Ashford Borough Council elections

Ashford Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Ashford in Kent, England. The council is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2019, 47 councillors have been elected from 39 wards.^[1]

Political control

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1973 has been held by the following parties:^[2]

Party in control		Years
	No overall control	1973–1976
	Conservative	1976–1979
	No overall control	1979–1983
	Conservative	1983–1995
	No overall control	1995–2003
	Conservative	2003–2022
	No overall control^[3]	2022–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1999 have been:^[4]

Councillor		From	To
Paul Clokie	Conservative	1999	13 May 2010
Paul Bartlett	Conservative	13 May 2010	9 Nov 2010
Peter Wood	Conservative	9 Nov 2010	1 Mar 2013
Gerry Clarkson	Conservative	18 Apr 2013	7 May 2023
Noel Ovenden	Ashford Ind.	30 May 2023

Council elections

1973 Ashford Borough Council election
1976 Ashford Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)^[5]
1979 Ashford Borough Council election
1983 Ashford Borough Council election
1987 Ashford Borough Council election
1991 Ashford Borough Council election
1995 Ashford Borough Council election
1999 Ashford Borough Council election
2003 Ashford Borough Council election (New ward boundaries reduced the number of seats by 6)^[6]^[7]
2007 Ashford Borough Council election
2011 Ashford Borough Council election
2015 Ashford Borough Council election
2019 Ashford Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)^[8]
2023 Ashford Borough Council election

Borough result maps

2003 results map
2007 results map
2011 results map
2015 result map
2019 results map
2023 results map

By-election results

1995-1999

Tenterden East By-Election 11 December 1997
Party		Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	387	58.9	−3.7
	Liberal Democrats	147	22.4	−15.0
	Labour	123	18.7	+18.7
Majority		240	36.5
Turnout		657
	Conservative hold	Swing

2003-2007

Charing By-Election 16 February 2006^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gerald Clarkson	419	71.7	+4.3
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Heuch	126	21.6	−11.0
	Labour	Malcolm Horton	39	6.7	+6.7
Majority			293	50.1
Turnout			584	30.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

2011-2015

Beaver by-election 24 November 2011^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Cengizhan Cerit	249	27.69
	Liberal Democrats	Jack Cowen	173	19.24
	Ashford Ind.	Laura Lawrence	111	12.34
	Green	Mark Reed	26	2.89
	Labour	Rebecca Rutter	336	37.37
Majority			87	9.67
Turnout			899	20.5	−13.25
	Labour hold

Tenterden South by-election 12 July 2012 ^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dara Farrell	36	5.92	+5.92
	Conservative	Jill Hutchinson	277	45.55	−12.28
	Ashford Ind.	Roy Isworth	179	29.44	−11.02
	UKIP	Thomas Taylor	72	11.84	+11.84
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Took	40	6.57	+6.57
Majority			98	16.11	−1.26
Turnout			608	31.13	−17.48
	Conservative hold

Beaver by-election 28 February 2013^[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jill Britcher	296	35.83	−1.54
	Liberal Democrats	Jack Cowen	79	9.56	−9.68
	Independent	John Holland	34	4.11	+4.11
	Ashford Ind.	Palma Laughton	85	10.29	−2.05
	Conservative	Jane Martin	158	19.12	−8.57
	Green	Mark Reed	19	2.3	−0.59
	UKIP	Angharad Yeo	155	18.76	+18.76
Majority			138	16.7	+7.03
Turnout			826	19.4	−1.1
	Labour hold

Saxon Shore by-election 2 May 2013 ^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UKIP	Christopher Cooper	410	27.66
	Conservative	Jane Martin	759	51.21
	Green	Geoffrey Meaden	129	8.7
	Labour	Thomas Reed	174	11.74
Majority			349	23.54
Turnout			1482	35.67	−16.98
	Conservative hold

Wye by-election 6 March 2014 ^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Ken Blanshard	13	1.73	−7.07
	Conservative	Ian Cooling	240	31.95	−6.82
	UKIP	Elaine Evans	97	12.91	+3.32
	Labour	Dylan Jones	22	2.92	−8.15
	Green	Geoffrey Meaden	55	7.32	+7.32
	Ashford Ind.	Noel Ovenden	323	43	+4.23
Majority			83	11.05
Turnout			751	41	−14.46
	Ashford Ind. gain from Conservative		Swing

The 2014 Wye by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Steve Wright.

2015-2019

Aylesford Green by-election 19 November 2015^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Adrian Gee-Turner	42	8.91	+8.91
	Conservative	Alexander Howard	110	23.35	−20.27
	Ashford Ind.	Christine Kathawick-Smith	92	19.53	+19.53
	Labour	Gordon Miller	106	22.5	−30.92
	Green	Thom Pizzey	10	2.12	+2.12
	UKIP	Harriet Yeo	109	23.14	+23.14
Majority			1	0.21
Turnout			471	19.01	−34.67
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Beaver by-election 4 August 2016^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	UKIP	Ryan Macpherson	373	42.1	+11.6
	Labour	Caroline Harris	243	27.4	−3.3
	Conservative	Jo Gideon	240	27.1	+0.2
	Green	Liz Wright	31	3.5	−3.8
Majority			130	14.7
Turnout			890	21.3	−34.64
	UKIP gain from Labour		Swing

The 2016 Beaver by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Jill Britcher.

Victoria by-election 8 June 2017^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	James Galloway	260	11.04
	UKIP	Serge Goldenberg-Kosbab	181	7.68
	Green	Maria Pizzey	99	4.2
	Conservative	David Robey	753	31.98
	Labour	John Charles Suddards	1052	44.68
Majority			299	12.7
Turnout			2354	56.81	−0.29
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Bockhanger by-election 8 June 2017^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Euan Anckorn	415	31.27	−1.2
	Green	Steve Campkin	97	7.3	+7.3
	Conservative	Simon Howard-Smith	697	52.52	+12
	UKIP	Liah Macpherson	113	8.51	+8.51
Majority			282	21.25	+10.7
Turnout			1327	64.07	+1.92
	Conservative hold		Swing

Kennington by-election 25 October 2018^[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ashford Ind.	Ian McAllister Anderson	227	38.02	+23.1
	Conservative	Nathan Iliffe	247	41.37	−6.6
	Labour	Dylan Jones	85	14.23	+6
	Green	Peter Morgan	36	6	+6
Majority			20	3.35
Turnout			597	32.8	−43.25
	Conservative hold		Swing

The 2018 Kennington by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Phil Sims.

2019-2023

Downs North by-election 18 July 2019^[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ashford Ind.	Rachael Carley	67	10.38	+10.38
	Conservative	Charles Dehnel	229	35.5	−11.9
	Liberal Democrats	Adrian Gee-Turner	70	10.85	−7.8
	Green	Geoffery Meaden	190	29.45	+5.9
	UKIP	Philip Meads	22	3.41	+3.41
	Labour	Carly Ruppert Lingham	17	2.63	−7.7
	Independent	Sarah Williams	49	7.59	+7.59
Majority			39	6
Turnout			645	32.52	−3.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

The 2019 Downs North by-election was triggered by the death of Councillor Stephen Dehnel.

Park Farm North by-election 12 March 2020^[21]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ashford Ind.	Trish Cornish	247	60.2	+60.2
	Labour	Garry Harrison	29	7	−12.9
	Conservative	Aline Hicks	115	28	−33.5
	Green	Thom Pizzey	11	2.6	+2.6
	Liberal Democrats	Samuel Strolz	8	1.9	−16.7
Majority			132	32.1
Turnout			410	22.05	−5.2
	Ashford Ind. gain from Conservative		Swing

The 2020 Park Farm North by-election was triggered by the election of Councillor Jo Gideon to the UK Parliament as MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central.

Beaver by-election 6 May 2021^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Trevor Brooks	469	41.9
	Independent	Garry Harrison	105	9.4
	Labour	Dylan Jones	402	36
	Green	Thom Pizzey	70	6.2
	Liberal Democrats	Jacqueline Stamp	64	5.7
Majority			66	5.9
Turnout			1115	23.47	−0.6
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

The 2021 Beaver by-election was triggered by the death of Councillor Alex Ward.

Downs North by-election 19 August 2021^[23]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Geoffery Meaden	273	51.8	+20.8
	Liberal Democrats	Carol Wilcox	15	2.8	−8.6
	Conservative	Sarah Williams	239	45.5	+7.9
Majority			34	6.4
Turnout			529	25.96	−5.6
	Green gain from Conservative		Swing

The 2021 Downs North by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Charles Dehnel.

Highfield by-election 16 December 2021^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ashford Ind.	Barry Ball	101	21.1	−7
	Green	Dawnie Nilsson	191	39.9	+21.5
	Labour	Terry Pavlou	23	4.8	+4.8
	Conservative	James Ransley	163	34.1	−6.5
Majority			28	5.8%
Turnout			478	23.66	−11.39
	Green gain from Conservative		Swing

The 2021 Highfield by-election was triggered by the death of Councillor Gerald White.

2023-2027

Aylesford & East Stour by-election 17 October 2024^[25]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Green	Thom Pizzey	299	31.6	+2.8
	Labour	Rena Mathew	293	31.0	−1.2
	Reform UK	Brian Collins	216	22.9
	Conservative	Jac Wood	111	11.7	−2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Alexander Coxall	26	2.8
Majority			6	0.6
Turnout			945	21
	Green gain from Labour		Swing

The 2024 Aylesford & East Stour by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Sojan Joseph following their election as MP for Ashford.

References

^ "Role of a Councillor". Ashford.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
^ "England council elections". BBC News Online. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
^ Jee, Alex (27 May 2022). "Conservatives lose control of Ashford Borough Council after Tenterden representative Callum Knowles becomes independent". Kent Online. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
^ "Council minutes". Ashford Borough Council. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
^ legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Ashford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.
^ "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
^ legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Ashford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
^ legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Ashford (Electoral Changes) Order 2017. Retrieved on 27 December 2022.
^ "Declaration of result of poll" (PDF). Ashford Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
^ John, Bunnett (25 November 2011). "Declaration of Result of Poll - Election of a Borough Councillor for Beaver (Ashford) Ward" (PDF). Ashford Borough Council.
^ Election of a Borough Councillor for Tenterden South ashford.gov.uk
^ Election of a Borough Councillor for Beaver (Ashford) ashford.gov.uk
^ Election of a Borough Councillor for Saxon Shore ashford.gov.uk
^ Election of a Borough Councillor for Wye Ward ashford.gov.uk
^ Election of a Borough Councillor for Aylesford Green (Ashford) ashford.gov.uk
^ "Beaver Ward by-election: Ukip steals labour seat in Ashford". 4 August 2016.
^ Election of a Borough Councillor for Victoria (Ashford) ashford.gov.uk
^ Election of a Borough Councillor for Bockhanger (Ashford) ashford.gov.uk
^ Election of a Borough Councillor for Kennington (Ashford) Ward of Ashford Borough Council ashford.gov.uk
^ Election of a Borough Councillor for Downs North ashford.gov.uk
^ Election results ashford.gov.uk
^ "View the 2021 Beaver Ward Election results".
^ Declaration of results ashford.gov.uk
^ Declaration of by-election results ashford.gov.uk
^ [1] ashford.gov.uk

By-election results Archived 29 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Ashford Borough Council

[role-1] "Role of a Councillor". Ashford.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2011.

[glance-2] "England council elections". BBC News Online. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.

[3] Jee, Alex (27 May 2022). "Conservatives lose control of Ashford Borough Council after Tenterden representative Callum Knowles becomes independent". Kent Online. Retrieved 26 July 2022.

[4] "Council minutes". Ashford Borough Council. Retrieved 26 July 2022.

[5] slation.gov.uk - The Borough of Ashford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.

[gain-6] "Local elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 22 May 2011.

[7] slation.gov.uk - The Borough of Ashford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.

[8] slation.gov.uk - The Borough of Ashford (Electoral Changes) Order 2017. Retrieved on 27 December 2022.

[charing-9] "Declaration of result of poll" (PDF). Ashford Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.

[10] John, Bunnett (25 November 2011). "Declaration of Result of Poll - Election of a Borough Councillor for Beaver (Ashford) Ward" (PDF). Ashford Borough Council.

[11] Election of a Borough Councillor for Tenterden South ashford.gov.uk

[12] Election of a Borough Councillor for Beaver (Ashford) ashford.gov.uk

[13] Election of a Borough Councillor for Saxon Shore ashford.gov.uk

[14] Election of a Borough Councillor for Wye Ward ashford.gov.uk

[15] Election of a Borough Councillor for Aylesford Green (Ashford) ashford.gov.uk

[16] "Beaver Ward by-election: Ukip steals labour seat in Ashford". 4 August 2016.

[17] Election of a Borough Councillor for Victoria (Ashford) ashford.gov.uk

[18] Election of a Borough Councillor for Bockhanger (Ashford) ashford.gov.uk

[19] Election of a Borough Councillor for Kennington (Ashford) Ward of Ashford Borough Council ashford.gov.uk

[20] Election of a Borough Councillor for Downs North ashford.gov.uk

[21] Election results ashford.gov.uk

[22] "View the 2021 Beaver Ward Election results".

[23] Declaration of results ashford.gov.uk

[24] Declaration of by-election results ashford.gov.uk

[25] [1] ashford.gov.uk

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v t e Council elections in Kent
Kent County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1965 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021
Ashford Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Canterbury City Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Dartford Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Dover District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Folkestone & Hythe District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Gravesham Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Maidstone Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Medway Council	1997 2000 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Sevenoaks District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Swale Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2015 2019 2023
Thanet District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Rochester-upon-Medway City Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 Abolished
Gillingham Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes