Torbay Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Torbay in Devon, England. Until 1 April 1998 it was a non-metropolitan district. From 2005 to 2019 it had a directly elected mayor. The council is elected every four years.
Since the first election to the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[1][2]
Non-metropolitan district
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 1973–1990 | |
No overall control | 1990–1991 | |
Liberal Democrats | 1991–1998 |
Unitary authority
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | 1998–2000 | |
Conservative | 2000–2003 | |
Liberal Democrats | 2003–2007 | |
Conservative | 2007–2019 | |
No overall control | 2019–present |
Prior to 2005, political leadership was provided by the leader of the council. The leader from 2003 to 2005 was:[3]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chris Harris | Liberal Democrats | 15 May 2003 | 23 Oct 2005 |
Between 2005 and 2019 the council had a directly elected mayor. The mayors were:
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nick Bye[4] | Conservative | 24 Oct 2005 | 8 May 2011 | |
Gordon Oliver[5] | Conservative | 9 May 2011 | 5 May 2019 |
In 2019 the council reverted to having a leader instead of a directly elected mayor. The leader since 2019 has been:[3]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Steve Darling | Liberal Democrats | 28 May 2019 |
A referendum took place on 14 July 2005 on establishing a directly elected mayor. The result saw a majority in favour with 18,074 in support and 14,684 opposed on a 32.1% turnout.[10]
A referendum took place on 5 May 2016 on reverting to a leader and cabinet system. The result saw a majority in favour of a leader and cabinet system with 15,846 votes in support of the leader and cabinet system and 9,511 wanting to stick with an elected mayor, on a 25.3% turnout.[11]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | 1,380 | 46.3 | +10.9 | ||
Liberal Democrats | 884 | 29.7 | -2.4 | ||
Independent | 521 | 17.5 | -3.5 | ||
Labour | 195 | 6.5 | -5.0 | ||
Majority | 469 | 16.6 | |||
Turnout | 2,980 | 35.0 | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Damian Barton | 671 | 38.2 | +5.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Faulkner | 667 | 38.0 | -5.3 | |
Labour | Darren Cowell | 321 | 18.3 | -6.1 | |
Liberal | 97 | 5.5 | +5.5 | ||
Majority | 4 | 0.2 | |||
Turnout | 1,756 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | 1,504 | 51.4 | +16.0 | ||
Liberal Democrats | 1,129 | 38.6 | +6.5 | ||
Labour | 295 | 10.1 | -1.4 | ||
Majority | 375 | 12.8 | |||
Turnout | 2,928 | 34.0 | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Andrew Blake | 1,151 | 62.9 | +32.9 | |
Conservative | David Selley | 546 | 29.8 | -7.2 | |
Labour | Pauline Digby | 94 | 5.1 | +0.0 | |
Independent | Lionel Digby | 40 | 2.2 | +2.2 | |
Majority | 605 | 33.1 | |||
Turnout | 1,831 | 24.7 | |||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Christopher Harris | 1,201 | 63.4 | -26.3 | |
Conservative | 557 | 29.6 | -10.9 | ||
Labour | 121 | 6.4 | -5.6 | ||
Majority | 644 | 33.8 | |||
Turnout | 1,879 | 25.5 | |||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Joseph Carroll | 498 | 29.3 | -2.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Andrew Douglas-Dunbar | 413 | 24.3 | -24.7 | |
Independent | Alan Hall | 203 | 11.9 | +4.6 | |
Labour | David Pedrick-Friend | 203 | 11.9 | -0.1 | |
UKIP | Mark Dent | 128 | 7.5 | +7.5 | |
BNP | Michael Turner | 106 | 6.2 | +6.2 | |
Independent | Pamela Neale | 85 | 5.0 | +5.0 | |
Independent | Mary Bennett | 63 | 3.7 | +3.7 | |
Majority | 85 | 5.0 | |||
Turnout | 1,699 | 31.2 | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | 964 | ||||
Conservative | 923 | ||||
UKIP | 545 | ||||
UKIP | 482 | ||||
Liberal Democrats | Tristan Gruber | 198 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Thomas Pentney | 192 | |||
