2022 Thurrock Council election[1][2]
← 2021 5 May 2022 2023 →
16 of the 49 seats to Thurrock Council
25 seats needed for a majority
Turnout26.41%[3] (Decrease0.93%)
  First party Second party Third party
 
TIP
Leader Rob Gledhill John Kent[b] Gary Byrne[a]
Party Conservative Labour Thurrock Ind.
Leader's seat Little Thurrock Rectory Grays Thurrock Ockendon
Seats before 30 15 3
Seats won 9 6 0
Seats after 30 14 3
Seat change Steady0 Decrease1 Steady0
  Fourth party
 
Ind
Leader None
Party Independent
Seats before 1
Seats won 1
Seats after 2
Seat change Increase1
Map of the election results with each ward representing a seat. Uncontested wards/seats are shown in white
Council control before election

Conservative

 Council control after election

Conservative

The 2022 Thurrock Council election took place on 5 May 2022 to elect a third of the members of Thurrock Council in England.[6] Sixteen of the council's 49 seats were contested in sixteen of Thurrock's twenty electoral wards.[7][1] There are two or three seats in each ward depending on its population.[8] This was on the same day as other local elections across the United Kingdom.

The Conservatives won the popular vote by 91 votes and retained their thirty-seat majority in the council while Labour came out with fourteen seats, the lowest amount they have ever held on the council.[3] The average turnout for the election was 26.41% per ward, meaning that one in four of all of Thurrock's eligible voters had participated.[3]

Election

In the run-up to the election, both the Conservatives and Labour ran on local manifestoes focusing on financial prosperity. The Conservatives, who administered the council, promised continued local investment and aid to combat the cost of living crisis,[9] while Labour, the council's main opposition, criticised the Conservatives for high council tax, overborrowing, overspending and an alleged lack of transparency, promising to instead focus on openness and the community.[10] There were also accusations by the Conservative council leader Rob Gledhill that Labour's councillors had supported the Just Stop Oil protests in the borough, adding that the Labour Group on the council had "close links" to the organisation.[11]

The Conservatives won and lost two seats, retaining their thirty-seat majority in the council.[12] One Conservative to lose his seat was councillor David Van Day, who lost to Labour's Srikanth Panjala by twenty votes.[13][7] Labour won two seats in total but lost another three, resulting in a fourteen-seat minority; the lowest amount of seats Labour has ever held on the council.[14] The Thurrock Independents stood its leader's son Ross Byrne in the ward of Stanford East & Corringham Town,[3] although their own seats were uncontested. A non-aligned independent councillor was elected in the Tilbury Riverside & Thurrock Park ward, leaving a total of two independent councillors in the council.[7]

Mayor Sue Shinnick[15] vacated her Labour safe seat in Ockendon to stand in the Conservative-controlled South Chafford ward. Although she won, her old seat fell to Conservative councillor Paul Arnold. Labour's loss was attributed to changing demographics in the South Ockendon area.[16] Meanwhile, Conservative council leader Rob Gledhill retained his seat with a small majority of 157, mirroring his near-defeat to UKIP in the 2014 council elections.[17]

The Conservatives won the popular vote with 12,442 votes, a small majority of 91 against Labour's 12,351. The election suffered a low turnout, with only one in four eligible voters participating.[3]

Results

Below are the results for all sixteen contested seats in their respective wards. Winning candidates are shown in bold.

Aveley & Uplands

Aveley & Uplands[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Srikanth Panjala 877 50.6 +16.9
Conservative David Van Day 857 49.4 -16.9
Majority 20
Turnout 1,750 23.28
Labour gain from Thurrock Ind. Swing

Belhus

Belhus[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Coxshall 864 51.2 +6.4
Labour Mark Hurrell 822 48.8 +15.1
Majority 42
Turnout 1,706 23.76
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Chadwell St. Mary

Chadwell St. Mary[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sara Muldowney 1,144 59.8 +20.5
Conservative Gavin Holland 770 40.2 -5.2
Majority 374
Turnout 1,929 26.72
Labour hold Swing

Grays Riverside

Grays Riverside[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Martin Kerin 1,208 71.9 +20.6
Conservative Obinna Obi-Njoku 472 28.1 -7.6
Majority 736
Turnout 1,703 21.09
Labour hold Swing

Grays Thurrock

Grays Thurrock[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Lynn Worrall 1,153 68.1 +10.7
Conservative Joanne Swash 540 31.9 -10.7
Majority 613
Turnout 1,710 25.97
Labour hold Swing

