THE CONTROL of Worcester City Council has been left hanging in the balance after an election night which saw the Conservatives become the largest party in the Guildhall and a surge of votes for UKIP.
Matt Lacey’s victory in Claines saw the Conservatives take the seat from the Liberal Democrat’s Mel Allcott giving them a total of 17 seats in the chamber.
Labour managed to hold onto all of the seats it was defending, including Jabba Riaz in the Cathedral ward who defected from the Tories last year.
But Labour could lose control of the council if the Conservatives go into a coalition with the city’s only Green Party councillor, Neil Laurenson, something which will be discussed in the coming days.
Support for Nigel Farage’s UKIP party also grew with its candidates coming runner-up in seven of the 11 seats it contested.
UKIP polled second in Battenhall, Bedwardine, Gorse Hill, Rainbow Hill, St John’s, St Peter’s Parish and Warndon – with Labour the main party to suffer.
Council leader, Coun Adrian Gregson, was unsure whether or not it would remain a Labour-led administration.
“We have held all our seats and I think that we have put together a set of policies together and a responsible budget that’s been reflected in the vote.” he said.
“We have now got to talk with our party members and discuss the situation as will no doubt the other parties.
“The Conservatives are the largest group and they will want to have a view about who is in control of the city council and they have every right to have those discussions as well.”
Worcester’s Conservative leader, Coun Simon Geraghty, confirmed he would attempt to have a Conservative led administration in the city again.
“We are obviously very pleased that we have picked up Claines, with a significant majority tonight for a very working candidate and now councillor Matthew Lacey,” he added.
“Obviously that means now that we have got 17 out of the 35 seats, so we are the largest group on the council and what I will be seeking to do is to have discussions with other parties over the coming days to see whether we can have a Conservative led administration in Worcester again.
“It is clear the public now have positively voted again for the Conservatives with just a year to go before the General Elections.
“It also comes at a time when you would expect that Labour would be making gain. But that has not happened as they have been ran very close by UKIP which have had a better night than some people would have expected.
“We will reach out to those parties to say that no one has an absolute right to run this council. No one has an overall majority and therefore it is time for discussion between the parties as to how we move forward.”
The results in full are as follows:
Battenhall Ward – CONSERVATIVE HOLD:
Jackie Burnett (UKIP) – 224
Steve MacKay (Conservative) – 863 – ELECTED
Gaynor Pritchard (Labour) – 205
Louis Stephen (Green Party) – 751
Jennifer Whitwam (British National Party) – 16
Turnout: 50.83 per cent
Bedwardine Ward – CONSERVATIVE HOLD:
Jennifer McConnel (Labour) – 540
Peter McNally (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) – 31
Mike Mullins (Liberal Democrat) – 122
Russell O’Dell (Green Party) – 140
Martyn Wheeler (UKIP) – 637
Timothy Whitwam (British National Party) – 37
David Wilkinson (Conservative) – 956 – ELECTED
Turnout: 38.4 per cent
Cathedral Ward – LABOUR HOLD:
Hazel Finch (UKIP) – 367
Francis Lankester (Conservative) – 1,021
Andrew North (British National Party) – 24
Annie O’Dell (Green Party) – 354
Jabba Riaz (Labour) – 1,219 – ELECTED
Turnout: 38.84 per cent
Claines Ward – CONSERVATIVE GAIN:
Mel Allcott (Liberal Democrat) – 794
Matt Lacey (Conservative) – 1,054 – ELECTED
Robert Lodge (Labour) – 379
Andrew Newman (UKIP) – 509
Peter Robinson (Green Party) – 206
Turnout: TBC
Gorse Hill Ward – LABOUR HOLD:
Ashley Bradley (British National Party) – 31
John Francis (UKIP) – 390
Simon Harrison (Conservative) – 158
Justin Roland (Green Party) -53
Geoff Williams (Labour) – 509 – ELECTED
Turnout: 31.6 per cent
Nunnery Ward – LABOUR HOLD:
Pat Agar (Labour) – 1,107 – ELECTED
Alan Feeney (Conservative) – 570
Carl Mason (British National Party) – 286
Barbara Mitra (Green Party) – 234
Turnout: 36.5 per cent
Rainbow Hill Ward – LABOUR HOLD:
David Barlow (Green Party) – 106
David Carney (UKIP) – 359
Paul Denham (Labour) – 536 – ELECTED
Alan Draper (British National Party) – 36
Lorraine Edmondson (Conservative) – 195
Andrew Morgan (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) – 24
Turnout: TBC
St John Ward – LABOUR HOLD:
Linda Bell (British National Party) – 30
Mark Davies (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) – 29
Richard Delingpole (UKIP) – 521
Cajetan Iwunze (Conservative) – 309
Matthew Lamb (Labour) – 822 – ELECTED
Peter Nielsen (Green Party) – 156
Turnout: 32.5 per cent
St Peter’s Parish Ward – CONSERVATIVE HOLD:
Richard Carter (Labour) – 326
Matthew Jenkins (Green Party) – 122
Mike Johnson (Conservative) – 808 – ELECTED
Oliver Orr (Liberal Democrat) – 48
Brenda Wheeler (UKIP) – 380
Turnout: 37.53 per cent
Warndon Ward – LABOUR HOLD:
Stephen Brohan (Green Party) – 48
Pam Clayton (Conservative) – 160
James Goad (UKIP) – 407
Josephine Hodges (Labour) – 447 – ELECTED
Julie Whitwam (British National Party) – 32
Turnout: TBC
Warndon Parish North Ward – CONSERVATIVE HOLD:
Lawson Cartwright (UKIP) – 321
Stephen Hodgson (Conservative) – 655 – ELECTED
Zac Pritchard (Labour) – 290
Paul Snookes (Green Party) – 159
Turnout: 34.56 per cent
Warndon Parish South Ward – CONSERVATIVE HOLD:
Steve Davis (UKIP) – 329
Barbara Dunn (Labour) – 274
Anita Peplow (Green Party) – 112
Andy Roberts (Conservative) – 798 – ELECTED
Turnout: 35.7 per cent
THE MAKE UP OF WORCESTER CITY COUNCIL IS NOW AS FOLLOWS:
Conservative – 17
Labour – 16
Liberal Democrats – 1
Green Party – 1
