2023 Southend-on-Sea City Council election

2023 Southend-on-Sea City Council election
17 of the 51 seats to Southend-on-Sea City Council; 26 seats needed for a majority
	Winner of each seat at the 2023 Southend-on-Sea City Council election
Leader before election; Stephen George; Labour; No overall control	Leader after election ; Tony Cox; Conservative; No overall control

The 2023 Southend-on-Sea City Council election was held on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Southend-on-Sea City Council in England. It coincided with local elections across the United Kingdom.

The council is elected by thirds, so a single member will be elected from all 17 wards to a term of four years. The seats elected at this election were last contested in 2019.^[3]

Prior to the election the council was under no overall control, being run by a Labour, Liberal Democrat and independent coalition. Following the election the council remained under no overall control, but the Conservatives were able to form a minority administration with support from some of the independent councillors.^[4]

Summary

Council composition

In the 2022 election, the Conservative Party and the Independents lost seats while Labour and the Liberal Democrats gained seats.^[5] While the Conservative were the largest party, the council was run by a Labour-led coalition along with the Liberal Democrats and Independents. Since then one Labour and one Independent councillor left their groups and formed a new group called Residents First.^[6]

Council composition following the 2022 council election
Council composition ahead of the 2023 council election

After 2022 election^[7]			Before 2023 election^[8]
Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Conservative	21		Conservative	21
	Labour	16		Labour^{[note 1]}	15
	Liberal Democrats	6		Liberal Democrats	6
	Independent	6		Independent	5
	Non-aligned	2		Non-aligned	2
				Residents First	2

Election result

2023 Southend-on-Sea City Council election
Party		This election			Full council			This election
Party		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Conservative	5		29.4	17	22	43.1	13,305	33.2	–5.0
	Labour	7	2	41.2	10	17	33.3	11,487	28.7	–1.7
	Independent	3	1	17.6	4	7	13.7	4,928	12.3	+3.9
	Liberal Democrats	1	2	5.9	3	4	7.9	5,298	13.2	±0.0
	Green	1	1	5.9	0	1	2.0	3,653	9.1	+1.7
	Confelicity	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	1,159	2.9	+1.1
	Heritage	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	140	0.3	N/A
	British Democrats	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	42	0.1	N/A
	Psychedelic Future	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	13	<0.1	N/A

Notes

^ Including two Labour and Co-operative

Ward results

Results of the City Council election were released by Southend-on-Sea City Council on 5th May 2023.^[9]

Seat changes are compared to the 2019 election and do not take into account interim changes due to by-elections or defections.

Belfairs

Belfairs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Stephen Aylen	1,195	45.0	+5.3
	Conservative	Lesley Salter*	883	33.3	–7.2
	Labour	Joe Cresswell	293	11.0	–0.3
	Green	Nathaniel Love	147	5.5	+1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Alan Crystall	116	4.4	–0.3
	Confelicity	Elizabeth Smith	21	0.8	+0.6
Majority			312	11.7	N/A
Turnout			2,667	36.3
Registered electors			7,353
	Independent gain from Conservative		Swing	6.3

Blenheim Park

Blenheim Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Donna Richardson	878	34.1	–10.2
	Conservative	Bernard Arscott	716	27.8	–11.9
	Independent	Keith Evans*	704	27.4	N/A
	Green	AJ Sutherland	167	6.5	+1.5
	Liberal Democrats	Joyce Onstad	82	3.2	–2.6
	Confelicity	Stan Evans-Jack	26	1.0	–0.1
Majority			162	6.3	+1.7
Turnout			2,583	31.9
Registered electors			8,097
	Labour Co-op gain from Independent		Swing	0.9

Chalkwell

Chalkwell
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stephen Habermel*	1,147	47.5	+2.7
	Labour	David Carrington	762	31.6	+1.9
	Green	James Vessey-Miller	241	10.0	+2.6
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Hind	189	7.8	–4.3
	Confelicity	Linzi Arkus-Binder	75	3.1	+1.0
Majority			385	15.9	+0.8
Turnout			2,421	34.0
Registered electors			7,131
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.4

Eastwood Park

Eastwood Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Collins*	1,786	67.7	+21.7
	Conservative	Judith McMahon	626	23.7	–20.3
	Labour	Jennifer Lewis	133	5.0	–1.5
	Green	RJ Learmouth	54	2.0	±0.0
	Confelicity	Simon Spooner	40	1.5	±0.0
Majority			1,160	44.0	+42.0
Turnout			2,646	35.9
Registered electors			7,371
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	21.0

