2011 West Somerset District Council election

The 2011 West Somerset District Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of West Somerset District Council in Somerset, England. The whole council was up for election with boundary changes since the last election in 2007 reducing the number of seats by 3.[1] The Conservative Party gained overall control of the council from Independents.[1]

Map of the results of the 2011 West Somerset District Council election. Conservatives in blue, independents in grey and Labour in red.

Background

Before the election Conservative Tim Taylor was the leader of the council in an alliance with Independents.[2] Since the 2007 election boundary changes reduced the number of seats on the council from 31 to 28.[3]

A total of 63 candidates stood at the election for the 28 seats on the council.[4] These included 15 sitting councillors and a record 12 Green Party candidates, a party that had not contested any seats in West Somerset in 2007.[3][5] This was compared to only 4 Labour Party and 2 Liberal Democrat candidates, with the number of Green candidates being put down to the proposal for a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point.[5] One seat, Greater Exmoor, only had one candidate, Conservative Steven Pugsley, so he was elected without opposition.[4]

Election result

The Conservatives took control of the council with 19 councillors after gaining 6 seats.[6] This was mainly at the expense of Independents who dropped 9 seats, with only 7 independents being elected.[6] The independent losses included the defeat of councillors Sandra Slade and Paul Tipney in Minehead South and Quantock Vale respectively.[3]

The Labour Party gained a seat to move to 2 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats lost their only seat on the council[6] and the Greens failed to win any seats.[3]

West Somerset local election result 2011[7][1]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 19 +6 67.9 47.4 10,486 +4.4%
  Independent 7 -9 25.0 32.4 7,169 -15.6%
  Labour 2 +1 7.1 7.0 1,548 +1.6%
  Green 0 0 0 11.1 2,449 +11.1%
  Liberal Democrats 0 -1 0 2.2 479 -1.4%

Ward results
Alcombe (2)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Ian Melhuish 409
Conservative Paul Grierson 357
Labour Andy Lewis 280
Green Venetia Moore 200
Turnout 1,246 33.6
Brendon Hills[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Turner 456 74.3
Independent Nick Moore 158 25.7
Majority 298 48.6
Turnout 614 51.6
Carhampton & Withycombe[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Timothy Taylor 382 66.3
Independent William Butcher 194 33.7
Majority 188 32.6
Turnout 576 51.0
Crowcombe & Stogumber[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Trollope-Bellew 373 54.8
Independent Roy Harbour 178 26.1
Green Jamie Robertson 130 19.1
Majority 195 28.7
Turnout 681 53.4
Dulverton & District (2)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Keith Ross 736
Conservative Bruce Heywood 543
Independent David Lungley 450
Conservative Kathy Smith 434
Turnout 2,163 51.3
Dunster & Timberscombe[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alec Chick 336 57.9
Green Nicky Gibbard 166 28.6
Independent Gary Miele 78 13.4
Majority 170 29.3
Turnout 580 47.5
Greater Exmoor[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Steven Pugsley unopposed
Minehead Central (3)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Andrew Hadley 588
Conservative Mandy Chilcott 543
Conservative Richard Lillis 349
Independent Stephen Grice 302
Labour Lesley Culverhouse 298
Independent Ernest Taylor 247
Independent John Clyde-Smith 146
Green Cait Collins 137
Green Simon Gibbard 127
Turnout 2,737 32.4
Minehead North (2)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent David Ross 471
Conservative David Sanders 448
Independent Steve Pickard 220
Green Katy Attwater 218
Turnout 1,357 29.4
Minehead South (2)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Les Smith 520
Labour Maureen Smith 520
Conservative Tristan Tonks 365
Independent Sandra Slade 335
Green David Taylor 259
Turnout 1,999 41.3
Old Cleeve (2)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kate Kravis 523
Conservative Martin Dewdney 423
Green Jude Johnson-Smith 304
Liberal Democrats Ian Galloway 219
Green David Latimer 178
Turnout 1,647 46.0
Porlock & District (2)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Karen Mills 683
Independent Jon Freeman 591
Conservative Nick Messarra 414
Turnout 1,688 47.7
Quantock Vale (2)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chris Morgan 521
Conservative Sue Goss 442
Independent Paul Tipney 434
Turnout 1,397 45.1
Watchet (3)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Westcott 669
Conservative Anthony Knight 637
Labour Peter Murphy 450
Conservative Ann Snelling 327
Green Izzy Silvester 297
Independent Loretta Whetlor 269
Liberal Democrats Anthony Bowden 260
Green Bruce Scott 259
Independent John Richards 238
Turnout 3,406 38.5
West Quantock[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoffrey Dowding 417 70.6
Green Miriam Robertson 174 29.4
Majority 243 41.2
Turnout 591 53.8
Williton (2)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Hugh Davies 700
Independent Edwin May 425
Conservative Rosemary Woods 324
Turnout 1,449 39.5

References
  1. "England council elections". BBC News Online. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  2. "Somerset Conservatives celebrate election results". BBC News Online. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  3. "West Somerset Council election results". West Somerset Free Press. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  4. "Full list of West Somerset election candidates". Somerset County Gazette. 8 April 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  5. Blair, David (26 April 2011). "Somerset Greens energised by fallout from Japan". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  6. "Tories take control of three West councils as voters reject AV system in referendum". this is Cornwall. 7 May 2011. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  7. "District Election Results 2011". West Somerset Council. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
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