2019 Cotswold District Council election

2019 Cotswold District Council election
All 34 seats to Cotswold District Council; 18 seats needed for a majority
	Map of results of 2019 election, with Cirencester shown inset.
Leader of the council before election; Tony Berry; Conservative	Leader of the council after election ; Joe Harris; Liberal Democrats

The 2019 Cotswold District Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect all members of Cotswold District Council, as part of the United Kingdom local elections. The Conservatives had controlled the council since 2003 but lost ten seats. The Liberal Democrats won overall control of the council for the first time since the council's creation in 1974. The Green Party also won their first seat on the council since the council's creation.

The Tetbury Town ward was decided by one vote. The returning officer reportedly decided the seat by allocating a doubtful ballot paper that had the word "BREXIT" written across it with an arrow pointing to the Conservative candidate, Stephen Hirst, in favour of Hirst. The hitherto tied candidate, Independent David Painter, described it as a "travesty of justice" and said "no wonder people are turned off voting". Painter sought to raise £2,500 to begin a legal challenge against the returning officer's decision.^[1] The council maintained that the returning officer's decision was in line with guidance from the Electoral Commission.^[2]

Summary

Election result

2019 Cotswold District Council election
Party		Candidates	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Liberal Democrats	29	18	8	0	8	52.9	44.5	12,255	11.1
	Conservative	34	14	0	10	10	41.2	38.9	10,727	15.9
	Independent	6	1	1	0	1	2.9	5.7	1,570	4.4
	Green	5	1	1	0	1	2.9	5.0	1,370	2.3
	Labour	11	0	0	0		0.0	3.1	857	0.2
	UKIP	4	0	0	0		0.0	2.9	793	1.7

Ward results

Abbey Ward

Cirencester Abbey Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Harris*	573	75.2	+22.0
	Conservative	Rebecca Senior	127	16.7	−20.4
	Labour	Alan Mackenzie	62	8.1	N/A
Majority			446	58.5
Turnout				40.4
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Blockley Ward

Blockley Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sue Jepson*	394	56.2	−5.9
	Liberal Democrats	Bella McMillan-Scott	179	25.5	−12.4
	Green	Clare Turner	128	18.3	N/A
Majority			215	30.7
Turnout				34.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

Bourton Vale Ward

Bourton Vale Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Keeling*	494	64.4	−8.1
	Liberal Democrats	Malcolm Lilley	273	35.6	+8.1
Majority			221	28.8
Turnout				35.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

Bourton Village Ward

Bourton Village Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Nick Maunder	470	55.0	+5.8
	Conservative	Len Wilkins*	385	45.0	−5.8
Majority			85	10.0
Turnout				35.2
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Campden and Vale Ward

Campden and Vale Ward (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gina Blomefield	888	49.2	−5.1
	Conservative	Mark Annett*	829	46.0	−11.7
	UKIP	Rob McNeil-Wilson	623	34.5	+17.3
	Liberal Democrats	Marcus Efstratiou	521	28.9	+7.4
Majority			206
Turnout				37.7
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Chedworth and Churn Valley Ward

Chedworth and Churn Valley Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Jenny Forde*	586	57.6	+7.5
	Independent	David Broad	201	19.7	−30.2
	Conservative	Stephen Senior	180	17.7	−32.2
	UKIP	Christopher Harlow	52	5.1	N/A
Majority			385	37.9
Turnout				51.4
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Chesterton Ward

Cirencester Chesterton Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Roly Hughes*	538	85.5	+39.6
	Conservative	Diana Mackenzie-Charrington	91	14.5	−17.1
Majority			447	71.0
Turnout				34.1
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Coln Valley Ward

Coln Valley Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ray Theodoulou*	459	58.7	−10.1
	Liberal Democrats	Joanna Walker	186	23.8	+5.0
	Green	Michael Poole	137	17.5	+5.2
Majority			273	34.9
Turnout				39.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