Kursaal

Kursaal
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Gabriel Leroy	886	54.9	–7.7
	Conservative	Andrew Brookes	348	21.5	–1.8
	Green	Thomas Love	134	8.3	+1.8
	Confelicity	Lee Clark	90	5.6	+1.6
	Liberal Democrats	Rory Windass	80	5.0	+1.4
	British Democrats	Stephen Smith	42	2.6	N/A
	Heritage	Lara Hurley	35	2.2	N/A
Majority			538	33.4	–5.9
Turnout			1,621	20.5
Registered electors			7,907
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	3.0

Leigh

Leigh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Richard Longstaff	1,042	39.1	+17.6
	Liberal Democrats	Syrie Cox	835	31.4	–9.5
	Conservative	Craig Watts	501	18.8	–6.4
	Labour	Mick Ekers	236	8.9	–2.6
	Confelicity	James Miller	36	1.4	+0.5
	Psychedelic Future	Jason Pilley	13	0.5	N/A
Majority			207	7.7	N/A
Turnout			2,671	36.2
Registered electors			7,379
	Green gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing	13.6

Milton

Milton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Cheryl Nevin	1,137	51.1	–2.9
	Conservative	Marco Mann	538	24.2	–4.0
	Green	Sarah-Ann Patel	222	10.0	±0.0
	Liberal Democrats	Robert Howes	143	6.4	+1.4
	Heritage	Bianca Isherwood	105	4.7	N/A
	Confelicity	Dee Curtis	82	3.7	+1.0
Majority			599	26.9	+1.1
Turnout			2,236	27.6
Registered electors			8,104
	Labour hold		Swing	0.6

Prittlewell

Prittlewell
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Meg Davidson*	1,161	43.6	–10.6
	Labour Co-op	Shahid Nadeem	998	37.5	+13.2
	Liberal Democrats	David Webb	251	9.4	–2.8
	Green	Jon Mullett	146	5.5	–2.0
	Confelicity	Simon Jones	107	4.0	+2.1
Majority			163	6.1	–23.8
Turnout			2,671	34.3
Registered electors			7,787
	Conservative hold		Swing	11.9

Shoeburyness

Shoeburyness
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Steven Wakefield*	885	38.7	*N/A*
	Conservative	Steve Harvey	802	35.1	–0.8
	Labour	Ian Pope	376	16.5	–1.1
	Green	Fiona Clapperton	119	5.2	+0.2
	Liberal Democrats	Granville Stride	58	2.5	+0.5
	Confelicity	Kayleigh Burgess	45	2.0	+0.5
Majority			83	3.6	N/A
Turnout			2,292	26.7
Registered electors			8,584
	Independent hold		Swing	N/A

Southchurch

Southchurch
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Colin Campbell	1,138	51.8	–10.3
	Independent	Maggie Kelly	368	16.8	N/A
	Labour	Gray Sergeant	353	16.1	–3.1
	Green	Jo Bates	154	7.0	–1.6
	Confelicity	Dean Harris-Eckett	93	4.2	+1.3
	Liberal Democrats	Pamela Austin	91	4.1	–3.1
Majority			770	35.0	–7.9
Turnout			2,200	29.8
Registered electors			7,382
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

St. Laurence

St. Laurence
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Daniel Cowan*	1,308	53.6	+5.7
	Conservative	Cheryll Gardiner	869	35.6	–3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Dave Poulton	125	5.1	–2.5
	Green	Eli London	87	3.6	±0.0
	Confelicity	Gail Robertson	53	2.2	+0.3
Majority			439	18.0	+9.2
Turnout			2,448	30.9
Registered electors			7,922
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	4.6

St. Luke's

St. Luke's
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Martin Berry	975	48.7	+4.2
	Conservative	Tamkeen Shaikh	438	21.9	–6.2
	Independent	Brian Ayling	231	11.5	–1.5
	Green	Tilly Hogrebe	179	8.9	+2.2
	Confelicity	Jolene Hills	102	5.1	+2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Billy Boulton	79	3.9	+1.0
Majority			537	26.8	+10.8
Turnout			2,014	25.1
Registered electors			8,014
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing	5.2

Thorpe

Thorpe
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Ron Woodley*	1,108	36.2	*N/A*
	Conservative	Ken Davidson	867	28.3	–11.3
	Independent	Andrew Hall	437	14.3	N/A
	Labour	Sam Allen	377	12.3	+0.7
	Green	Julie Callow	152	5.0	–0.6
	Liberal Democrats	Katie Kurilecz	62	2.0	–0.1
	Confelicity	Melissa Aylott	59	1.9	+0.3
Majority			241	7.9	N/A
Turnout			2,978	41.1
Registered electors			7,246
	Independent hold		Swing	N/A

Victoria

Victoria
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mandy O'Connor	1,067	59.6	–0.6
	Conservative	Bob Carr	349	19.5	–2.9
	Green	Peter Walker	175	9.8	+0.1
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Edey	116	6.5	+1.0
	Confelicity	Jonathan Humphreys	84	4.7	+2.6
Majority			718	40.1	N/A
Turnout			1,801	19.8
Registered electors			9,096
	Labour hold		Swing	1.2

West Leigh

West Leigh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Owen Cartey	1,317	47.1	–0.5
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Cummins	965	34.5	–5.3
	Green	Stephanie Golder	231	8.3	+2.0
	Labour	Carrie Druce	219	7.8	+2.3
	Confelicity	Janes Wilkes	64	2.3	+1.5
Majority			352	12.6	+4.8
Turnout			2,804	39.2
Registered electors			7,153
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing	2.4

West Shoebury

West Shoebury
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tony Cox*	1,268	58.3	±0.0
	Labour	Muhammad Ibrahim	451	20.7	–1.4
	Green	Lea Williams	186	8.6	+0.8
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Collins	163	7.5	+0.3
	Confelicity	Michael Arkus-Binder	107	4.9	+0.3
Majority			817	37.6	+1.4
Turnout			2,183	29.8
Registered electors			7,326
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.7

Westborough

Westborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Anne Jones	1,038	56.9	–5.3
	Conservative	Andy Wilkins	337	18.5	–0.5
	Green	Stephen Jordan	217	11.9	+3.7
	Liberal Democrats	Suzanna Edey	157	8.6	–0.7
	Confelicity	Connor Bines	75	4.1	+2.7
Majority			701	38.4	–4.8
Turnout			1,830	24.0
Registered electors			7,625
	Labour hold		Swing	2.4

References

^ Of the nine independent councillors before the election, five formed the "Independent Group" led by Martin Terry, two formed the "Residents First" group and two were not aligned to any group.

^ Christine Sexton (11 May 2022). "Southend Labour remove Ian Gilbert as leader". echo-news.co.uk. Southend Echo. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
^ Mick Ferris (13 May 2023). "New Southend Lib Dem leader aims to keep watch over Conservative administration". yellowad.co.uk/. Yellow Advertiser. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
^ "Election timetable in England". gov.uk. HM Government. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
^ Sexton, Christine (18 May 2023). "Southend Council leadership taken over by Conservatives". Southend Echo. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
^ Gidden, Alex (6 May 2022). "Southend election 2022 results in full". Southend Evening Echo. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
^ Sexton, Christine (14 January 2023). "Southend's Ron Woodley and Tricia Cowdrey form new group". Southend Evening Echo. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
^ Gidden, Alex (6 May 2022). "Southend election 2022 results in full". Southend Evening Echo. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
^ "Your Councillors by Party". Southend-on-Sea City Council. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
^ "Election results 2023 – Election results – Southend-on-Sea City Counc…". 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023.

[10] Including two Labour and Co-operative

[2] Of the nine independent councillors before the election, five formed the "Independent Group" led by Martin Terry, two formed the "Residents First" group and two were not aligned to any group.

[1] Christine Sexton (11 May 2022). "Southend Labour remove Ian Gilbert as leader". echo-news.co.uk. Southend Echo. Retrieved 16 October 2023.

[3] Mick Ferris (13 May 2023). "New Southend Lib Dem leader aims to keep watch over Conservative administration". yellowad.co.uk/. Yellow Advertiser. Retrieved 16 October 2023.

[4] "Election timetable in England". gov.uk. HM Government. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[5] Sexton, Christine (18 May 2023). "Southend Council leadership taken over by Conservatives". Southend Echo. Retrieved 26 May 2023.

[6] Gidden, Alex (6 May 2022). "Southend election 2022 results in full". Southend Evening Echo. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[7] Sexton, Christine (14 January 2023). "Southend's Ron Woodley and Tricia Cowdrey form new group". Southend Evening Echo. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[8] Gidden, Alex (6 May 2022). "Southend election 2022 results in full". Southend Evening Echo. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[9] "Your Councillors by Party". Southend-on-Sea City Council. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[11] "Election results 2023 – Election results – Southend-on-Sea City Counc…". 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023.

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