2022 Plymouth City Council election
5 May 2022
19 of the 57 seats to Plymouth City Council
29 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Tudor Evans Richard Bingley
Party Labour Conservative
Last election 24 26
Seats before 23 22
Seats won 11 7
Seats after 24 24
Seat change Increase1 Increase2
Popular vote 26,557 23,055
Percentage 43.6% 37.8%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Ian Poyser None
Party Green Independent
Last election 0 7
Seats before 0 12
Seats won 1 0
Seats after 1 8
Seat change Increase1 Decrease4
Popular vote 4,393 3,310
Percentage 7.2% 5.4%
Map showing the results of contested wards in the 2022 Plymouth City Council elections.
Council control before election

No overall control

 Council control after election

No overall control

The 2022 Plymouth City Council election took place on 5 May 2022 to elect members of Plymouth City Council in England. It coincided with local elections across the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party made gains in the previous election in 2021, resulting in the council entering no overall control with no party holding a majority of seats. Immediately following the results of the 2022 election, the council remained in no overall control. Labour and the Conservatives gained seats from independent councillors who had left their parties and exchanged seats with each other. The election saw the elections of the city's first Green Party councillor, Ian Poyser, and first trans councillor, Dylan Tippetts of the Labour Party.

Shortly after the election, five councillors who had resigned from the Conservative group under the previous council leader Nick Kelly returned to their party, giving the Conservatives an overall majority. The independent councillor George Wheeler, who had originally been elected as a Labour councllor, joined the Green Party.

Background

History

Result of the council election when these seats were last contested in 2018
Result of the most recent council election in 2021

Plymouth City Council held local elections as part of the 2022 local elections. The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third of seats being up for election every year for three years, and no election each fourth year, to correspond with councillors' four-year terms.[1][2] Councillors defending their seats in this election were previously elected in 2018. In that election, eleven Labour candidates and eight Conservative candidates were elected.

Elections in Plymouth are usually competitive between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party.[3] The council was controlled by the Labour Party from the 2018 Plymouth City Council election until the 2021 Plymouth City Council election, when the council entered no overall control, with no party holding a majority of seats. One Labour councillor elected in 2018—Kevin Neil—was suspended from his party in the same year.[4] Another Labour councillor, Chaz Singh, left his party in 2019.[5] Several Conservative councillors left their group to sit as independents, including the former council leader Ian Bowyer, after two of them were suspended by the group leader Nick Kelly for publishing a press release supporting a reduction in the speed limit on the A38 road through the city.[6]

Developments since 2021

The Conservatives made gains in the 2021 Plymouth City Council election and Nick Kelly was voted in as council leader with a minority of seats.[7] In October 2021, the Conservative councillor Shannon Burden left the Conservative group to sit as an independent.[8] In November 2021, the Conservative councillor Nigel Churchill left his party to sit as an independent councillor after he said complaints about breaches of the code of conduct were not being properly investigated.[9] In the same month, Kelly was suspended from the Conservative Party over an interview about the murder of Bobbi-Anne McLeod in which he had said "everybody has a responsibility not to try to put themselves in a compromising position", which was characterised as victim blaming by women politicians in the city.[10][11] In January 2022, another Conservative councillor, Stephen Hulme, left the Conservative group to sit as an independent.[12] Kelly's suspension was lifted in the same month.[13] In February 2022, another Conservative councillor, David Downie, was suspended from the group, leading to the Conservatives and Labour each having the same number of seats on the council.[14]

Kelly's budget failed to pass in February, with a Labour amendment passing instead that froze council tax. Labour called a vote of no confidence in Kelly.[15] A Conservative councillor told the Plymouth Herald that some group members might abstain in the vote.[16] Kelly lost the vote, with 29 councillors voting no confidence, 23 voting confidence and one abstaining.[17] Independent councillors were split, with Singh supporting Kelly in the debate.[18] Two Conservative candidates were nominated to replace him: Vivien Pengelly, a former council leader, and Richard Bingley. Bingley was elected council leader with 26 votes to Pengelly's 12, with the remaining councillors abstaining.[18] Bingley had previously been in the Labour Party and the UK Independence Party.[19]

Later in March, the lord mayor of Plymouth, the Conservative councillor Terri Beer, resigned from the Conservative group and the Conservative Party to sit as an independent councillor in response to Bingley's election, calling his new cabinet "lacking in experience and ability" and that her party locally had "been run into the ground by unelected chairpersons not from South West Devon".[20] She accused the new leadership of bullying. Her resignation meant that the Labour group had more councillors than the Conservatives.[21]

Campaign

The Conservative councillor David Downie was blocked from seeking selection by his local party in early 2022. He was suspended from the Conservative Party after questioning the decision, and later resigned his party membership after Richard Bingley became council leader. He said that the new cabinet had too many new councillors and he was "very concerned for the city, for the lack of experience and knowledge". In March 2022, he announced that he would run in Budshead as an independent candidate.[22]

Plymouth Labour published their manifesto on 30 March 2022. They pledged to cancel plans to remove bus shelters, invest money in roads and pavements, build more homes and buy empty properties.[23]

In April, recordings were published of a conversation between Bingley and the independent candidate Danny Bamping that had taken place in February. Bingley was recorded saying the then council leader Nick Kelly was a "weak, two-faced git" who had "been caught crossing me big time", and predicting that he would shortly no longer be council leader. He compared the Conservative councillor Maddi Bridgman to Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, who served as vice president to Saddam Hussein, and said that the independent councillor Chaz Singh, who had supported Kelly, "needs to quickly shift his alliance". Kelly said he was "disappointed, appalled, and shocked".[24] Bridgeman said she was "devastated by the vitriolic attack", and called for Bingley to resign, as well as asking their Conservative Association to suspend his membership.[24][25] Margaret Boadella, the Conservative Association chair, said that people upset at Bingley's remarks should "do what I did when Downie was ranting at me, shut up and grow up".[26]

Plymouth Live reported that Bingley had appeared in a YouTube video in June 2020 in which he said people shouldn't "worry too much about climate change in itself", that people should cycle less, and that the COVID-19 pandemic was a "mildly severe flu pandemic".[27][28] In response to the report, he said that he had taken action against climate change since becoming council leader, and that his comments about COVID had been made early in the pandemic.[29] Six councillors who had left the Conservative group to sit as independents during Kelly's leadership defended Bingley, saying that he had been smeared by "a small collective of disgruntled councillors".[30]

Statements of persons nominated were published on 6 April listing all validly nominated candidates. In order to control a majority of seats on the council, the Conservatives would need to win twelve of the nineteen seats up for election, and Labour would need to win sixteen.[31]

Council composition

After 2021 election Before 2022 election After 2022 election After 17 May 2022
Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats
Conservative 26 Conservative 22 Labour 24 Conservative 29
Labour 24 Labour 23 Conservative 24 Labour 24
Independent 7 Independent 12 Independent 8 Green 2
Green 1 Independent 2

Results

Overall

The results saw Labour and the Conservatives level on twenty-four seats each. Each party gained seats from independent councillors who were originally elected from their parties. Dave Downie, originally a Conservative, was the only independent councillor to contest his former seat, Budshead, where he was beaten by the Conservative candidate. The Conservatives gained Southway from Labour, while Labour gained Compton from the Conservatives for the first time ever.[32] The Green Party won their first ever seat on the council, with their candidate Ian Poyser gaining Plympton Chaddlewood from the Conservatives.[33] Dylan Tippetts, the new Labour councillor for Compton, became the first trans councillor for the city.[34]

2022 Plymouth City Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour 11 Increase1 57.9 13 24 42.1 26,557 43.6 Decrease0.4
  Conservative 7 Increase2 36.8 17 24 42.1 23,055 37.8 Decrease6.9
  Green 1 Increase1 5.3 0 1 1.8 4,393 7.2 Increase5.4
  Independent 0 Decrease4 0.0 8 8 14.0 3,310 5.4 Increase3.8
  Liberal Democrats 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 2,545 4.2 Decrease1.1
  TUSC 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 626 1.0 Increase0.5
  Change for Plymouth 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 382 0.6 N/A
  Heritage 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 92 0.2 N/A

All changes are relative to the previous time these seats were up in the 2018 election.

Budshead

Downie was previously elected as the Conservative candidate.