Little Thurrock Blackshots

Little Thurrock Blackshots[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Benjamin Maney 906 61.3 +9.5
Labour Clifford Holloway 571 38.7 +17.9
Majority 335
Turnout 1,488 29.07
Conservative hold Swing

Little Thurrock Rectory

Little Thurrock Rectory[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rob Gledhill 765 55.7 +15.3
Labour Aaron Green 608 44.3 +24.4
Majority 157
Turnout 1,388 30.53
Conservative hold Swing

Ockendon

Ockendon[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Arnold 1,021 53.8 -1.4
Labour Ruth Clapham 877 46.2 +12.9
Majority 144
Turnout 1,923 23.35
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Orsett

Orsett[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Barry Johnson 1,095 72.8 -7.8
Labour Gary Watson 410 27.2 +14.2
Majority 685
Turnout 1,532 30.38
Conservative hold Swing

South Chafford

South Chafford[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sue Shinnick 697 55.2 +8.2
Conservative Abosede Akinbohun 566 44.8 -8.2
Majority 131
Turnout 1,272 25.41
Labour hold Swing

Stanford East & Corringham Town

Stanford East & Corringham Town[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alex Anderson 824 46.4 -14.8
Labour Co-op John Cecil 524 29.5 +7.6
Thurrock Ind. Ross Byrne 427 24.1 +7.2
Majority 300
Turnout 1,786 28.17
Conservative hold Swing

Stifford Clays

Stifford Clays[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Elizabeth Rigby 749 53.0 +22.4
Labour Mark Hooper 665 47.0 +16.0
Majority 84
Turnout 1,434 28.71
Conservative hold Swing

The Homesteads

The Homesteads[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Halden 1,363 65.9 +6.0
Labour Jacqueline Dobson 704 34.1 +15.4
Majority 659
Turnout 2,117 33.23
Conservative hold Swing

Tilbury Riverside & Thurrock Park

Tilbury Riverside & Thurrock Park[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent John Allen 562 43.5 N/A
Labour Bukky Okunade 439 34.0 -0.5
Conservative Judan Ali 290 22.5 +14.2
Majority 123
Turnout 1,292 27.35
Independent gain from Labour Swing

Tilbury St. Chads

Tilbury St. Chads[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stephen Liddiard 670 75.2 +29.0
Conservative David Morgan 221 24.8 +6.2
Majority 449
Turnout 901 20.91
Labour hold Swing

West Thurrock & South Stifford

West Thurrock & South Stifford[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Qaisar Abbas 1,139 53.7 +8.8
Labour David Harris 982 46.3 -8.8
Majority 157
Turnout 2,141 24.65
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Notes

  1. ^ Gary Byrne is the leader of the Thurrock Independent Group on the council[4] but his seat was not contested. His son Ross Byrne contested a seat in the Stanford East & Corringham Town ward.[3]
  2. ^ John Kent is the leader of the Labour Group on the council[5] but his seat was not contested.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Vote 2022 Local election results". Thurrock Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Thurrock 2022 local election results announced". Thurrock Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "A good night for Thurrock Tories as Labour take a bruising and slip to new low". Thurrock Nub News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Thurrock Independents". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Thurrock Labour Councillors". Thurrock Labour. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Election dates | Elections and election results". Thurrock Council. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Thurrock Council - Declaration of result of poll for local elections, 5 May 2022" (PDF). Thurrock Council. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Wards | Wards and polling stations". Thurrock Council. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Thurrock Tories hope to focus on local economy during elections". Your Thurrock. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Thurrock Labour unveil election manifesto". Your Thurrock. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  11. ^ Speight, Neil (25 April 2022). "Political war of words continues as Tory councillors step up level of accusations". Thurrock Nub News. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Local Elections 2022: Results in Kent, Sussex and Essex". ITV News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  13. ^ Lee, Joseph (6 May 2022). "Elections 2022: Magic pixies and an '80s pop star - five under-the-radar moments". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Thurrock Conservatives retain control of council". Your Thurrock. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  15. ^ "The Mayor | Mayor of Thurrock". Thurrock Council. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  16. ^ Speight, Neil (6 May 2022). "Tories take Ockendon as Sue jumps sinking ship". Thurrock Nub News. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  17. ^ Speight, Neil (6 May 2022). "Tory veteran councillor and leader battled hard for his victory". Thurrock Nub News. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
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