike Brindle 489 44.8
Labour Susan Dowling 410 37.5
UKIP Mark Petrie Taylor 394 36.1
Conservative G.J. Bamber 243 22.3
Conservative David Edward Hills 227 20.8
Majority
Turnout
Labour gain from UKIP Swing
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Upper Wensum (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stanley Gordon Bambridge 885 52.7
Conservative William Patrick Borrett 873 52.0
Green Jane Keidan-Cooper 635 37.8
Liberal Democrats Mark Foley 521 31.0
Majority
Turnout 1712 34.56
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Watton (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Keith Stephen Gilbert 1,274 69.6
Conservative Tina Kiddell 897 49.0
Conservative Claire Rosemary Bowes 805 44.0
Green Peter Kevin Bate 543 29.7
Labour Keith David Prince 287 15.7
Majority
Turnout 1854 29.63
Independent hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

By-elections

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Hermitage

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Hermitage: 2 December 2021
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Hambidge 243 45.0 −26.3
Liberal Democrats James Minto 221 40.9 N/A
Labour Paul Siegert 66 12.2 −16.5
Workers Party Graeme Briggs-White 10 1.9 N/A
Majority 22 4.1
Turnout 542 23.4
Conservative hold Swing  33.6

Thetford Boudica

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Thetford Boudica: 14 July 2022
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Terry Land 398 51.0 +4.7
Conservative Mac Macdonald 383 49.0 −4.7
Majority 15 2.0
Turnout 788 21.7
Labour gain from Conservative Swing  4.7

References

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  1. ^ "Councillor who questioned leader about alleged 'connection' to £8m golf club resigns from Conservative group". 7 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Dereham deputy mayor found guilty of assaulting ex-girlfriend". 4 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Declaration of result" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Tributes to 'absolutely super' councillor who died aged 68". 18 January 2019.