Exeter's key election battles

Analysis ahead of polling day

Political parties are making their last pitches to voters ahead of the local elections in Exeter, with extra focus likely in marginal wards where the result has been tight in recent years.

A total of 13 seats out of 39 are up for grabs: in line with the usual cycle of a third every election year.

It means Labour, which already occupies 18 of the seats not up for grabs, needs to win just two wards to maintain control of the city. Meanwhile, opposition parties are hoping to reduce Labour’s dominance and make gains themselves.

The Greens, currently on five seats, want to add to the three gains made in last year’s election, while the Conservatives – also on five seats – hope to bounce back after losing a seat in 2022.

Ahead of polling day, where just a few votes could make all the difference to which councillors get elected, we predict some key election battles.

Topsham

Last year’s most surprising result came in Topsham, where Labour’s Joshua Ellis-Jones won in the historic Conservative stronghold of Topsham, increasing the party’s share of the vote by 18 percentage points.

Can Labour’s Matthew Williams repeat the trick this time against long-serving Tory councillor, and former lord mayor, Rob Newby?

Newtown & St Leonard’s

Looking to make inroads into other parts of the city, the Green Party is eyeing up Newtown & St Leonard’s, where the current councillor – Independent Jemima Moore – is standing down.

Green candidate Andy Ketchin failed to unseat Labour’s Matthew Vizard here last year, but it was a close contest with less than 200 votes in it. Mr Ketchin is trying his luck again in what looks like a two-horse race against Carol Whitton – leader of the Labour group on Devon County Council.

Pinhoe

Given the national picture, the Tories are likely to focus on defending their existing seats, but one seat they may fancy their chances in is Pinhoe, where Labour’s former lord mayor Trish Oliver is standing down.

She won the seat from Tory Cynthia Thompson by just 15 votes four years ago. Ms Thompson is standing again this time after failing to unseat Labour’s Duncan Wood here last year.

However, Labour have strengthened their grip on the seat at the last two elections, picking up more than 50 per cent of the vote in 2022. Candidate Mollie Miller will be hoping to keep up the winning run.

Heavitree

One standout moment of last year’s election came in Heavitree, where the Greens won two seats from Labour – their first victories outside St David’s.

One of the seats is up for election again this year, and Labour is keen to reclaim it. But it could prove tricky given the Greens have increased their share of the vote in Heavitree at each of the last three elections.

Labour’s share, by contrast, has fallen here in every regular election since 2018.

St Thomas

The ruling Labour party narrowly avoided a shock this time last year when deputy leader Laura Wright defeated Lib Dem Adrian Fullam – former leader of the city council from 2008 to 2010 – by just 44 votes.

Mr Fullam, who was a councillor in St Thomas for 12 years until 2015, is standing again. The sitting councillor, Labour’s Hannah Packham, is standing down, with Deborah Darling hoping to maintain Labour’s clean sweep of all three seats in the ward.

Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Thursday, 4 May. Counting will take place at the Riverside Leisure Centre directly afterwards, meaning we will know the results in the early hours of Friday morning.