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2021 Portsmouth City Council election

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2021 Portsmouth City Council election

← 2019 6 May 2021 2022 →

14 of the 42 seats to Portsmouth City Council
22 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Con
Lab
Leader Donna Jones (outgoing) Gerald Vernon-Jackson George Fielding
Party Conservative Liberal Democrats Labour
Leader's seat Hilsea (retiring) Milton Central Southsea
Seats before 15 17 6
Seats won 5 6 2
Seats after 16 15 7
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 2 Increase 1
Popular vote 17,230 12,713 13,392
Percentage 36% 26.6% 28%
Swing Increase 12.1% Decrease 2.6% Increase 3%

Map showing the results of the 2021 Portsmouth City Council election

Council control before election

No Overall Control (Lib Dem minority)

Council control after election

No Overall Control (Lib Dem minority)

Elections to Portsmouth City Council took place on Thursday 6 May 2021, alongside other local elections across the country.

The seats contested in this election were last contested in 2016. The election was originally due to take place on 7 May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] One seat from each ward will be up for election.

Background

[edit]

Elections to Portsmouth council since 2012 have proven to have volatile and changing results, with eleven of the city’s fourteen wards voting for different parties each year.[2] Following the 2018 election in Portsmouth, Gerald Vernon-Jackson became leader of the council and has led the council in a minority administration.[3]

Changes between 2019 and 2021

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Immediately after the previous elections, in May 2019, the composition of the council was:

In July 2019, a Liberal Democrat councillor, Jeanette Smith, who was elected in 2018 quit the party. She had been a member of the Lib Dems for two years, having previously been a member of the Labour Party.[4]

In September 2019, Jeanette Smith and one of the other independent councillors, Claire Udy, who had run for election as a member of the Labour Party but had quit shortly before the election, after nominations were closed, citing a lack of support from the local party while under investigation by the National Executive Committee,[5][6] formed a new grouping called the Progressive Portsmouth People group.[7]

In April 2020, Conservative councillor Lee Mason was suspended from the party, after baking a hot cross bun that appeared to have a swastika "emblazoned" on it over Easter.[8] He was reinstated in August 2020.[9]

In June 2020, Conservative councillor Linda Symes was suspended from the party, after appearing to question why there were demonstrations over the murder of George Floyd during the Black Lives Matter protests and yet not over the murder of Lee Rigby or the killing of seven-year-old Emily Jones. Although she insisted she was 'not being racist' and that 'every life matters’. In another post on Facebook, Symes shared a comment about the mayor of London which said: "Because of his ethnicity Khan (Sadiq) will remain Mayor."[10][11]

As of October 2020, the composition of the council was as follows:

Results summary

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2021 Portsmouth City Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Conservative 5 Increase 1 35.7 11 16 38.1 17,230 36.0 +11.1
  Liberal Democrats 6 Decrease 2 42.9 9 15 35.7 12,713 26.6 -2.6
  Labour 2 Steady 14.3 5 7 16.7 13,392 28.0 +2.9
  Independent 1 Increase 1 7.1 3 4 9.5 1,787 3.7 N/A
  Green 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 2,371 5.0 -0.8
  TUSC 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 191 0.4 New
  NHA 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 100 0.2 -0.5
  Workers Party 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 49 0.1 New

Results by ward

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Comparisons for the purpose of determining a gain, hold or loss of a seat, and for all percentage changes, is to the last time these specific seats were up for election in 2016. An asterisk indicates the incumbent councillor.

Baffins

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Baffins
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Darren Sanders* 1,737 47.1 −0.4
Conservative Tom Collins 1,066 28.9 +10.2
Labour Jason Christopher 640 17.4 +1.7
Green Bob Simmonds 246 6.7 N/A
Majority 671 18.19
Turnout 3,689 33.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Central Southsea

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Central Southsea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charlotte Gerada 1,740 42.3 +18.2
Liberal Democrats Steve Pitt* 1,611 39.2 −1.7
Conservative Charles Douglas 570 13.9 +1.9
Green Tamara Groen 191 4.6 −8.7
Majority 129 3.14
Turnout 4,112 34.4
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

Charles Dickens

[edit]
Charles Dickens
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Kirsty Mellor 1,183 45.6 +11.7
Conservative Renu Raj 713 27.5 +17.2
Liberal Democrats Yahiya Chowdhury 600 23.1 −8.6
TUSC Chris Pickett 97 3.7 N/A
Majority 470 18.13
Turnout 2,593 19.3
Labour hold Swing

Copnor

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Copnor
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lewis Gosling 1,636 53.2 +17.3
Labour Mary Vallely 805 26.2 −2.8
Green Tim Sheerman-Chase 326 10.6 N/A
Liberal Democrats Bobby Tera 307 10.0 +0.4
Majority 831 27.0
Turnout 3,074 31.6
Conservative hold Swing

Cosham

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Cosham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Matt Atkins* 1,668 48.3 +7.1
Labour Asghar Shah 1,252 35.2 +6.3
Liberal Democrats David Fuller 333 9.6 +0.9
Independent Mike Jerome 103 3.0 N/A
NHA Veronika Wagner 100 2.9 N/A
Majority 416 13.04
Turnout 3,456 33.78
Conservative hold Swing

Drayton and Farlington

[edit]
Drayton and Farlington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ryan Brent 2,707 68.4 +13.4
Labour David Simpson 776 19.6 −0.8
Liberal Democrats Duncan Garland 475 12.0 +2.8
Majority 1,931 48.8
Turnout 3,958 38.2
Conservative hold Swing

Eastney and Craneswater

[edit]
Eastney and Craneswater
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Smith 1,654 37.8 +3.2
Liberal Democrats Matthew Winnington* 1,292 29.5 −13.8
Labour Craig Withey 1,139 26.0 +12.4
Green Menno Groen 289 6.6 −1.9
Majority 362 8.3
Turnout 4,374 45.0
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +8.5

Fratton

[edit]
Fratton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stuart Brown 1,029 35.2 +3.2
Labour Nikki Coles 977 33.5 +6.3
Conservative Paul Sweeney 712 24.4 +11.2
Green Ken Hawkins 154 5.3 −0.6
Workers Party Joey Smith 49 1.7 N/A
Majority 52 1.78
Turnout 2,921 27.6
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Hilsea

[edit]
Hilsea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Daniel Wemyss 1,763 58.2 +3.6
Labour Julian Lewis 783 25.9 −6.2
Liberal Democrats Peter Williams 265 8.8 −4.4
Green Emma Murphy 217 7.2 N/A
Majority 980 32.36
Turnout 3,028 29.7
Conservative hold Swing

Milton

[edit]
Milton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Kimberly Barrett 1,471 37.7 −4.9
Labour Paula Savage 1,251 32.0 +14.4
Conservative Jack Smith 901 23.1 +7.0
Green Sarah Gilbert 283 7.3 −0.4
Majority 220 5.63
Turnout 3,906 37.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Nelson

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Nelson
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Leo Madden* 1,097 43.6 +3.2
Conservative David Cairns 781 31.0 +15.2
Labour Georgia Hancock 495 19.7 −2.6
Green Duncan Robinson 145 5.8 N/A
Majority 316 12.55
Turnout 2,518 24.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Paulsgrove

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Paulsgrove
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent George Madgwick 1,684 49.1 N/A
Conservative Tony Hewitt 1,269 37.0 +13.1
Labour Mark Farwell 397 11.6 −29.7
Liberal Democrats George Brown 81 2.4 −1.7
Majority 415 12.10
Turnout 3,431 33.7
Independent gain from Labour Swing

St Jude

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St Jude
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Hugh Mason* 1,287 35.6 −4.1
Labour Raj Ghosh 1,194 33.1 +16.3
Conservative Stephen Gorys 847 23.5 −3.6
Green Ian McCulloch 283 7.8 0.0
Majority 93 2.58
Turnout 3,611 38.6
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

St Thomas

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St Thomas
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Ian Holder 1,428 42.4 +8.2
Conservative Alicia Denney 943 28.0 +4.7
Labour Rebecca Ozaniec 760 22.6 −0.9
Green Elliott Lee 237 7.0 −0.7
Majority 485 14.40
Turnout 3,368 30.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ "Statement on the UK Government's decision to postpone May's polls". The Electoral Commission. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  2. ^ Andrew Teale (28 April 2019). "Long Read: The 2019 Local Elections". Britain Elects. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Lib Dem Gerald Vernon-Jackson wins Portsmouth council leadership". BBC News. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Portsmouth councillor quits Lib Dems, believing party's decisions not made 'for benefit of community'". 11 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Claire Udy Resignation". Claire Udy. 27 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Claire Udy Statement". Claire Udy. 27 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Independent Portsmouth councillors form own group to 'support local campaigners'". 13 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Tories suspend Portsmouth councillor for baking swastika-like symbol on hot cross bun". 16 April 2020.
  9. ^ "'Swastika' hot cross bun Tory councillor Lee Mason reinstated to Conservative Party". 27 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Tory councillors accused of racist posts on social media". TheGuardian.com. 10 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Portsmouth politician under fire for 'undeniably racist' social media posts". 3 June 2020.