Ermin Ward

Ermin Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julia Judd	464	57.9	−0.2
	Liberal Democrats	Ed Smith	338	42.1	+9.3
Majority			126	15.8
Turnout				39.9
	Conservative hold		Swing

Fairford North Ward

Following the 2017 by-election, this ward was held by the Liberal Democrats.^[3]

Fairford North Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Doherty*	493	69.2	+41.4
	Conservative	Rob Stead	219	30.8	−20.3
Majority			274	38.4
Turnout				36.4
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Fosseridge Ward

Fosseridge Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Julian Beale*	620	68.7	−2.9
	Liberal Democrats	Dominique Simpson	282	31.3	+17.0
Majority			338	37.4
Turnout				42.9
	Conservative hold		Swing

Four Acres Ward

Cirencester Four Acres Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Ray Brassington*	407	69.6	+17.1
	Conservative	Edward Horsfall	140	23.9	−10.5
	Labour	Richard Guilding	38	6.5	N/A
Majority			267	45.7
Turnout				38.3
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Grumbolds Ash with Avening Ward

Grumbolds Ash with Avening Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Morgan*	460	61.3	−10.2
	Liberal Democrats	Nicky Baber	172	22.9	−5.6
	Labour	Ed Shelton	118	15.7	N/A
Majority			288	38.4
Turnout				37.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

Kemble Ward

Kemble Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tony Berry*	538	57.9	−4.3
	Green	Sabrina Poole	262	28.2	N/A
	Labour	Sian Smith	68	7.3	N/A
	UKIP	John Fleming	61	6.6	−3.6
Majority			276	29.7
Turnout				44.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

Lechlade, Kempsford and Fairford South Ward

Lechlade, Kempsford and Fairford South Ward (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stephen Andrews*	829	52.0	+2.2
	Conservative	Steve Trotter	826	51.8	−5.2
	Liberal Democrats	Kara Wise	483	30.3	+10.2
	Green	Xanthe Messenger	468	29.4	N/A
	Labour	Trevor Smith	235	14.7	+1.3
Majority			343
Turnout				33.6
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Moreton East Ward

Moreton East Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Rachel Coxcoon	585	62.8	+48.3
	Conservative	David Cunningham	314	33.7	−33.6
	Labour	Simon Cohen	33	3.5	−14.7
Majority			271	29.1
Turnout				41.8
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Moreton West Ward

Moreton West Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Clive Webster	468	55.2	+32.1
	Conservative	Alison Coggins*	380	44.8	−32.1
Majority			88	10.4
Turnout				44.1
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

New Mills Ward

Cirencester New Mills Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Claire Bloomer	353	75.9	+20.3
	Conservative	Frederick Hart	112	24.1	−20.3
Majority			241	51.8
Turnout				25.3
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Northleach Ward

Northleach Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Tony Dale	557	62.2	+27.1
	Conservative	Jolyon Grey	338	37.8	−19.8
Majority			219	24.4
Turnout				41.2
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Sandywell Ward

Sandywell Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robin Hughes*	536	67.0	−3.6
	Liberal Democrats	Harry Chalklin	199	24.9	−4.5
	Labour	Ian Pillinger	65	8.1	N/A
Majority			337	42.1
Turnout				38.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

Siddington and Cerney Rural Ward

Siddington and Cerney Rural Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Mike Evemy	565	71.4	+22.9
	Conservative	Richard Davies	226	28.6	−22.9
Majority			339	42.8
Turnout				38.1
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

South Cerney Village Ward

South Cerney Village
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Juliet Layton*	565	83.7	+35.1
	Conservative	Margaret Saunders	110	16.3	−13.5
Majority			455	67.4
Turnout				33.0
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

St Michael's Ward

Cirencester St Michael's Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Joe Harris*	554	73.0	+22.9
	Conservative	Harry Coutts	147	19.4	−12.4
	Labour	Terence Pomroy	58	7.6	N/A
Majority			407	53.6
Turnout				41.1
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Stow Ward

