2012 Colchester Borough Council election

← 2011 3 May 2012 (2012-05-03) 2014 →
20 out of 60 seats to Colchester Borough Council 31 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	29.4% (11.9%)
First party Second party   Party Liberal Democrats Conservative Seats before 26 21 Seats won 9 6 Seats after 26 20 Seat change 1 Popular vote 10,073 8,917 Percentage 32.6% 28.9% Swing 5.1% 7.6%   Third party Fourth party   Party Labour Independent Seats before 7 3 Seats won 4 1 Seats after 8 3 Seat change 1 Popular vote 7,401 1,405 Percentage 24.0% 4.5% Swing 2.1% 1.6%
Leader of the council before election Anne Turrell Liberal Democrats Leader of the council after election Anne Turrell Liberal Democrats

The 2012 Colchester Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of Colchester Borough Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.^[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was

• Liberal Democrats 26
• Conservative 23
• Labour 8
• Independent 3^[1]

Before the election a coalition between the Liberal Democrats with 26 seats, Labour with 7 seats and the 3 independents ran the council, while the 24 Conservatives were in opposition.^[2] 20 of the seats were contested at the election with the Conservatives aiming to regain seats they had lost at the 2008 election, while the Local Government Information Unit called the election one of the top 50 contests in the 2012 local elections.^[2]

The Conservatives called for the council to change to full council elections every four years, for food waste pick ups to be introduced immediately and for a push to keep the town centre clean.^[2] However the Liberal Democrats defended their record in leading the council pointing to a freeze in council tax, recycling rates and contrasted their record in control with the former Conservative administration.^[3] Meanwhile, Labour was supported during the campaign by a visit from the former Labour cabinet minister Hazel Blears.^[4]

The only change at the election saw Labour gain one seat from the Conservatives in Wivenhoe Quay.^[5] Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats remained the largest party on the council with 26 seats despite losing seats across the country.^[5] The existing coalition between the Liberal Democrats, Labour and independents stayed in control of the council after the election.^[6]

2012 Colchester Borough Council election[7]
Party		This election			Full council			This election
		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Liberal Democrats	9		45.0	17	26	43.3	10,073	32.6	+5.1
	Conservative	6	1	30.0	17	23	38.3	8,917	28.9	–7.6
	Labour	4	1	20.0	4	8	13.3	7,401	24.0	+2.1
	Independent	1		5.0	2	3	5.0	1,405	4.5	–1.6
	Green	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	2,268	7.3	–0.3
	UKIP	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	824	2.7	+2.3

Berechurch Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Kim Alan Naish*	1,044	58.2	−6.4
	Liberal Democrats	Shibbir Ahmed	286	16.0	+2.2
	UKIP	John Pitts	219	12.2	N/A
	Conservative	Hayley Louise Crumb	192	10.7	−7.9
	Green	Tobie Glenny	52	2.9	−0.1
Majority			758	42.3	−3.7
Turnout			1,793	27.6	−10.7
Registered electors			6,529
	Labour Co-op hold		Swing	4.3

Castle Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Josephine Hayes	861	40.4	+0.3
	Green	Peter James Lynn	395	18.6	−7.1
	Conservative	Mohammed Shamim Rashid	382	17.9	−3.1
	Labour	Robert Fisher	285	13.4	+0.2
	UKIP	Ron Levy	206	9.7	N/A
Majority			466	21.9	+7.6
Turnout			2,129	30.0	−9.5
Registered electors			7,157
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	3.7

Dedham & Langham Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Ashley Cable	596	71.3	−11.5
	Liberal Democrats	Carolyn Catney	81	9.7	+0.3
	Labour	Paul Henry Fryer-Kelsey	81	9.7	+5.4
	Green	Clarice Elizabeth Mort	78	9.3	+5.8
Majority			515	61.6	−11.8
Turnout			836	34.2	−11.4
Registered electors			2,445
	Conservative hold		Swing	5.9

