2023 North Kesteven District Council election

The 2023 North Kesteven District Council election took place on 4 May 2023, to elect all 43 members of North Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire, England.

2023 North Kesteven District Council election

← 2019 4 May 2023 (2023-05-04) 2027 →
All 43 seats on North Kesteven District Council 22 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Richard Wright Marianne Overton Party Conservative Lincolnshire Independent Last election 21 16 Seats before 23[a] 9 Seats after 25 11   Third party Fourth party   Leader Linda Edwards-Shea Party Independent Labour Last election 6 0 Seats before 11 0 Seats after 5 2
Results by ward
Leader before election Richard Wright Conservative No overall control Leader after election Richard Wright Conservative

The Conservatives won a majority of the seats on the council, which had previously been under no overall control being led by an administration of Conservatives and independent councillors.

Overview

Prior to the election there were two political groups on the council:

• The "Administration Group" led by Conservative councillor Richard Wright, comprising the 20 Conservatives and 7 independent councillors (5 of whom had been elected as Lincolnshire Independents).
• The "North Kesteven Independents" led by Lincolnshire Independent councillor Marianne Overton, comprising the 9 Lincolnshire Independents and 2 independent councillors.
• Two independent councillors were not aligned to any group.

There were also three vacant seats on the council, all of which had previously been held by Conservative councillors who had resigned in late 2022 or early 2023.

New ward boundaries came into effect for this election, but the number of seats on the council remained the same at 43.^[1]

At the election the Conservatives won a majority of the seats on the council. Of the five independent councillors elected, four chose to sit together as the "Group of Unaligned Members" led by Chris Goldson, and the other (Jim Clarke) did not belong to any group.^[2] Labour won two seats, giving the party its first representation on the council in over twenty years.^[3]

Results

The overall results were:^[4]

Results
Party	Seats	Change
Conservative Party	25	2
Lincolnshire Independents	11	2
Independents	5	6
Labour Party	2	2

Ward results

The results for each ward were as follows, with an asterisk (*) indicating an incumbent councillor standing for re-election.^[5]

Ashby de la Launde, Digby and Scopwick

Ashby de la Launde, Digby and Scopwick

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lincolnshire Independent	Amelia Anne Bailey*	307	50.6
	Conservative	John Frank Money	300	49.4
Turnout				28.44
Registered electors			2,166

Bassingham Rural

Bassingham Rural

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mary Louise Green*	470	63.5
	Green	Electra Pearce Roccio	216	29.2
	Reform UK	Nicola Jane Smith	54	7.3
Turnout				35.64
Registered electors			2,085

Billinghay Rural

Billinghay Rural

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sarah Anne Lawrence	unopposed
	Conservative	Gill Ogden*	unopposed
Turnout
Registered electors

Bracebridge Heath

Bracebridge Heath

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peter Richard Burley*	649	56.2
	Conservative	Lindsey Ann Cawrey*	644	55.8
	Labour	Clive Maurice Allen	471	40.8
	Labour	Olufunmilayo Monisola Adeyemi (Funmi Adeyemi)	409	35.4
Turnout			1,154	25.97
Registered electors			4,490

Branston

Branston

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lincolnshire Independent	Peter Charles Lundgren*	942	73.6
	Lincolnshire Independent	Paul Turner	655	51.2
	Conservative	Richard Edward Gilding	513	40.1
Turnout			1,280	28.72
Registered electors			4,484

Cranwell, Leasingham and Wilsford

Cranwell, Leasingham and Wilsford

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Jim Clarke*	unopposed
	Conservative	Andrew Gibson Hagues	unopposed
Turnout
Registered electors

Heckington Rural

Heckington Rural

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stewart Duncan Ogden* (Stew Ogden)	702	60.2
	Conservative	Sally Claire Tarry*	702	60.2
	Labour	Jennifer Helen Peacock (Jennifer Helen Saxby)	456	39.1
Turnout			1,167	29.15
Registered electors			4,055

Heighington and Washingborough

Heighington and Washingborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ian David Carrington*	872	42.6
	Conservative	Carola Barbara Elisabeth Goodwin*	855	41.7
	Conservative	Reece James Harrington	829	40.5
	Lincolnshire Independent	Gareth Raymond Bailey	806	39.3
	Lincolnshire Independent	Karen Helene Kirk (Karen Courtney)	794	38.8
	Lincolnshire Independent	Lee Melody Clarke	785	38.3
	Green	Terence Graham Crawshaw	610	29.8
Turnout			2,049	34.68
Registered electors			5,932

Helpringham and Osbournby

Helpringham and Osbournby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lincolnshire Independent	Russell Michael Jackson*	616	69.5
	Conservative	Stephen John Shanahan-Kluth	220	24.8
	Reform UK	Angela Rose Jamison (Angie Jamison)	50	5.6
Turnout				37.97
Registered electors			2,360

Hykeham Central

Hykeham Central

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stephen Peter Roe*	1,116	57.6
	Conservative	Michael Roger Clarke (Mike Clarke)	871	44.9
	Conservative	Jonathan McKenzie Scott Pessol	801	41.3
	Lincolnshire Independent	Gary John Edwards	795	41.0
	Liberal Democrats	Nathan Joshua Sweet (Nat Sweet)	635	32.7
	Liberal Democrats	George Michael Tipler	600	30.9
Turnout			1,939	29.7
Registered electors			6,589

Hykeham Fosse

Hykeham Fosse

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Matthew Harry Lofts	452	43.1
	Conservative	Ross Anthony Little*	387	36.9
	Conservative	Pamela Lillian Whittaker*	342	32.6
	Liberal Democrats	Corinne Nelly Antoine Byron-Danuser (Corinne Nelly Antoine Byron)	227	21.7
	Green	David Ventura	227	21.7
	Liberal Democrats	Jill Marie Wilson	140	13.4
	Reform UK	Mark Anthony Nind	71	6.8
Turnout			1,048	21.17
Registered electors			4,975

Hykeham Memorial

Hykeham Memorial

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Nicola Ann Dillon-Jones* (Nikki Dillon)	252	49.9
	Conservative	Nicola Francesca Clarke	161	31.9
	Liberal Democrats	Diana Elizabeth Catton	92	18.2
Turnout				21.34
Registered electors			2,399

Kirkby la Thorpe and South Kyme

Kirkby la Thorpe and South Kyme

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Mervyn Paul Head*	497	70.2
	Conservative	Mark Guy Allan	211	29.8
Turnout				36.22
Registered electors			1,960

Metheringham Rural

Metheringham Rural

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Frances Mary Pembery* (Fran Pembery)	670	52.6
	Conservative	David Parry (Dave Parry)	643	50.5
	Lincolnshire Independent	Helen Iris Dodd	635	49.9
	Lincolnshire Independent	Gary Roy Blackman	512	40.2
Turnout			1,273	29.43
Registered electors			4,346

Navenby and Brant Broughton

Navenby and Brant Broughton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lucille Hagues*	unopposed
	Lincolnshire Independent	Marianne Jane Overton*	unopposed
Turnout
Registered electors

Ruskington

Ruskington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Matthew Frederick Waldeck	820	65.7
	Conservative	Richard Andrew Wright*	819	65.6
	Lincolnshire Independent	Kenneth Joaquim Paul Fernandes (Ken Fernandes)	417	33.4
Turnout			1,249	27.48
Registered electors			4,585

Skellingthorpe and Eagle

Skellingthorpe and Eagle

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Christopher William Goldson*	851	63.0
	Independent	Richard Albert Johnston*	584	43.2
	Conservative	Elizabeth Jane Kendrick	355	26.3
	Labour	Anita Mary Pritchard	255	18.9
	Liberal Democrats	George Anthony Richardson (Tony Richardson)	187	13.8
	Reform UK	Jamie-Lee McMillan	65	4.8
	Reform UK	Nicholas John Smith (Nick Smith)	56	4.1
Turnout			1,351	31.2
Registered electors			4,346

