Labour retains control of Exeter City Council

Despite losing a seat to the Greens and an independent

Labour have kept control of Exeter City Council with an increased majority, but it was an Independent win in Heavitree that shared the limelight as the city went to the polls.

Labour gained Topsham from the Conservatives and St Thomas and Pinhoe from Independents, but lost the Newtown and St Leonards seat to the Greens and Heavitree to independent Lucy Haigh.

She had campaigned against the city’s controversial Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme, which has put Heavitree in the headlines in recent months.

She said she was delighted to have been elected and hoped to take the message of the protesters against the car ban to the council chamber.

Thirteen of the city council’s 39 seats were up for grabs.

The Liberal Democrats also had reason to be cheerful after snatching Duryard and St James from Labour. Council leader Phil Bialyk retained his seat in Exwick by a comfortable margin of nearly 700 votes.

He said it showed that the people of Exeter understood what Labour was trying to do on behalf of residents. “We are the political adults in the room,” he said. “We have to look towards Exeter’s future and we are not just about one issue.”

The first ballot boxes arrived at the Riverside Leisure Centre a few minutes after 10pm and a small army of counters got to work verifying the papers and then getting down to the business of counting them.

Party activists with coloured rosettes sat opposite the counters, watching the piles of papers mount.

Candidates paced the hall, taking stock of their progress. Young Green Party candidate Jack Vickers, standing for the Pennsylvania ward, cut an unmissable figure in his vivid green suit.

Yellow and green voting papers tumbled out of the big black ballot boxes as they were emptied – green for the police and crime commissioner election and yellow for the city council. They had to be carefully separated before counting could begin in earnest.

Early predictions were that it could be 1.30am before the first result was declared, but in fact it was 2.45am before returning officer Bindu Arjoon, the city council’s chief executive, declared that Cllr Bialyk had successfully defended his Exwick seat for Labour.

And there was an early success for the Greens, with the first batch of results also containing a win for the party in Newton and St Leonards, where Lynn Wetenhall convincingly took the seat from Labour.

Full results were:

Alphington – HARDING Rob, Labour Party 997; HARRELD Mark Jeffrey, Independent 125; HARRISON, Benn Elliott, The Green Party 289; HORNER Jamie Liam, Liberal Democrat 151; NEW Katherine Helen Judy, The Conservative Party Candidate 606. Turnout 34.24% LAB HOLD

Duryard and St. James – BADCOTT Tony, Labour and Co-operative Party 619; LEE Martha Sylvia, The Green Party 270; MORE O`FERRALL Rory Fouad, The Conservative Party Candidate 180; PALMER Tammy Catherine, Liberal Democrat 891.Turnout 27.2 % LIB DEM GAIN FROM LAB 

Exwick – BIALYK Philip Michael, Labour and Co-operative Party 1060; CURNOCK Charles Anthony, Liberal Democrat 130; HELIANTHUS Eric Sinclair, The Green Party 252; LUSCOMBE Kayleigh Michelle Suzanne, The Conservative Party Candidate 256; RUFOLO Frankie, Independent 371. Turnout 28.53% LAB HOLD

Heavitree – COLLACOTT Joan Marilyn, The Conservative Party Candidate 355; EADE Jack, The Green Party 948; HAIGH Lucy, Independent 1171; MUTTON Dave, Labour Party 705; RUFFLE Rod, Liberal Democrat 76. Turnout 48.8%  IND GAIN FROM LAB

Mincinglake and Whipton – BROWN Oscar Harold, The Conservative Party Candidate 290; HUTCHINGS Clive Alan, Independent 775; PAYNE Michael Geoffrey, Liberal Democrat 111; POLE Liz, Labour Party 842; STEPHAN Alex, The Green Party 169. Turnout 33.67%  LAB HOLD

Newtown and St. Leonard`s – BROCK Philip John, Liberal Democrat 96; CABRERA Julian Edward, Labour Party 941; SIMMONDS Paul, Independent 122; SPARKES Keith Andrew, The Conservative Party Candidate 211; WETENHALL Lynn Susan, The Green Party 1215. Turnout 39.1% GREEN GAIN FROM LAB 

Pennsylvania – HUGHES Zoë Jane, Labour Party 1106; HUNT Jack, The Conservative Party Candidate 390; JARMAN Victoria, Independent 297; VICKERS Jack David, The Green Party 878; WILLIAMS Nigel David, Liberal Democrat 177. Turnout 39.6% LAB HOLD

Pinhoe – CAMPION Christine Anne, Liberal Democrat 220; HUSSAIN Jakir, Labour and Co-operative Party 1019; JAGO Kate, The Green Party 300; SIMMONDS Susan, Independen 314t; THOMPSON David John, The Conservative Party Candidate 580. Turnout 32.37 LAB GAIN FROM IND

Priory – ABDULRAZAQ Tal, Independent 442; LUSCOMBE David, The Conservative Party Candidate 344; MULLETT Heather Ursula, The Green Party 233 THOMAS Philip Alexander, Liberal Democrat 209; WARDLE Tony, Labour Party 888 Turnout 32.34% LAB HOLD

St. David`s – BANYARD James John, The Green Party 1187; NEWBY Rob, The Conservative Party Candidate 248; STUART Ellen Miriam, Labour and Co-operative Party 785, WRIGHT Harry,Liberal Democrat 107. Turnout 33.3% GREEN HOLD

St. Loye`s – BONETTA Jake, Labour and Co-operative Party 914; BUTTERS Timothy Robert, Liberal Democrat 167; HANCOCK Deb, The Green Party 211; JOBSON Anne Margaret, The Conservative Party Candidate 1220. Turnout 36.69% CON HOLD

St. Thomas – BRAGG Andy, The Green Party 299; CARR Ashley, The Conservative Party  Candidate 167; DARLING Deborah Charlotte, Labour and Co-operative Party 1058; HANNAFORD Rob, Independent 464; NEWCOMBE Alexandra Vanessa, Liberal Democrat 771. Turnout 38.1% LAB GAIN FROM IND 

Topsham – FINCH Sarah Jane, The Green Party 322; ROLSTONE Gemma Lorraine, Labour Party 1339; THOMPSON Cynthia, The Conservative Party Candidate 1094; WILLIAMSON Alan, Liberal Democrat 217. Turnout 37.33% LAB GAIN FROM CON