East Donyland Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Michael Edward Charles Lilley	488	64.5	+21.7
	Conservative	Peter James Hare	209	27.6	−14.4
	Green	Roger Edwin Bamforth	39	5.2	−1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Susan Mary Waite	21	2.8	−5.4
Majority			279	36.9	+36.0
Turnout			757	37.3	−3.9
Registered electors			2,030
	Labour hold		Swing	18.1

Harbour Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Julia Pauline Havis	663	54.7	−3.2
	Labour	Jordan Alexander Newall	298	24.6	+11.5
	UKIP	Mark Robert Cole	91	7.5	N/A
	Conservative	Anthony Baines	84	6.9	−16.4
	Green	Clare Teresa Palmer	77	6.3	+0.6
Majority			365	30.1	−4.6
Turnout			1,213	27.6	−28.3
Registered electors			4,403
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	7.4

Highwoods Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Beverley Anne Oxford	1,211	67.8	+6.4
	Conservative	Tatiana Mills	167	9.4	−7.3
	Labour	Michael Finbarr Gilheany	145	8.1	−0.1
	Liberal Democrats	Barry Ronald Woodward	110	6.2	−3.0
	UKIP	William John Rowley	80	4.5	N/A
	Green	David John Davis	72	4.0	−0.5
Majority			1,044	58.5	+13.8
Turnout			1,785	26.3	−10.7
Registered electors			6,791
	Independent hold		Swing	6.9

Lexden Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brian David Henry Jarvis	833	54.2	−1.3
	Liberal Democrats	Julia Suzanne Nelson	399	26.0	−8.8
	Labour	John Christopher Wood	174	11.3	+5.9
	Green	Beverley Ann Maltby	131	8.5	+4.3
Majority			434	28.2	+7.5
Turnout			1,537	35.7	−36.4
Registered electors			4,303
	Conservative hold		Swing	3.8

Marks Tey Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Elizabeth Jewell Blundell*	313	54.4	−9.3
	Labour	John Spademan	162	28.2	+10.8
	Green	Robert Charles Brannan	50	8.7	+2.3
	Liberal Democrats	Gillian Mary Collings	50	8.7	−8.7
Majority			151	26.3	−20.0
Turnout			575	28.5	−6.0
Registered electors			2,026
	Conservative hold		Swing	10.1

Mile End Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Martin Andrew Goss*	1,467	64.4	+3.5
	Conservative	Benjamin Harvey Locker	535	23.5	−1.1
	Labour	Michael John Donnachie	184	8.1	−1.8
	Green	Mary Hilda Bryan	91	4.0	−0.6
Majority			932	40.9	+4.6
Turnout			2,277	30.7	−10.0
Registered electors			7,433
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	2.3

New Town Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Michael Higgins	771	52.8	+3.4
	Labour	Stephen Paul Pattison	273	18.7	−4.7
	Green	Robert Paul Spence	166	11.4	−2.7
	Conservative	Lauren Grace McManus	131	9.0	−4.1
	UKIP	Christopher David Treloar	120	8.2	N/A
Majority			498	34.1	+8.1
Turnout			1,461	23.5	−10.5
Registered electors			6,243
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	4.1

Prettygate Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Beverly Ann Davies*	1,048	47.2	+0.2
	Liberal Democrats	John Martin Loxley	665	29.9	−8.0
	Labour Co-op	Michael Edward Dale	332	14.9	+4.4
	Green	Peter Charles Appleton	177	8.0	+3.3
Majority			383	17.2	+8.1
Turnout			2,222	37.3	−18.1
Registered electors			5,988
	Conservative hold		Swing	4.1

St Andrew's Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tina Jane Dopson*	926	61.3	−6.3
	Independent	Robert Rex Hunt	194	12.8	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Owen Leslie Bartholomew	175	11.6	−1.9
	UKIP	Harry Raymond Royle	108	7.2	N/A
	Conservative	Alexander Jordan Evelyn	107	7.1	−7.4
Majority			732	48.5	−4.5
Turnout			1,510	24.5	−5.5
Registered electors			6,211
	Labour hold		Swing	N/A

St Anne's Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Helen Chuah*	825	55.2	+5.3
	Labour	Luke Michael Powell Dopson	305	20.4	+1.0
	Conservative	Alexandra Claire Hutchinson	234	15.7	−7.8
	Green	Lucinda Helen Glover	130	8.7	+1.5
Majority			520	34.8	+8.4
Turnout			1,494	23.3	−10.0
Registered electors			6,433
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	2.2

St John's Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Paul Edward Smith*	994	64.4	+2.3
	Conservative	Charles Christian McKay	333	21.6	−5.9
	Labour	Jennifer Mary Fisher	136	8.8	+1.4
	Green	David Traynier	81	5.2	+2.2
Majority			661	42.8	+8.2
Turnout			1,544	37.6	−34.3
Registered electors			4,102
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	4.1

Shrub End Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	David Nigel Offen*	745	43.8	+10.1
	Conservative	Darius Grant Laws	514	30.3	−9.0
	Labour	Bruce John Tuxford	334	19.7	−1.6
	Green	Walter Schwarz	106	6.2	+0.5
Majority			231	13.6	N/A
Turnout			1,699	25.0	−7.9
Registered electors			6,824
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	9.6

Stanway Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Laura Ann Sykes*	1,134	55.0	+4.4
	Conservative	Bryan Campbell Johnston	520	25.2	−6.0
	Labour	David Alexander Hough	297	14.4	+0.2
	Green	Pamela Elizabeth Nelson	111	5.4	+1.5
Majority			614	29.8	+10.4
Turnout			2,062	32.7	−10.9
Registered electors			6,327
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	5.2

Tiptree Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Martin*	772	48.1	−10.5
	Labour	Martyn Keith Warnes	580	36.1	+10.2
	Green	Katherine Helen Bamforth	156	9.7	+2.4
	Liberal Democrats	Beth Eileen Margaret Gudgeon	97	6.0	−2.3
Majority			192	12.0	−20.7
Turnout			1,605	26.8	−13.6
Registered electors			6,040
	Conservative hold		Swing	10.4

West Mersea Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Glenn Darren Granger	1,196	69.1	+13.9
	Labour	Barbara Rosemary Nichols	267	15.4	+5.1
	Green	Francis Ian Barton	138	8.0	+3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Jennifer Stevens	130	7.5	+0.4
Majority			929	53.7	+21.3
Turnout			1,731	29.2	−20.4
Registered electors			5,940
	Conservative hold		Swing	4.4

No Independent candidate as previous (22.8%).

Wivenhoe Cross Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Simon Manning*	477	52.8	+1.5
	Conservative	Mo Metcalf-Fisher	192	21.3	+2.7
	Labour Co-op	Tyron Ashleigh Wilson	175	19.4	−3.7
	Green	Maria Iacovou	59	6.5	−0.6
Majority			285	31.6	+3.4
Turnout			903	25.0	−11.8
Registered electors			3,650
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing	0.6

Wivenhoe Quay Ward

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Cyril Patrick Liddy	915	52.1	−5.0
	Conservative	Robert Arthur Needham	559	31.9	+6.3
	Green	Sandra Adele Moog	159	9.1	−0.6
	Liberal Democrats	Benjamin David Edward Richards	122	7.0	−0.7
Majority			356	20.3	−11.2
Turnout			1,755	41.7	−11.6
Registered electors			4,214
	Labour Co-op gain from Conservative		Swing	5.7

A by-election was called due to the resignation of Cllr Glenn Granger.

West Mersea: 2 May 2013

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Sheane	1,208	67.0	−2.1
	Labour	Bernard Ready	288	16.0	+0.6
	Green	Sue Bailey	208	11.5	+3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Owen Batholomew	100	5.5	−2.0
Majority			920	51.0	−2.7
Turnout			1,804
	Conservative hold		Swing	1.4