Sleaford Castle

Sleaford Castle

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Linda Edwards-Shea	199	38.1
	Conservative	Malcolm John Offer*	194	37.2
	Independent	David John Darmon (Dave Darmon)	129	24.7
Turnout				23.69
Registered electors			2,208

Sleaford Holdingham

Sleaford Holdingham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lincolnshire Independent	Robert Arthur Oates*	280	62.6
	Conservative	Patricia Cockcroft (Pat Cockcroft)	114	25.5
	Independent	Robert Charles Greetham	53	11.9
Turnout				20.41
Registered electors			2,205

Sleaford Navigation

Sleaford Navigation

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lincolnshire Independent	David Suiter*	354	64.4
	Conservative	Nadim Aziz	196	35.6
Turnout				24.8
Registered electors			2,262

Sleaford Quarrington and Mareham

Sleaford Quarrington and Mareham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lincolnshire Independent	Robert Ernest Oldershaw* (Bob Oldershaw)	660	40.3
	Conservative	Mark Anthony Smith	612	37.3
	Conservative	Bozena Allan*	574	35.0
	Conservative	Melody Susan Shanahan-Kluth*	572	34.9
	Lincolnshire Independent	Adrian Snookes	524	32.0
	Independent	Stephen James Mason (Steve Mason)	475	29.0
	Labour	Joanne Louise Thompson (Jo Thompson)	395	24.1
	Labour	Ian Dutton	390	23.8
Turnout			1,639	27.13
Registered electors			6,108

Sleaford Westholme

Sleaford Westholme

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lincolnshire Independent	Ann Mear	151	29.5
	Independent	Anthony Righini-Brand* (Anthony Brand)	150	29.3
	Labour	Eileen Janet Randall	119	23.2
	Independent	Heather Katherine Lorimer	92	18.0
Turnout			512	25.23
Registered electors			2,093

Waddington Rural

Waddington Rural

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Matthew Russell Cooper	756	46.2
	Conservative	Lancelot John Pennell* (Lance Pennell)	734	44.8
	Conservative	Leigh Sanders	704	43.0
	Lincolnshire Independent	James Barry Earnshaw	695	42.4
	Labour	John Ewan Mitchell	655	40.0
	Labour	Nirmal Nina Chapman	593	36.2
Turnout			1,638	26.86
Registered electors			6,128

Witham St Hughs and Swinderby

Witham St Hughs and Swinderby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Lincolnshire Independent	Charles Peter Overton*	616	68.4
	Lincolnshire Independent	James Mitchell Elliott (Mitch Elliott)	542	60.2
	Conservative	Susan Kathleen Howe (Sue Howe)	284	31.5
	Conservative	Stuart William Robinson	256	28.4
Turnout			901	24.58
Registered electors			3,706

Changes 2023–2027

Billinghay Rural by-election 14 December 2023

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Adrian Michael Whittle	354	41.1	N/A
	Conservative	Joseph Andrew Wilkes (Andy Wilkes)	254	29.5	+29.5
	Lincolnshire Independent	Wendy Anne Liles	225	26.1	N/A
	Independent	Anthony Righini-Brand (Anthony Brand)	29	3.4	N/A
Turnout			862	19.86	N/A
Registered electors			4,345
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

By-election triggered by death of Conservative councillor Gill Ogden.^[6][7]

References

1. Including three vacant seats previously held by Conservative councillors Terry Boston, Russell Eckert and Amanda Sanderson prior to their respective resignations in late 2022 and early 2023.

1. "The North Kesteven (Electoral Changes) Order 2021", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2021/1052, retrieved 29 June 2023
2. "Political structure". North Kesteven District Council. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
3. "Conservatives increase control of North Kesteven despite Labour win". The Lincolnite. 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
4. "North Kesteven result - Local Elections 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
5. "Election results". North Kesteven District Council. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
6. Jaines, Daniel (15 December 2023). "Lib Dems snatch seat from Conservatives in North Kesteven by-election". The Lincolnite. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
7. "Declaration of result of poll" (PDF). North Kesteven District Council. Retrieved 15 December 2023.