Stow Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Dilys Neill*	577	65.3	+21.4
	Conservative	Tom Bradley	307	34.7	−21.4
Majority			270	30.6
Turnout				42.7
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

Stratton Ward

Cirencester Stratton Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Patrick Coleman*	497	57.1	+5.2
	Independent	Phillip Coleman	223	25.6	N/A
	Conservative	Malcolm Gilmore	115	13.2	−24.9
	Labour	Gunther Strait	35	4.0	N/A
Majority			274	31.5
Turnout				42.8
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Tetbury East and Rural Ward

Tetbury East and Rural Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Nikki Ind	603	73.5	N/A
	Conservative	Maggie Heaven*	217	26.5	−47.0
Majority			386	47.0
Turnout
	Independent gain from Conservative		Swing

Tetbury Town Ward

Tetbury Town Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stephen Hirst*	232	40.3	−6.8
	Independent	Kevin Painter	231	40.2	+15.5
	Liberal Democrats	Rebecca Halifax	112	19.5	+11.2
Majority			1	0.1
Turnout				33.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

Tetbury with Upton Ward

Tetbury with Upton Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Norris	334	48.0	−13.5
	Independent	Georgina Osman	223	32.0	N/A
	Labour	Jon Easterbrook	76	10.9	−9.0
	Liberal Democrats	Nigel Bass	63	9.1	−9.5
Majority			111	16.0
Turnout				42.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

The Ampneys and Hampton Ward

The Ampneys and Hampton Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Lisa Spivey	727	58.5	+21.5
	Conservative	David Fowles*	516	41.5	−21.5
Majority			211	17.0
Turnout				57.0
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing

The Beeches Ward

Cirencester Beeches
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Nigel Robbins*	526	79.6	+40.1
	Conservative	Robin McCorkell	135	20.4	−15.1
Majority			391	59.2
Turnout				30.1
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

The Rissingtons Ward

The Rissingtons Ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Andrew Maclean	375	52.6	+31.9
	Conservative	Mark Mackenzie-Charrington*	338	47.4	−19.0
Majority			37	5.2
Turnout				36.8
	Green gain from Conservative		Swing

Watermoor Ward

Cirencester Watermoor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Gary Selwyn	406	57.8	+9.1
	Independent	Jenny Hincks*	89	12.7	−36.0
	Conservative	Christopher Daniels	82	11.7	−21.3
	Labour	Will Downes-Hall	69	9.8	N/A
	UKIP	Pete Elliot	57	8.1	−10.1
Majority			317	45.1
Turnout				33.9
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

By-elections

Fosseridge

Fosseridge, 6 May 2021
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Cunningham	641	63.7	−5.0
	Liberal Democrats	Dominique Simpson	251	25.0	−6.3
	Green	Clare Turner	114	11.3	N/A
Majority			390	38.7
Turnout			1,009	47.09
	Conservative hold		Swing

Campden and Vale

Campden and Vale, 3 February 2022
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tom Stowe	1,180	56.2	+10.2
	Liberal Democrats	Danny Loveridge	920	43.8	+14.9
Majority			260	12.4
Turnout			2,100	42.35
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

^ Private Eye, Issue 1496, p.15
^ Boobyer, Leigh (3 May 2019). "Ballot paper with 'Brexit' and an arrow written across it accepted as deciding vote in controversial Cotswolds local election". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
^ Cotswold District Council (20 July 2023). "DECLARATION OF RESULT OF POLL Election of a District Councillor for Fairford North on Thursday 9 February 2017" (PDF). cotswold.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.

[1] Private Eye, Issue 1496, p.15

[2] Boobyer, Leigh (3 May 2019). "Ballot paper with 'Brexit' and an arrow written across it accepted as deciding vote in controversial Cotswolds local election". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 26 August 2023.

[3] Cotswold District Council (20 July 2023). "DECLARATION OF RESULT OF POLL Election of a District Councillor for Fairford North on Thursday 9 February 2017" (PDF). cotswold.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.

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