Labour | 102 | ||||
Labour | 89 | ||||
Turnout | 3,496 | 27.6 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Colin Hurst | 701 | 42.2 | +10.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Thomas Pentney | 510 | 30.7 | -27.9 | |
UKIP | Mark Dent | 284 | 17.1 | +7.4 | |
Labour | John Mellor | 116 | 7.0 | +7.0 | |
BNP | Michael Turner | 50 | 3.0 | +3.0 | |
Majority | 191 | 11.5 | |||
Turnout | 1,661 | 30.9 | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Hanley | 1,261 | 62.5 | +8.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Jefferson Rose | 331 | 16.4 | +5.2 | |
UKIP | Mark Dent | 326 | 16.1 | -13.3 | |
Labour | Thomas Millman | 99 | 4.9 | -0.6 | |
Majority | 930 | 46.1 | |||
Turnout | 2,017 | 29.6 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Jeanette Richards | 1,708 | 38.9 | +18.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Alan Forbes | 1,563 | 35.6 | -14.1 | |
Labour | Jonathan Haines | 1,124 | 25.6 | +7.4 | |
Majority | 145 | 3.3 | |||
Turnout | 4,395 | 57.8 | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Derek Mills | 1,250 | 77.7 | +27.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Andrew Douglas-Dunbar | 270 | 16.8 | -32.9 | |
Labour | Trevor Fine | 89 | 5.5 | +5.5 | |
Majority | 980 | 60.9 | |||
Turnout | 1,609 | 28.3 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent | Michael Morey | 1,006 | |||
Independent | Vic Ellery | 952 | |||
Conservative | Martyn Hodge | 853 | |||
Conservative | Simon Jones | 727 | |||
Conservative | Alan Craig | 689 | |||
Independent | Tony Walker | 510 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Chris Lomas | 483 | |||
Independent | Nigel James | 397 | |||
Liberal Democrats | Catherine Johns | 277 | |||
Liberal Democrats | John Turner | 245 | |||
BNP | Michael Turner | 159 | |||
BNP | Maureen Turner | 152 | |||
BNP | Chris Marchant | 151 | |||
UKIP | Gary Booth | 145 | |||
UKIP | Peter Fryett | 129 | |||
UKIP | Mike Simpson | 93 | |||
Labour | Patrick Canavan | 71 | |||
Labour | Jermaine Atiya-Alla | 67 | |||
Labour | Irene Reade | 66 | |||
Turnout | 7,172 | 31.8 | |||
Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | ||||
Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Andrew Baldrey | 801 | 52.7 | ||
Conservative | Nicholas Henderson | 365 | 24.0 | ||
Labour | Rosemary Ann Clarke | 195 | 12.8 | ||
UKIP | Jen Walsh | 159 | 10.5 | ||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 2,017 | 1,520 | |||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Mark Pountney | 1,048 | 46.3 | ||
Conservative | Sylvia Faryna | 614 | 27.1 | ||
Labour | Leonora Critchlow | 357 | 15.8 | ||
Independent | Susie Colley | 129 | 5.7 | ||
Independent | Mark Dent | 61 | 2.7 | ||
Green | Thomas Cooper | 55 | 2.4 | ||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | 2,264 | 26.3 | |||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Adrian Sanders | 1,096 | 69.2 | +39.3 | |
Conservative | Richard Barnby | 234 | 14.8 | -13.7 | |
UKIP | Anthony Rayner | 158 | 10.0 | -9.7 | |
Labour | Eddie Harris | 53 | 3.3 | -9 | |
Green | Stephen Pocock | 43 | 2.7 | -6.8 | |
Majority | 862 | 54.4 | +53 | ||
Turnout | 1,584 | 27.6 | |||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +26.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Nicholas Pentney | 1,126 | 46.7 | ||
Conservative | Jacqueline Wakeham | 533 | 22.1 | ||
Labour | Darren Cowell | 344 | 14.3 | ||
UKIP | Steven Walsh | 315 | 13.1 | ||
Green | Stephen Morley | 66 | 2.7 | ||
TUSC | Michelle Goodman | 27 | 1.1 | ||
Majority | 593 | 24.6 | |||
Turnout | 2,411 | 29.8 | |||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Swithin Long | 655 | 57.1 | ||
Conservative | Daniel Maddock | 355 | 30.9 | ||
Labour | Julia Neal | 121 | 9.5 | ||
Green | Eleanor Taylor | 17 | 1.4 | ||
Majority | 300 | 26.1 | |||
Turnout | 1,148 | 22.3 | |||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |