2023 Portsmouth City Council election

2023 Portsmouth City Council election
← 2022 4 May 2023 (2023-05-04) 2024 →
14 out of 42 seats to Portsmouth City Council
22 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson Simon Bosher
Party Liberal Democrats Conservative
Leader's seat Milton Drayton & Farlington
Last election 6 (2019) 7 (2019)
Seats before 17 13
Seats won 7 1
Seats after 18 8
Seat change 1 6
Popular vote 12,682 8,464
Percentage 29.3% 19.6%
Swing 0.1% 5.3%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Charlotte Gerada George Madgwick
Party Labour PIP
Leader's seat Southsea Central Paulsgrove
Last election 2 (2019) did not contest
Seats before 6 3
Seats won 2 3
Seats after 7 6
Seat change 3
Popular vote 11,904 6,995
Percentage 27.5% 16.2%
Swing 2.5% 16.2%
Leader before election

Gerald Vernon-Jackson
Liberal Democrats
No overall control

Leader after election

Steve Pitt
Liberal Democrats
No overall control

The 2023 Portsmouth City Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Portsmouth City Council in Hampshire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England.

The council remained under no overall control, being led by a Liberal Democrat minority administration.

Immediately after the election the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, announced he was stepping down from the role. He was replaced at the subsequent annual council meeting on 16 May 2023 by Steve Pitt.

Summary

Election result

The overall results were:

2023 Portsmouth City Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Liberal Democrats 7 1 50.0% 11 18 42.9% 12,682 29.3% 0.1
  Labour 2 14.3% 5 7 16.7 11,904 27.5% 2.2
  Conservative 1 5 7.1% 7 8 19.0% 8,464 19.6% 5.5
  PIP 3 3 21.4% 3 6 14.3% 6,995 16.2% New
  Independent 1 1 7.1% 2 3 7.1% 910 2.1% New
  Green 0 0 0 1,902 4.4% 1.4
  Reform UK 0 0 0 244 0.6% New
  NHA 0 0 0 86 0.2% 0.5
  TUSC 0 0 0 43 0.1%

Ward results

Comparisons for the purpose of determining a gain, hold or loss of a seat, and for all percentage changes, is to the last time these specific seats were up for election in 2019. An asterisk indicates the incumbent councillor. The results for each ward were:

Baffins

Baffins
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Leonie Oliver 1,475 42.2 2.6
PIP Paul Oakley-Cleife 740 21.2 New
Conservative Joe Standen 632 18.1 3.0
Labour Mark Farwell 488 14.0 1.2
Green Bob Simmonds 152 4.3 2.2
Majority 735 21.0
Turnout 3,497 31.6
Registered electors 11,047
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Central Southsea

Central Southsea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Suzy Horton* 1,816 47.2 1.5
Labour Joshua Allen 1,551 40.3 8.3
Conservative Alicia Denny 214 5.6 2.9
Green Menno Groen 178 4.6 2.4
PIP Lee Tindal 86 2.2 New
Majority 265 6.9
Turnout 3845 32.7
Registered electors 11,763
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Cal Corkery* 910 37.4 New
Labour Raj Ghosh 780 32.1 7.7
Liberal Democrats Yahiya Chowdhury 337 13.9 10.1
Conservative Terry Henderson 301 12.4 2.5
Green Ian McCulloch 104 4.3 2.2
Majority 130 5.4
Turnout 2,432
Registered electors
Independent gain from Labour Swing

Copnor

Copnor
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PIP Raymond Dent 1,391 46.0 New
Conservative Spencer Gardner 725 24.0 12.5
Labour Arif Choudhury 597 19.7 2.9
Liberal Democrats Nicky Dodd 202 6.7 5.8
Green Ben Warner 112 3.7 2.8
Majority 666 22.0
Turnout 3,027
Registered electors
PIP gain from Conservative Swing

Cosham

Cosham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mary Vallely 1,362 46.4 24.8
Conservative Lee Mason* 1,078 36.7 5.9
PIP Tom Oulds1 208 7.1 New
Liberal Democrats David Fuller 200 6.8 }5.4
NHA Veronika Wagner 86 2.9 6.9
Majority 284 9.7%
Turnout 2,934
Registered electors 10,218
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

1: After nominations were closed, Oulds was suspended by the Portsmouth Independents following "unacceptable" message on social media.

Drayton and Farlington

Drayton & Farlington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hannah Brent 1,654 47.7 6.9
Labour Pooja Jha 693 20.0 0.7
Liberal Democrats Richard Adair 620 17.9 6.5
PIP Jaime Custerson 280 8.1 New
Green Mervyn Harvey 224 6.5 New
Majority 961 27.7
Turnout 3,471
Registered electors 10,518
Conservative hold Swing

Eastney and Craneswater

Eastney and Craneswater
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Candlish 1,385 36.4 11.4
Labour Jane Shepherd 1,088 28.6 6.0
Conservative Stephen Gorys 881 23.2 11.8
Green Tamara Groen 209 5.5 1.5
Reform UK Mark Zimmer 148 3.9 New
PIP Jenny Dobson 93 2.4 New
Majority 297 7.8
Turnout 3,804
Registered electors 9,698
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing

Fratton

Fratton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Dave Ashmore* 1,051 38.1 0.5
Labour Aimee-Louise Gwyther 840 30.4 1.9
PIP Jacob Short 457 16.6 New
Conservative Peter Ross 248 9.0 0.7
Green Samet Alves 139 5.0 4.8
TUSC Chris Pickett 24 0.9 New
Majority 211 7.6
Turnout
Registered electors
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Hilsea

Hilsea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PIP Emily Strudwick 1,867 57.3 New
Conservative Scott Payter-Harris* 734 22.5 14.5
Labour Mariam Daniel 413 12.7 9.2
Liberal Democrats Peter Williams 146 4.5 8.8
Green Emma Murphy 99 3.0 6.6
Majority 1,133 34.8
Turnout 3,259 32.6
Registered electors
PIP gain from Conservative Swing

Milton

Milton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Gerald Vernon-Jackson* 1,872 46.6 1.1
Labour Paula Savage 1,552 38.7 12.3
Conservative Jack Smith 252 6.3 5.3
Green Sarah Gilbert 176 4.4 2.6
Reform UK Rachel Zimmer 96 2.4 New
PIP Gemma Hammond 67 1.7 New
Majority 320 8
Turnout 4015
Registered electors 10,539
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Nelson

Nelson
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Lee Hunt* 1,033 47.8 4.6
Labour Robin Head 498 23.0 4.9
Conservative Kerryanne Swann 323 14.9 0.5
PIP Henry Thorpe 169 7.8 New
Green Duncan Robinson 121 5.6 1.2
TUSC Nicholas Doyle 19 0.9 New
Majority
Turnout 2,163 21.78
Registered electors
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Paulsgrove

Paulsgrove
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
PIP Chris Dike 1,279 55.9 New
Conservative Charlie Douglas 446 19.5 17.5
Labour Eloise Hadenham 425 18.6 7.1
Liberal Democrats Catherine Cole 136 5.9 2.1
Majority 833 36.4
Turnout
Registered electors
PIP gain from Conservative Swing

St Jude

St Jude
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Graham Heaney* 1,288 39.9 7.3
Liberal Democrats Martin Northern 1,058 32.8 6.7
Conservative David Chandler 400 12.4 11.1
PIP Richard Peckham 283 8.8 New
Green Harry Mallinder 201 6.2 3.3
Majority 230 7.1
Turnout 3,230
Registered electors 9,206
Labour hold Swing

St Thomas

St Thomas
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Chris Attwell* 1,351 46.9 6.9
Labour Edward Batterbury 689 23.9 1.0
Conservative Paul Sweeney 576 20.0 1.9
Green Elliott Lee 187 6.5 0.9
PIP George Miles 75 2.6 New
Majority 662 23.0
Turnout 2,878
Registered electors 10,927
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "Notice of Election" (PDF). Portsmouth City Council. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Local Election 2023: Portsmouth councillors react to results". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  3. ^ Wright, Josh (16 May 2023). "Portsmouth City Council: Cllr Steve Pitt elected as new leader, as Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson steps down". The News. Portsmouth. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Local elections 2023: full council results for England". The Guardian. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Portsmouth's 2023 local election results". Portsmouth City Council. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  6. ^ Edwards, Robert (5 May 2023). "Portsmouth Local Election results in full: Tories lose five seats but council stays no overall control". Hampshire Live. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Portsmouth election candidate Tom Oulds suspended for tweet". BBC News. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.