Weymouth and Portland Borough Council elections

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council in Dorset, England existed from 1974 to 2019. One-third of the council was elected each year, followed by one year where there was an election to Dorset County Council instead. The council was abolished and subsumed into Dorset Council in 2019.

Political control

The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority prior to the district coming into effect the following year. From 1973 until its abolition in 2019 political control of the council was held by the following parties:^[1]

Party in control		Years
	Labour	1973–1976
	Conservative	1976–1980
	No overall control	1980–2019

Leadership

The role of mayor was largely ceremonial at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. Political leadership was instead provided by the chair of the management committee, sometimes referred to as the leader of the council. The leaders from 2002 until the council's abolition in 2019 were:^[2]

Councillor		From	To
Anne Thomas	Labour	2002	2004
Brian Ellis	Liberal Democrats	2004	2007
Nigel Reed	Conservative	2007	2008
Mike Goodman	Conservative	2008	2010
Geoff Petherick	Conservative	2010	2011
Mike Goodman	Conservative	2011	2014
Mike Byatt	Labour	2014	May 2015
Ian Bruce	Conservative	May 2015	May 2016
Jeff Cant	Conservative	May 2016	31 Mar 2019

Party representation

Date	Election						Full council
Date	Con	Lab	LD	Ind	UKIP	Gr	Con	Lab	LD	Ind	UKIP	Gr
Jun 2004	8	9	14	5	–	–	8	9	14	5	–	–
May 2006	5	2	3	2	–	–	11	7	13	5	–	–
Jun 2006	By-Election: LD to Con						12	7	12	5	–	–
May 2007	7	1	3	1	–	–	14	6	11	5	–	–
Feb 2008	Death of councillor						14	6	10	5	–	–
May 2008	4	1	7	1	–	–	16	4	12	4	–	–
2008	Defection: Ind to Con						17	4	12	3	–	–
2008	Defection: LD to Con						18	4	11	3	–	–
Oct 2008	Defection: LD to Con						19	4	10	3	–	–
Dec 2009	By-Election: Con to Lab						18	5	10	3	–	–
May 2010	7	2	2	1	–	–	18	5	11	2	–	–
May 2011	6	3	2	1	–	–	17	7	10	2	–	–
May 2011	Defection: Con to Ind						16	7	10	3	–	–
May 2012	2	6	4	–	–	–	14	11	8	3	–	–
May 2013	By-Election: Con to Lab						13	12	8	3	–	–
May 2014	4	5	1	1	1	–	11	15	7	2	1	–
Mar 2015	Defection: Lab to Ind						11	14	7	3	1	–
May 2015	9	1	1	1	–	–	14	13	6	2	1	–
May 2016	1	7	4	–	–	1	14	12	6	2	1	1
Dec 2016	Defection: Con to Gr						13	12	6	2	1	2
May 2017	By-election: LD to Con						14	12	5	2	1	2
Dec 2017 - May 2018	By-election: Ind to Con Defection: UKIP to Con By-election: Gr to Con						16	12	5	2	0	1

Council elections

Borough result maps

2012 results map
2014 results map
2015 results map
2016 results map

By-elections

1998-2002

Westham North By-Election 4 October 2001
Party		Votes	%	±%
	Labour	517	49.9	+19.4
	Liberal Democrats	342	33.0	−14.1
	Conservative	178	17.2	−5.2
Majority		175	16.9
Turnout		1,037	27.7
	Labour gain from Liberal Democrats	Swing

2002-2006

Wey Valley By-Election 14 October 2004^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kevin Brookes	497	41.3	−1.9
	Labour		408	33.9	+1.1
	Liberal Democrats		299	24.8	+0.8
Majority			89	7.4
Turnout			1,204	44.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

2006-2010

Westham North By-Election 22 June 2006
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ian Bruce	436	35.0	+11.3
	Labour		412	33.1	−5.2
	Liberal Democrats	Ray Banham	340	27.3	−10.7
	Independent		58	4.7	+4.7
Majority			24	1.9
Turnout				45.5
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing

A by-election was held in Wyke Regis ward on 10 December 2009 following the death of councillor Doug Hollings (Conservative).

Wyke Regis By-Election 10 December 2009^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kate Wheller	579	40.1	+3.9
	Conservative	Helen Glavin	486	33.7	−30.1
	Liberal Democrats	Trefor Morgan	268	18.6	+18.6
	Citizen's Action Party	Richard Denton-White	111	7.7	+7.7
Majority			93	6.4
Turnout			1,444	33.4
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

2010-2014

A by-election was held in Melbombe Regis ward on 16 May 2013 following the death of councillor Peter Farrell (Conservative) in April 2013.^[10] Farrell had been elected in May 2012 and so the election was for the period May 2013 to May 2016.

Melbombe Regis By-Election 16 May 2013
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Stewart Pearson	279
	Conservative	Andrew Manvell	258
	Independent	James Williamson	204
	Liberal Democrats	Stephanie Taylor	170
	Green	Jonathan Orrell	143
Majority			21
Turnout			1,058	21.24
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

2014-2019

A by-election was held in Wey Valley ward on 20 October 2016 following the resignation of Cory Russell (Conservative).