Budshead
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lee Finn 1,097 35.7 Decrease16.0
Independent Dave Downie* 956 31.2 N/A
Labour Co-op Isabel Saxby 866 28.2 Decrease10.8
Liberal Democrats Colin Mackenzie 150 4.9 Increase1.3
Turnout 3,069 31.2 Decrease3.4
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Compton

Compton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Dylan Tippetts 1,431 40.6 Increase1.3
Conservative Martin Leaves 1,327 37.7 Decrease12.7
Liberal Democrats Richard Bray 308 8.7 Increase3.4
Green Ewan Melling Flavell 273 7.8 Increase2.8
Independent Danny Bamping 156 4.4 N/A
TUSC Nigel Buckley 26 0.7 N/A
Turnout 3,521 37.5 Decrease3.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing Increase7.0

Devonport

Devonport
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Stevens* 1,633 55.2 Decrease2.0
Conservative Kyle Lewis 828 28.0 Decrease0.2
Change for Plymouth Karen Pilkington 193 6.5 N/A
Green Andrew Pratt 152 5.1 Increase2.1
Liberal Democrats Jeffrey Hall 108 3.6 Increase0.1
TUSC Lesley Duncan 45 1.5 Increase0.8
Turnout 2,959 26.3 Decrease3.7
Labour hold Swing Decrease0.9

Drake

Drake
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Charlotte Holloway 955 48.4 Decrease3.4
Independent Steve Ricketts 891 45.2 N/A
Conservative Ross Farr-Semmens 67 3.4 Decrease39.4
Liberal Democrats Fleur Ball 33 1.7 Decrease2.4
TUSC Samuel Hey 26 1.3 N/A
Turnout 1,972 32.7 Increase3.3
Labour hold Swing N/A

Efford and Lipson

Efford and Lipson
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Neil Hendy* 1,770 60.6 Increase0.6
Conservative Gregg Black 740 25.3 Decrease5.5
Green Pat Bushell 211 7.2 Increase2.3
Liberal Democrats Alex Primmer 135 4.6 Increase1.6
TUSC Matthew Whitear 65 2.2 Increase1.0
Turnout 2,921 29.3 Increase0.1
Labour hold Swing Increase3.1

Eggbuckland

The incumbent councillor, Ian Bowyer, was elected as a Conservative in 2018 but later sat as an independent.

Eggbuckland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Chip Tofan 1,679 50.3 Decrease10.5
Labour Co-op Francesca Rees 1,133 33.9 Increase5.1
Liberal Democrats Dennis Draper 529 15.8 Increase11.2
Turnout 3,341 33.1 Decrease4.3
Conservative hold Swing Decrease7.8

Ham

Tuohy previously served as councillor for Ham, losing her seat in the 2021 election.

Ham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Tina Tuohy 1,691 55.2 Decrease1.4
Conservative Sonia Hosking 1,064 34.7 Increase1.3
Green Caroline Bennett 252 8.2 N/A
TUSC Andrew White 58 1.9 N/A
Turnout 3,065 29.4 Decrease3.5
Labour hold Swing Decrease1.4

Honicknowle

Honicknowle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Zoë Reilly 1,608 57.2 Increase4.9
Conservative Margaret Boadella 1,003 35.7 Decrease3.2
Green Benjamin Osborn 199 7.1 N/A
Turnout 2,810 27.1 Decrease5.1
Labour hold Swing Increase4.1

Moor View

Moor View
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Maddi Bridgeman* 1,929 54.0 Increase4.5
Labour William Noble 1,303 36.5 Decrease3.3
Liberal Democrats James Spencer 158 4.4 Increase0.2
Green James Ellwood 143 4.0 N/A
TUSC Edison Notman 39 1.1 N/A
Turnout 3,572 34.8 Decrease2.6
Conservative hold Swing Increase3.9

Peverell

Peverell
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jeremy Goslin* 2,549 56.0 Increase8.4
Conservative Tim Lever 1,520 33.4 Decrease9.2
Green Nicholas Casley 249 5.5 Increase2.0
Liberal Democrats Sima Davarian-Dehsorkhe 143 3.1 Decrease2.7
Heritage Bernard Toolan 92 2.0 N/A
Turnout 4,553 44.6 Decrease2.3
Labour hold Swing Increase8.8

Plympton Chaddlewood

Plympton Chaddlewood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Ian Poyser 1,273 57.7 N/A
Conservative Glenn Jordan* 770 34.9 Decrease26.4
Labour Christopher Cuddihee 163 7.4 Decrease23.6
Turnout 2,206 35.7 Increase5.4
Green gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Plympton St Mary

Plympton St Mary
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Darcy 2,146 64.7 Decrease6.1
Labour Co-op Paul McNamara 793 23.9 Increase1.2
Green Lucy Mackay 377 11.4 N/A
TUSC Alan Frost 91 2.7 N/A
Turnout 3,407 33.8 Decrease3.2
Conservative hold Swing Decrease3.7

Plymstock Dunstone

Plymstock Dunstone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Vivien Pengelly* 1,907 49.1 Decrease15.3
Labour John Stephens 1,540 39.7 Increase15.5
Liberal Democrats Katie McManus 243 6.2 Decrease5.1
Green Frank Hartkopf 190 4.9 N/A
Turnout 3,880 38.55 Decrease0.05
Conservative hold Swing Decrease15.1

Plymstock Radford

Plymstock Radford
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rebecca Smith* 2,055 52.3 Increase3.6
Labour Jon Davies 1,022 26.0 Increase5.1
Independent Neal Stoneman 339 8.6 N/A
Green Byran Driver 294 7.5 Increase0.3
Liberal Democrats Roy Plumley 219 5.6 Decrease0.5
Turnout 3,929 35.1 Decrease2.4
Conservative hold Swing Increase1.5

Southway

Southway
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andy Lugger 1,153 36.8 Decrease2.1
Labour Co-op Daniella Marley 1,140 36.4 Decrease16.2
Independent Emily Quick 626 20.0 N/A
Green Fi Smart 155 4.9 N/A
TUSC Benjamin Davy 61 1.9 Decrease0.4
Turnout 3,135 31.0 Increase0.8
Conservative gain from Labour Swing Increase7.1

St Budeaux

St Budeaux
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sally Haydon* 1,262 47.1 Decrease2.1
Conservative Adam Duffield 1,065 39.8 Decrease0.3
Independent Terry Deans 190 7.1 N/A
Green Leesa Alderton 162 6.0 N/A
Turnout 2,679 28.2 Decrease2.0
Labour hold Swing Decrease0.9

St Peter and the Waterfront

St Peter and the Waterfront
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Sue McDonald* 1,990 56.1 Increase1.6
Conservative Jon Hill 1,049 29.6 Decrease4.3
Liberal Democrats Hugh Janes 211 6.0 Decrease0.1
Change for Plymouth Dean Bowles 189 5.3 N/A
TUSC Ryan Aldred 106 3.0 Increase1.9
Turnout 3,545 28.5 Decrease3.3
Labour hold Swing Increase3.0

Stoke

The previous councillor, Kevin Neil, was elected as Labour in 2018 but sat as an independent after being suspended from his party.

Stoke
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Briars-Delve 1,968 58.8 Increase6.3
Conservative Marie-Desirée Rivière 906 27.1 Decrease6.3
Green Nicholas Ireland 238 7.1 Increase2.0
Liberal Democrats Jacqui Spencer 179 5.3 Increase0.3
TUSC Nik Brookson 56 1.7 N/A
Turnout 3,347 33.4 Decrease2.6
Labour hold Swing Increase6.3

Sutton and Mount Gould

Sutton and Mount Gould
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Mary Aspinall* 1,740 57.1 Decrease6.6
Conservative Grace Stickland 750 24.6 Decrease3.0
Green Mike Kewish 225 7.4 N/A
Independent Tinny Sivasothy 152 5.0 N/A
Liberal Democrats Stuart Bonar 129 4.2 Decrease2.1
TUSC Duncan Moore 53 1.7 Decrease0.7
Turnout 3,049 31.0 Decrease2.5
Labour hold Swing Decrease1.8

Aftermath

The council remained in no overall control. The Labour group leader and former council leader Tudor Evans said Labour had performed "better than anticipated" and that people "want the Tories gone".[32] Ian Poyser, elected as the city's first Green Party councillor, said he wouldn't "any pacts or allegiances to either of those other two parties at this stage", referring to Labour and the Conservatives, saying he would try to enable "cross-party working in the background".[35] The independent councillor George Wheeler, who had originally been elected as a Labour candidate, joined the Green Party later in May. Wheeler said he had left the Labour group, and later the Labour Party, because he "could no longer work with Plymouth's Labour leadership".[36] The Plymouth Herald reported that Bingley was planning to invite independent councillors who had left the Conservative group to rejoin.[37] One Conservative councillor, Dan Collins for Plympton Chaddlewood, and one former Conservative independent councillor, Shannon Burden, continued to serve as councillors despite having moved to Gloucestershire.[38] The independent councillors Lynda Bowyer, Shannon Burden, Nigel Churchill, Stephen Hulme and Kathy Watkin rejoined the Conservative group on 17 May, meaning that the Conservative Party held a majority of seats on the council.[39]

References

  1. ↑ "Local government structure and elections". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Election Timetable in England" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "Third of Devon's city councils seats up for election". BBC News. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  4. ↑ Eve, Carl (25 September 2018). "Police investigation into suspended Labour councillor dropped". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  5. ↑ Eve, Carl (27 September 2019). "The real reason Chaz Singh quit the Labour Party". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  6. ↑ Oldfield, Edward (9 October 2020). "Senior councillors quit Tory group and criticise leadership". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  7. ↑ Green, Alex (9 June 2021). "Meet the man who's now in charge of Plymouth". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  8. ↑ Eve, Carl (6 October 2021). "Plymouth Conservatives lose another councillor". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Eve, Carl (5 November 2021). "Councillor quits Tory party over 'unacceptable' conduct". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  10. ↑ Eve, Carl (30 November 2021). "Council leader suspended over Bobbi-Anne comments". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Tories suspend Plymouth council leader after 'victim-blaming' remarks". The Guardian. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  12. ↑ Eve, Carl (10 January 2022). "Plymouth Conservatives lose another councillor to Independents". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  13. ↑ Eve, Carl (10 January 2022). "Tory leader's party suspension lifted". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Eve, Carl (23 February 2022). "Tories lose another councillor in Plymouth". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Clark, Daniel; Churm, Philip (11 March 2022). "Plymouth City Council leader facing vote of no confidence". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  16. ↑ Eve, Carl (18 March 2022). "Some Conservatives 'to abstain' in leader no confidence vote". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "Plymouth council leader ousted after no-confidence vote". BBC News. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  18. 1 2 Churm, Philip (21 March 2022). "Plymouth council leader ousted after less than a year in charge". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  19. ↑ Eve, Carl; Timms, Katie (22 March 2022). "Senior figures lose roles as Plymouth's new cabinet announced". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  20. ↑ "Plymouth Lord Mayor resigns from Conservative group". Greatest Hits Radio (Plymouth). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  21. ↑ Eve, Carl (23 March 2022). "Plymouth councillor quits Conservatives amid 'bullying' claim". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  22. ↑ Churm, Philip (25 March 2022). "Former Plymouth Conservative councillor to stand as independent". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  23. ↑ Simpson, Zhara (30 March 2022). "Plymouth Labour party out to stop bus shelter closures". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  24. 1 2 Churm, Philip (1 April 2022). "Plymouth council leader facing questions over leaked phone calls". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  25. ↑ Eve, Carl (4 April 2022). "Deputy Mayor calls for new council leader to be suspended". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  26. ↑ Churm, Philip (5 April 2022). "Senior Tory says 'shut up and grow up' after leader's comments". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  27. ↑ Churm, Philip (12 April 2022). "Council leader says we 'shouldn't worry about climate change'". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  28. ↑ "Tory councillor dismisses climate and says we can adapt to 'barren, sandy landscapes'". The Independent. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  29. ↑ Churm, Philip (13 April 2022). "Council leader insists climate change is a concern". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  30. ↑ Eve, Carl (22 April 2022). "Councillors claim smear campaign against new leader". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  31. ↑ Clark, Daniel (6 April 2022). "Full list of candidates for Plymouth Council local elections". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  32. 1 2 Eve, Carl; Clark, Daniel (6 May 2022). "Plymouth City Council remains under no overall control". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  33. ↑ "Plymouth election results 2022: City council under no overall control". BBC News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  34. ↑ Johnson, James (6 May 2022). "Plymouth's first trans councillor says it is 'amazing'". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  35. ↑ Clark, Daniel; Churm, Philip (16 May 2022). "Plymouth's first Green councillor rules out alliance". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  36. ↑ Eve, Carl (16 May 2022). "Independent Plymouth councillor says he has gone Green". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  37. ↑ Eve, Carl (12 May 2022). "City council leader inviting Independents into Tory fold". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  38. ↑ Eve, Carl; Churm, Philip (15 May 2022). "Eight independents who hold the balance of power in Plymouth". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  39. ↑ Eve, Carl (17 May 2022). "Conservatives back in charge of Plymouth Council". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
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