2021 Worthing Borough Council election
← 2019 6 May 2021 2022 →
13 of the 37 seats to Worthing Borough Council
19 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
  Blank Blank Blank
Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats
Last election 23 seats, 36.5% 10 seats, 31.0% 3 seats, 14.8%
Seats won 6 6 1
Seats after 19 15 3
Seat change Decrease4 Increase5 Steady
Popular vote 13,979 10,797 3,307
Percentage 44.8% 34.6% 10.8%
Swing Increase 8.3% Increase 3.6% Decrease 4.0%
  Fourth party Fifth party
  Blank Blank
Party Green UKIP
Last election 0 seats, 9.9% 1 seat, 7.2%
Seats won 0 0
Seats after 0 0
Seat change Steady Decrease1
Popular vote 2,990 0
Percentage 9.6% 0.0%
Swing Decrease 0.3% Decrease 7.2%
Map showing the election results. Each ward had one seat up for election.
Council control before election

Conservative

Council control after election

Conservative

The 2021 Worthing Borough Council election took place on 6 May 2021 to elect members of Worthing Borough Council, on the same day as other UK local elections. This election was originally scheduled to take place on 7 May 2020, but was delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic;[1] 2021 was originally scheduled to be an off-year for Worthing Borough Council elections. A third of the council was up for election, a total of 13 councillors. Candidates elected in 2016 had their term expire at this election.

The Conservative Party was seeking to maintain its majority, which it had held in the town since 2004. In the 2018 election, the Labour Party emerged as the largest opposition party in Worthing; this election was the first since the incorporation of the borough council in 1974 in which it was technically possible for Labour to win a majority.[2]

The Labour Party and The Conservative Party won 6 seats each in this election, with the Liberal Democrats winning 1. Labour gained 5 seats and held 1; a net gain of 5 seats. The Conservatives lost 5 seats to Labour, but gained one from UKIP in Northbrook Ward, and held 5; a net loss of 4 seats. The Liberal Democrats held on to their seat in Tarring Ward.[3]

The Conservative majority was cut to 1. With a Conservative councillor then becoming an independent and a loss in a by-election, it would become a minority administration before the 2022 elections.

Results summary

2021 Worthing Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Conservative 6 Decrease 4 46.2 13 19 51.4 13,979 44.8 +8.3
  Labour 6 Increase 5 46.2 9 15 40.5 10,797 34.6 +3.6
  Liberal Democrats 1 Steady 7.7 2 3 8.1 3,378 10.8 -4.0
  Green 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 2,990 9.6 -0.3
  Libertarian 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 46 0.1 N/A
  UKIP 0 Decrease 1 0.0 0 0 0.0 N/A N/A N/A

Ward results

Broadwater

Broadwater[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Cathy Glynn-Davies 1,139 45.3 +0.3
Conservative Paisley Thomson 1004 39.9 +8.6
Green Richard Battson 192 7.6 -4.8
Liberal Democrats John Apsey 165 6.6 -4.7
Majority 135 5.4
Rejected ballots 16 0.6
Turnout 36.7[note 1]
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Castle

Castle[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Steve Wills 956 41.9 +6.5
Labour Ibsha Choudhury 880 38.5 +19.7
Liberal Democrats Nick Wiltshire 253 11.1 -7.3
Green Julie Dawe 182 8.0 -3.5
Majority 76 3.4
Rejected ballots 13 0.6
Turnout 32.5[note 1]
Conservative hold Swing

Central

Central[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rosey Whorlow 1,127 44.2 -0.7
Conservative Alex Harman 763 29.9 +5.0
Green Jo Paul 455 17.8 -2.7
Liberal Democrats Christine Brown 176 6.9 -2.8
Majority 364 14.3
Rejected ballots 29 1.1
Turnout 33.0[note 1]
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Durrington

Durrington[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dan Coxhill 783 55.2 -1.8
Labour Graham McKnight 310 21.9 +0.6
Liberal Democrats Emma Norton 210 14.8 -6.5
Green James Darrall 103 7.3 N/A
Majority 473 33.3
Rejected ballots 12 0.8
Turnout 31.2[note 1]
Conservative hold Swing

This ward had no election in 2019, so changes are shown from 2018.

Gaisford

Gaisford[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Turley 1,235 42.3 -4.7
Conservative Val Turner 1114 38.1 +1.3
Green Stephen Carleysmith 284 9.7 N/A
Liberal Democrats Caroline Gentry 261 8.9 -7.3
Majority 121 4.2
Rejected ballots 28 1.0
Turnout 41.0[note 1]
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Goring

Goring[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Steve Waight 1,785 60.9 +11.8
Labour Jane Cropper 601 20.5 +7.4
Green Sharon Huls 279 9.5 -3.1
Liberal Democrats Robin Rogers 248 8.5 -2.7
Majority 1184 40.4
Rejected ballots 20 0.7
Turnout 42.4[note 1]
Conservative hold Swing

Heene

Heene
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Emma Taylor 1,091 43.2 +4.0
Conservative Paul High 924 36.6 +2.3
Green Ian Davey 347 13.7 +1.2
Liberal Democrats Cyril Cannings 130 5.1 -2.3
Majority 167 6.6
Rejected ballots 33 1.3
Turnout 37.8[note 1]
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Marine

Marine
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Beccy Cooper 1,456 46.6 +14.0
Conservative Gavin Poole 1,324 42.4 +1.4
Green Trevor Hopkins 181 5.8 -3.8
Liberal Democrats Antony Brown 140 4.5 -3.9
Majority 132 4.2
Rejected ballots 23 0.7
Turnout 47.0[note 1]
Labour hold Swing

Northbrook

Northbrook[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Russ Cochran 647 50.5 -0.6
Labour Ingrid Allan 378 29.5 +2.0
Liberal Democrats Keith Sunderland 130 10.2 -3.5
Green Joe Pearce 113 8.8 N/A
Majority 269 21.0
Rejected ballots 12 0.9
Turnout 25.2[note 1]
Conservative gain from UKIP Swing

This ward had no election in 2019, so changes are shown from 2018.

Offington

Offington[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Elizabeth Sparkes 1,693 64.7 +11.5
Labour Helen Abrahams 421 16.1 +1.7
Green Sonya Mallin 243 9.3 N/A
Liberal Democrats Iona Harte 235 9.0 -11.0
Majority 1272 48.6
Rejected ballots 23 0.9
Turnout 40.0[note 1]
Conservative hold Swing

Salvington

Salvington[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Nowak 1,508 59.0 +14.4
Labour Lysanne Skinner 440 17.2 +3.5
Liberal Democrats Jackie Cranefield 372 14.5 +2.2
Green Stephen Rhodes 220 8.6 -2.0
Majority 1068 41.8
Rejected ballots 18 0.7
Turnout 35.6[note 1]
Conservative hold Swing

Selden

Selden
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jon Roser 1,115 46.4 -1.6
Conservative Sarah Blake 848 35.3 +4.9
Green Melanie Ling 226 9.4 -3.2
Liberal Democrats Yvonne Leonard 138 5.7 -3.2
Majority 267 11.1
Rejected ballots 77 3.2
Turnout 37.9[note 1]
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Tarring

Tarring[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Hazel Thorpe 920 38.5 -3.8
Conservative John Salisbury 630 26.4 +9.1
Labour Pauline Fraser 604 25.3 +3.0
Green Constantine De Goguel 165 6.9 -0.5
Libertarian Marco Di Paola 46 1.9 N/A
Majority 290 12.1
Rejected ballots 22 1.0
Turnout 37.1[note 1]
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

By-elections

Marine

Marine: 2 December 2021
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Vicki Wells 1,239 50.2 +3.2
Conservative Syed Ahmed 972 39.4 -3.3
Green Sonya Mallin 145 5.9 ±0.0
Liberal Democrats Emma Norton 112 4.5 ±0.0
Majority 267 10.8
Turnout 2,468 37.4
Labour gain from Conservative Swing Increase3.2

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Turnout figures taken from directly from website. As such, it is unsure whether it includes rejected ballots or not. All vote share percentages are calculated including rejected ballots.

References

  1. ^ "Postponement of May 2020 elections". GOV.UK.
  2. ^ "Labour wins first Worthing Borough Council seat in more than 40 years". www.worthingherald.co.uk. 4 August 2017.
  3. ^ "2021 Election results - Adur & Worthing Councils". www.adur-worthing.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Broadwater Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Castle Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Central Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Durrington Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Gaisford Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Goring Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Northbrook Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Offington Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Salvington Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Tarring Ward". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
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