Local elections 2024: round-up

By David Grantham, 4 May 2024

A special issue today, bringing a round-up of the local election results for Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, where no party is in overall control. The Conservatives are the largest party with 18 of the 45 seats.

The other results announced at Donyings on Friday were for the Surrey Police & Crime Commissioner election, where Reigate & Banstead was acting as lead local authority in collating and announcing the result. Lisa Townsend (Conservative) was re-elected, gathering 95,538 votes across Surrey. Paul Kennedy (Lib Dem) mounted a strong challenge with 82,213 votes, while Kate Chinn (Labour) got 42,813 and Alex Coley (Independent) 42,052. The BBC has an article here (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

• Lisa Townsend speaking after her re-election as Surrey Police & Crime Commissioner. At right in the photo is returning officer Mari Roberts-Wood.

Conservatives lose borough seats

• Counting took place on Friday 3 May at Donyngs leisure centre, Redhill

This year’s Reigate & Banstead elections saw the Conservatives lose 4 of their 22 seats on the borough council.

Two of them were taken by the Greens (Hooley, Merstham & Netherne and Horley East & Salfords), one of them by Labour (Redhill West & Wray Common) and another one by the Liberal Democrats (Horley West & Sidlow).

In Reigate, Conservative councillor Michael Blacker successfully defended his seat against the Liberal Democrats’ Jemma De Vincenzo in a relatively close race.

With the council having a total of 45 members, no party has overall control.

There are now 18 Conservatives, 13 Greens, 6 Residents, 4 Liberal Democrats, 2 Labour and 2 independents.

The question of who will run the authority will be formally decided at the next council meeting, on 23 May, and will likely depend on some measure of deal-making between the parties.

A third of council seats were up for election this year, one in each of the 15 three-member wards. One ward also had a vacancy, meaning 16 seats in total were contested.

Detailed results for each ward are set out below. (Note: changes to party share of the vote are shown against the last election in the ward in 2023, where one or more candidates would have been different.)

Banstead Village (Conservative hold)

Executive member Cllr Nadean Moses retained her seat for the Conservatives with more than 60% of the vote.

Chipstead, Kingswood and Woodmansterne (Conservative hold)

Shelly Newton won what had been the seat of Conservative councillor (and executive member) Caroline Neame who was not standing at this election.

Earlswood & Whitebushes (Green hold)

Gillian Vischer of the Greens won what had been the seat of fellow Green Joseph Booton who was not standing this time.

Hooley, Merstham and Netherne (Green gain)

Green candidate Joel Gabriel captured the seat of sitting Conservative councillor Frank Kelly, a former mayor.

Reform UK also stood for election here, having not done so last year.

Horley Central and South (Conservative hold)

This had been the seat of Conservative councillor Christian Stevens, but he was standing elsewhere this time.

The seat remained in the hands of the Conservatives, through Giorgio Buttironi, who moved over from another Horley ward where he was a sitting Conservative councillor.

Reform UK stood here last year, but not this time.

Horley East and Salfords (Green gain)

Green candidate Neha Boghani took this seat, which had been that of Conservative councillor Andrew King who was not standing this time.

Horley West and Sidlow (Lib Dem gain)

This had been the seat of sitting Conservative councillor Giorgio Buttironi but he was standing in another Horley ward this time.

Steve Wotton won the seat for the Liberal Democrats, ahead of Conservative challenger Sujata Das.

Labour had been hopeful of winning this seat, Tom Turner having come a strong second last year, but the Liberal Democrats’ Steve Wotton moved from third place to first.

Lower Kingswood, Tadworth and Walton (Independent hold)

This was a keenly watched election as earlier this year Councillor Zelanie Cooper, previously elected as a Conservative, decided to sit as an independent, depriving the Conservatives of their majority (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) in the council chamber.

Would she win this election as an independent? Yes, but only by a fairly tight margin over Conservative Tim Peniston-Bird.

Meadvale & St John’s (Lib Dem hold)

Sitting councillor Martin Elbourne held on to this seat for the Liberal Democrats, against challenger Conservative Jonathan White who has previously been a councillor in the ward.

Nork (Resident hold)

Cllr Peter Harp retained his seat for Nork Residents with a comfortable margin of victory.

Redhill East (Green hold)

Councillor Sue Sinden retained her seat for the Greens with over 60% of the vote.

Redhill West and Wray Common (Labour gain)

Last year this ward saw Mark Smith win a seat for Labour in a change to the political landscape in the centre of the borough.

This time fellow party member Jenny Orchard took another seat, doubling Labour’s numbers on the council.

This had been the seat of Conservative councillor and executive member Kanika Sachdeva, but she was not standing this time.

Reigate (Conservative hold)

Conservative councillor Michael Blacker successfully defended his seat.

The Liberal Democrats had hoped to win here, but their candidate, Jemma De Vincenzo, who also stood last year, finished with 1,007 votes against Michael Blacker’s 1,090.

The order of the parties remained as it did in 2023, although the Greens also saw a rise in vote share.

South Park & Woodhatch (Green hold)

Green councillor Paul Chandler successfully defended his seat here.

Second place went to Conservative challenger Christian Stevens, who had been a sitting councillor in a ward in Horley.

Reform UK fielded a candidate in this ward, in contrast to last year when they did not.

Tattenham Corner & Preston (Resident hold x 2)

Two seats previously belonging to Tattenham & Preston Residents Association councillors were up for grabs here: Bob Harper (who was due for election this year but did not stand) and Jill Bray (who stood down as a councillor in March having moved away from the area).

Tim Snuggs and Barry Nash comfortably kept the seats in the hands of the Residents.

Although this was a two-seat election, only one Green stood this time.

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