Map of the results of the 2012 West Oxfordshire District Council election. Conservatives in blue, Labour in red and Liberal Democrats in yellow. Wards in dark grey were not contested in 2012.

The 2012 West Oxfordshire District Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of West Oxfordshire District Council in Oxfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Background

After the last election in 2011 the Conservatives controlled the council with 44 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats had four seats and Labour had one seat.[3] 17 seats were contested in 2012, with the Conservative Party having a full 17 candidates, while Labour had 13, the Liberal Democrats 10 and the Green Party had nine candidates.[4]

Election result

The Conservatives lost three seats to Labour, but remained in control of the council with 41 councillors.[5] The three Labour gains came in the wards of Chipping Norton, Witney Central and Witney East, taking the party to four seats on the council.[5][6] This was level with the Liberal Democrats, who remained on four seats, but Liberal Democrat Elizabeth Poskitt did defeat the new Conservative leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Ian Hudspeth, in Woodstock and Bladon by 65 votes.[7] The three Labour gains came in wards with no Liberal Democrat or Green candidates, while the Liberal Democrat gain came in a ward with no Labour or Green candidates, although the parties denied there had been any arrangement.[7][8] Overall eight of the 11 councillors who stood were re-elected, while average turnout at the election was 34.77%.[4]

West Oxfordshire local election result 2012[4]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 12 1 4 -3 70.6 50.0 9,650 -5.0%
  Labour 3 3 0 +3 17.6 25.4 4,913 +8.0%
  Liberal Democrats 2 1 1 0 11.8 17.4 3,359 +6.4%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 7.2 1,396 -6.2%

Ward results

Chadlington and Churchill[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Neil Owen 455 72.9 -5.5
Labour David Heyes 78 12.5 +12.5
Green Brigitte Hickman 54 8.7 +8.7
Liberal Democrats Amanda Epps 37 5.9 -15.7
Majority 377 60.4 +15.1
Turnout 624 39.2 -6.1
Conservative hold Swing
Charlbury and Finstock[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Liz Leffman 956 66.8 +28.3
Conservative Rory MacArthur 476 33.2 -7.6
Majority 480 33.6
Turnout 1,432 49.3 -10.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Chipping Norton[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Evans 966 60.0 +23.4
Conservative Patrick McHugh 644 40.0 +5.3
Majority 322 20.0 +18.0
Turnout 1,610 34.5 -17.5
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Eynsham and Cassington[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward James 677 37.9 0.0
Liberal Democrats Richard Andrews 633 35.5 -0.6
Labour Sarah Homer 337 18.9 +1.5
Green Sarah MacDonald 138 7.7 -0.9
Majority 44 2.5 +0.7
Turnout 1,785 38.0 -12.6
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Freeland and Hanborough[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Toby Morris 607 46.0 -3.8
Liberal Democrats Michael Baggaley 437 33.1 -5.7
Green Austen Naughten 147 11.1 +6.3
Labour Adam Radford 130 9.8 +3.3
Majority 170 12.9 +1.9
Turnout 1,321 39.2 -37.7
Conservative hold Swing
Hailey, Minster Lovell and Leafield[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Simon Hoare 572 53.9 -12.7
Labour Mary Jay 246 23.2 +10.2
Liberal Democrats Andrew Crick 124 11.7 +1.9
Green Andrew Wright 120 11.3 +0.7
Majority 326 30.7 -22.9
Turnout 1,062 34.0 -15.5
Conservative hold Swing
Kingham, Rollright and Enstone[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nick Colston 799 71.5 +2.8
Labour Charles Watson 318 28.5 +10.9
Majority 481 43.1 -8.0
Turnout 1,117 34.8 -16.2
Conservative hold Swing
Milton under Wychwood[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jeffrey Haine unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
North Leigh[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Barry Norton 459 69.0
Labour Judith Wardle 206 31.0
Majority 253 38.0
Turnout 665 42.1
Conservative hold Swing
Standlake, Aston and Stanton Harcourt[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hilary Fenton 776 66.0 +8.8
Labour Michael Enright 219 18.6 +18.6
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Mortimer 141 12.0 -30.8
Green Alma Tumilowicz 40 3.4 +3.4
Majority 557 47.4 +32.9
Turnout 1,176 36.1 -41.9
Conservative hold Swing
Stonesfield and Tackley[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Derrick Millard 648 59.2 -2.0
Green Harriet Kopinska 293 26.8 +2.8
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Walton 153 14.0 -0.7
Majority 355 32.4 -4.8
Turnout 1,094 34.7 -21.3
Conservative hold Swing
Witney Central[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Andrew Coles 647 52.6 +16.6
Conservative Colin Adams 584 47.4 -3.7
Majority 63 5.2
Turnout 1,231 31.3 -10.1
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Witney East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Duncan Enright 983 54.2 +14.6
Conservative Jeanette Baker 831 45.8 +1.2
Majority 152 8.4
Turnout 1,814 31.3 -13.1
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Witney North[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Snow 450 43.5 -10.3
Green Stuart MacDonald 286 27.6 +10.0
Labour Alfred Fullah 179 17.3 +2.9
Liberal Democrats Ross Beadle 120 11.6 -2.6
Majority 164 15.8 -20.4
Turnout 1,035 32.5 -15.0
Conservative hold Swing
Witney South[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jane Doughty 577 45.0 -3.1
Labour Laura Price 397 31.0 +10.2
Green Kate Griffin 197 15.4 +6.7
Liberal Democrats Olive Minett 111 8.7 +2.2
Majority 180 14.0 -13.3
Turnout 1,282 27.2 -13.9
Conservative hold Swing
Witney West[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Louise Chapman 513 61.0 -7.1
Labour Ray Harris 207 24.6 +4.4
Green Andy King 121 14.4 +2.7
Majority 306 36.4 -11.4
Turnout 841 26.2 -14.4
Conservative hold Swing
Woodstock and Bladon[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Poskitt 647 52.6 -1.2
Conservative Ian Hudspeth 582 47.4 +1.2
Majority 65 5.3 -2.2
Turnout 1,229 38.3 -36.7
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing

By-elections between 2012 and 2014

Carterton South

A by-election was held in Carterton South on 2 May 2013 after the resignation of Conservative councillor Joe Walcott.[9] The seat was held for the Conservatives by Lynn Little with a majority of 369 votes over Labour candidate Dave Wesson.[9]

Carterton South by-election 2 May 2013[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lynn Little 477 67.5 -1.8
Labour Dave Wesson 108 15.3 +5.3
Green Alma Tumilowicz 78 11.0 +4.6
Liberal Democrats Amanda Epps 44 6.2 -8.1
Majority 369 52.2 -2.8
Turnout 707 23.9 -17.0
Conservative hold Swing

Witney East

A by-election was held in Witney East on 2 May 2013 after the resignation of Conservative councillor Sian Davies.[9] The seat was held for the Conservatives by Jeanette Baker with a majority of 152 votes over Labour candidate Alfred Fullah.[9]

Witney East by-election 2 May 2013[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jeanette Baker 794 46.5 +0.7
Labour Alfred Fullah 642 37.6 -16.6
Green Kate Griffin 270 15.8 +15.8
Majority 152 8.9
Turnout 1,706 29.4 -1.9
Conservative hold Swing

Chipping Norton

A by-election was held in Chipping Norton on 7 November 2013 after the death of Labour councillor Rob Evans.[10] The seat was held for Labour by Geoff Saul with a majority of 310 votes over Conservative candidate Joe Johnson.[10]

Chipping Norton by-election 7 November 2013[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geoff Saul 810 57.0 -3.0
Conservative Joe Johnson 500 35.2 -4.8
Green Matthew Clayton 58 4.1 +4.1
Liberal Democrats Andrew Crick 53 3.7 +3.7
Majority 310 21.8 +1.8
Turnout 1,421 29.1 -5.4
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "Vote 2012". BBC News Online. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Election results 2012: Non-Metro". The Guardian. NewsBank. 5 May 2012.
  3. ^ "England council elections". BBC News Online. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "West Oxfordshire District Council Election Results 2011 - 2015" (PDF). West Oxfordshire District Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b Leng, Freya (4 May 2012). "Election results: Cotswold candidates". Cotswold Journal. NewsBank.
  6. ^ Ross, Tim (4 May 2012). "Surge for Labour as voters turn on Coalition". The Daily Telegraph. NewsBank.
  7. ^ a b "Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth loses district seat". BBC News Online. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  8. ^ Addley, Esther (5 May 2012). "Chipping Norton (up)set How Labour snatched PM's spiritual home". The Guardian. NewsBank.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Elections 2013: Conservatives score early hat-trick in West Oxfordshire". Witney Gazette. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Hughes, Pete (8 November 2013). "Labour's Geoff Saul elected in Chipping Norton by-election". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
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