Wey Valley By-Election 20 October 2016
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tony Ferrari	475	62.3	+0.4
	Liberal Democrats	Robin Vaughan	118	15.5	N/A
	Labour	Grafton Straker	96	12.6	−9.8
	Green	James Askew	74	9.7	−6.1
Majority			357	46.8
Turnout			764	27.25
	Conservative hold		Swing

A by-election was held in Westham East ward on 4 May 2017 following the resignation of councillor Sally Maslin (Liberal Democrats).^[11]

Westham East By-Election 4 May 2017
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Mike Byatt	294
	Liberal Democrats	Andreas Scheffler	270
	Green	Caz Dennett	260
	Labour	David Joseph Greenhalf	236
Majority			24
Turnout
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats		Swing

A by-election was held in Tophill East ward on 8 February 2018 following the resignation of councillor David Hawkins (Independent).^[12]

Tophill East By-Election 8 February 2018^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Katharine Garcia	362	46.9	+16.7
	Labour	Becky Blake	354	45.9	+23.0
	Green	Sara Harpley	56	7.3	−5.3
Majority			8	1.0
Turnout			772
	Conservative gain from Independent		Swing

A by-election was held in Tophill West ward on 8 February 2018 following the resignation of councillor Jason Webb (Conservative).^[12]

Tophill West By-Election 8 February 2018^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kerry Baker	511	53.8	+13.7
	Labour	Giovanna Lewis	356	37.5	−22.4
	Green	Carole Timmons	82	8.6	+8.6
Majority			155	16.3
Turnout			949
	Conservative hold		Swing

Green councillor Claudia Moore (Weymouth West, elected as a Conservative) resigned from the council on 20 December 2017.^[15] The vacancy was originally going to be left to be filled in the scheduled on-third election on 3 May 2018. However, following the government's approval of the Dorset mergers with first elections 2 May 2019,^[16] the election was cancelled and the by-election for Weymouth West was called for 3 May 2018.^[7]

Weymouth West By-Election 3 May 2018^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Nickinson	558	39.3	+2.4
	Green	Val Graves	508	35.8	+16.2
	Labour	David Greenhalf	354	24.9	−18.7
Majority			50	3.5
Turnout			1,420
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

^ "Weymouth & Portland". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
^ "Council minutes". Dorset Council. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Weymouth and Portland (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1978. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.
^ "Weymouth and Portland council". BBC Online. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
^ legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Weymouth and Portland (Electoral Changes) Order 2002. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
^ legislation.gov.uk - The Borough of Weymouth and Portland (Electoral Changes) (Amendment) Order 2003. Retrieved on 3 November 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Weymouth & Portland area elections and referendums". www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^ "Twin council win for Tories". The Guardian. London. 15 October 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
^ "Red Kate has taken the Wyke Regis seat". Dorset Echo. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
^ Rachael Burnett (3 April 2013). "Tributes paid to councillor Peter Farrell". Dorset Echo.
^ "Weymouth & Portland Borough Council - previous elections". www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^ ^a ^b Boothroyd, David (29 December 2017). "MORE THAN THE SNP CAN BEAR IN BEARSDEN". Local Councils. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Tophill East Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Tophill West Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
^ "Councillor details - Councillor Claudia Moore". moderngovdcp.dorsetforyou.gov.uk. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^ "Local Government Policy: Written statement - HCWS486". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Tophill West Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2023.

By-election results

External links

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council

[change-1] "Weymouth & Portland". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2009.

[2] "Council minutes". Dorset Council. Retrieved 2 July 2022.

[3] slation.gov.uk - The Borough of Weymouth and Portland (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1978. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.

[weymouth-4] "Weymouth and Portland council". BBC Online. Retrieved 4 May 2008.

[5] slation.gov.uk - The Borough of Weymouth and Portland (Electoral Changes) Order 2002. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.

[6] slation.gov.uk - The Borough of Weymouth and Portland (Electoral Changes) (Amendment) Order 2003. Retrieved on 3 November 2015.

[Weymouth_&_Portland_area_elections-7] "Weymouth & Portland area elections and referendums". www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2018.

[twin-8] "Twin council win for Tories". The Guardian. London. 15 October 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2009.

[wyke-9] "Red Kate has taken the Wyke Regis seat". Dorset Echo. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2009.

[10] Rachael Burnett (3 April 2013). "Tributes paid to councillor Peter Farrell". Dorset Echo.

[11] "Weymouth & Portland Borough Council - previous elections". www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2018.

[booth-12] Boothroyd, David (29 December 2017). "MORE THAN THE SNP CAN BEAR IN BEARSDEN". Local Councils. Retrieved 14 December 2023.

[13] "Local Elections Archive Project — Tophill East Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2023.

[14] "Local Elections Archive Project — Tophill West Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2023.

[15] "Councillor details - Councillor Claudia Moore". moderngovdcp.dorsetforyou.gov.uk. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.

[16] "Local Government Policy: Written statement - HCWS486". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 April 2018.

[17] "Local Elections Archive Project — Tophill West Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2023.

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v t e Council elections in Dorset
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council	2019 2023
Dorset Council	2019 2024
Dorset County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 Abolished
Bournemouth Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1996 1998 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 Abolished
Christchurch Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 Abolished
East Dorset District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 Abolished
North Dorset District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 Abolished
Poole Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1996 1998 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 Abolished
Purbeck District 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 Abolished
West Dorset District Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1984 1986 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 Abolished
Weymouth and Portland 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 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes