One third of Colchester Borough Council in Essex, England is elected each year, followed by one year without election. Since the last boundary changes at the 2016 election, 51 councillors have been elected from 17 wards.
Following the 2022 election, the council's composition was:
| 14 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 19 |
| Liberal Democrats | Labour | G | Ind | Conservative |
Since the first election to the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[1][2]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1973-1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976-1986 | |
| No overall control | 1986-1994 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1994-1998 | |
| No overall control | 1998-2007 | |
| Conservative | 2007-2008 | |
| No overall control | 2008-present | |
Detailed results of these elections are shown in the table below. Boundary changes took place for the 1990, 2003 and 2016 elections leading to the whole council being elected on those years.[3]
| Year | LD[n 1] | Con | Lab | Tip Res | Ind | Grn | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 14 | 19 | 13 | - | 2 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 23 | 11 | - | 3 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 13 | 23 | 11 | - | 3 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 12 | 25 | 11 | - | 3 | - | |
| 2016 | 15 | 22 | 11 | - | 3 | - | |
| Ward boundary changes; seats reduced from 60 to 51 | |||||||
| 2015 | 20 | 27 | 9 | - | 4 | - | |
| 2014 | 25 | 23 | 8 | - | 3 | - | [4] [n 2] |
| 2012 | 26 | 23 | 8 | - | 3 | - | [5] |
| 2011 | 26 | 24 | 7 | - | 3 | - | [6] |
| 2010 | 26 | 24 | 7 | - | 3 | - | [7] |
| 2008 | 23 | 27 | 7 | - | 3 | - | [8] |
| 2007 | 21 | 30 | 6 | - | 3 | - | [9] |
| 2006 | 21 | 30 | 7 | - | 2 | - | [10] |
| 2004 | 23 | 28 | 6 | - | 2 | - | [11] |
| 2003 | 25 | 24 | 5 | - | 6 | - | [12] |
| 2002 | 26 | 24 | 6 | - | 4 | - | [3] |
| Ward boundary changes | |||||||
| 2000 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 1 | - | - | [13] |
| 1999 | 26 | 17 | 16 | 1 | - | - | [14] |
| 1998 | 27 | 14 | 18 | 1 | - | - | [15] |
| 1996 | 32 | 11 | 16 | 1 | - | - | [16] |
| 1995 | 33 | 14 | 12 | 1 | - | - | [17] |
| 1994 | 33 | 19 | 7 | 1 | - | - | [18] |
| 1992 | 29 | 21 | 8 | 2 | - | - | [19] |
| 1991 | 28 | 19 | 11 | 2 | - | - | |
| 1990 | 28 | 17 | 12 | 3 | - | - | |
| Ward boundary changes | |||||||
| 1988 | 24 | 23 | 9 | 3 | 1 | - | |
| 1987 | 22 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 1 | - | |
| 1986 | 16 | 28 | 12 | 3 | 1 | - | |
| 1984 | 10 | 34 | 12 | 3 | 1 | - | |
| 1983 | 5 | 35 | 16 | 3 | 1 | - | |
| 1982 | 2 | 35 | 19 | 3 | 1 | - | |
| 1980 | - | 35 | 22 | 2 | 1 | - | |
| 1979 | - | 36 | 21 | 2 | 1 | - | |
| 1978 | - | 37 | 21 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| 1976 | - | 39 | 18 | 2 | 1 | - | |
| New ward boundaries; seats increased from 58 to 60 | |||||||
| 1973 | 1 | 28 | 26 | 3 | 2 | - | |
| Local authority reorganisation; interim council created (58 seats) | |||||||
The leaders of the council since 2008 have been:[20]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Turrell | Liberal Democrats | 2008 | 16 Jun 2014 | |
| Martin Hunt | Liberal Democrats | 16 Jun 2014 | 10 May 2015 | |
| Paul Smith | Liberal Democrats | 27 May 2015 | 6 May 2018 | |
| Mark Cory | Liberal Democrats | 23 May 2018 | 26 May 2021 | |
| Paul Dundas | Conservative | 26 May 2021 | 8 May 2022 | |
| David King | Liberal Democrats | 22 May 2022 | ||
By-elections occur when seats become vacant between council elections. Below is a summary of recent by-elections;[21] full by-election results can be found by clicking on the by-election name.
| By-election | Date | Incumbent party | Winning party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrub End by-election | 9 September 2017 | Liberal Democrats | Conservative | ||
| Dedham & Langham by-election | 15 September 2015 | Conservative | Conservative | ||
| Wivenhoe Quay by-election | 3 July 2014 | Labour | Labour | ||
| Birch and Winstree by-election | 4 December 2008 | Conservative | Conservative | ||
| Berechurch by-election | 21 October 2004 | Liberal Democrats | Labour | ||
| Wivenhoe Quay by-election | 22 April 2004 | Independent | Labour | ||
| Mile End by-election | 22 November 2001 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Prettygate by-election | 7 June 2001 | Conservative | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Lexden by-election | 19 October 2000 | Conservative | Conservative | ||
| Tiptree by-election | 25 June 1998 | Labour | Labour | ||
| Dedham | 4 September 1997 | Liberal Democrats | Conservative | ||
