Colchester City Council elections

Ward map of Colchester City Council showing the 2016 boundaries

Colchester City Council elections are held to elect members to Colchester City Council in Essex, England. One-third of the council is elected each year, followed by one year without election. Since the last boundary changes at the 2016 election, 51 councillors have been elected from 17 wards.

From 1973 to 2022, the council was known as Colchester Borough Council. Colchester was granted city status in 2022 and became known as Colchester City Council.

Council elections

The table below illustrates the seats held by each party at the conclusion of each election along with control of the council.[1]

Year Liberal Democrats[a] Conservative Labour Green Others Council control
after election
Local government reorganisation; council established (60 seats)
1973 1 28 27 – 4 No overall control
New ward boundaries
1976 0 39 18 0 3 Conservative
1978 0 37 21 0 2 Conservative
1979 0 36 21 0 3 Conservative
1980 0 35 22 0 3 Conservative
1982 5 34 17 0 4 Conservative
1983 6 36 14 0 4 Conservative
1984 10 35 11 0 4 Conservative
1986 17 28 11 0 4 No overall control
1987 23 24 9 0 4 No overall control
1988 24 24 8 0 4 No overall control
New ward boundaries
1990 28 17 12 0 3 No overall control
1991 28 19 11 0 2 No overall control
1992 30 21 7 0 2 No overall control
1994 34 19 6 0 1 Liberal Democrats
1995 34 13 12 0 1 Liberal Democrats
1996 33 11 15 0 1 Liberal Democrats
1998 27 15 17 0 1 No overall control
1999 26 18 15 0 1 No overall control
2000 23 22 14 0 1 No overall control
New ward boundaries
2002 26 24 6 0 4 No overall control
2003 25 24 5 0 6 No overall control
2004 22 28 7 0 3 No overall control
2006 21 30 7 0 2 No overall control
2007 21 30 6 0 3 No overall control
2008 23 27 7 0 3 No overall control
2010 26 24 7 0 3 No overall control
2011 26 24 7 0 3 No overall control
2012 27 22 8 0 3 No overall control
2014 25 23 9 0 3 No overall control
2015 20 27 9 0 4 No overall control
New ward boundaries; seats decreased from 60 to 51
2016 15 22 11 0 3 No overall control
2018 12 25 11 0 3 No overall control
2019 13 23 11 1 3 No overall control
2021 12 23 11 2 3 No overall control
2022 14 19 13 3 2 No overall control
2023 15 19 15 2 0 No overall control
2024 15 19 14 3 0 No overall control
2026

Wards

Ward Seats
Berechurch 3
Castle 3
Greenstead 3
Highwoods 3
Lexden & Braiswick 3
Marks Tey & Layer 3
Mersea & Pyefleet 3
Mile End 3
New Town & Christ Church 3
Old Heath & The Hythe 3
Prettygate 3
Rural North 3
Shrub End 3
St Anne's & St John's 3
Stanway 3
Tiptree 3
Wivenhoe 3

Maps

Election results

1976 boundaries

  • 1976
    1976
  • 1978
    1978
  • 1979
    1979
  • 1980
    1980
  • 1982
    1982
  • 1983
    1983
  • 1984
    1984
  • 1986
    1986
  • 1987
    1987
  • 1988
    1988

1990 boundaries

  • 1990
    1990
  • 1991
    1991
  • 1992
    1992
  • 1994
    1994
  • 1995
    1995
  • 1996
    1996
  • 1998
    1998
  • 1999
    1999
  • 2000
    2000

2002 boundaries

  • 2002
    2002
  • 2003
    2003
  • 2004
    2004
  • 2006
    2006
  • 2007
    2007
  • 2008
    2008
  • 2010
    2010
  • 2011
    2011
  • 2012
    2012
  • 2014
    2014
  • 2015
    2015

2016 boundaries

  • 2016
    2016
  • 2018
    2018
  • 2019
    2019
  • 2021
    2021
  • 2022
    2022
  • 2023
    2023
  • 2024
    2024

By-election results

A by-election occurs when seats become vacant between council elections. Below is a summary of by-elections from 1983 onwards.[2] Full by-election results are listed under the last regular election preceeding the by-election and can be found by clicking on the ward name.

1983-1994

Ward Date Incumbent party Winning party
St Anne's 14 April 1983 Labour Conservative
St Andrew's 2 May 1985 Alliance Alliance
New Town 2 May 1985 Alliance Alliance
Pyefleet 4 May 1989 Conservative Conservative
West Mersea 4 May 1989 Conservative Conservative
Great & Little Horkesley 4 May 1989 Conservative Conservative
Great Tey 4 May 1989 Conservative Conservative
Pyefleet 6 May 1993 Conservative Conservative
St John's 30 September 1993 Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats
Wivenhoe 6 October 1994 Conservative Labour
Great & Little Horkesley 6 October 1994 Conservative Labour
Shrub End 6 October 1994 Liberal Democrats Labour

1995-2006

Ward Date Incumbent party Winning party
Tiptree 7 December 1995 Labour Labour
West Mersea 11 January 1996 Conservative Conservative
Dedham 4 September 1997 Liberal Democrats Conservative
Tiptree 25 June 1998 Labour Labour
Lexden 19 October 2000 Conservative Conservative
Prettygate 7 June 2001 Conservative Liberal Democrats
Mile End 22 November 2001 Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats
Wivenhoe Quay 22 April 2004 Independent Labour
Berechurch 21 October 2004 Liberal Democrats Labour

2007-2018

Ward Date Incumbent party Winning party
Birch & Winstree 4 December 2008 Conservative Conservative
West Mersea 2 May 2013 Conservative Conservative
Wivenhoe Quay 3 July 2014 Labour Labour
Dedham & Langham 22 October 2015 Conservative Conservative
Shrub End 7 September 2017 Liberal Democrats Conservative

2019-present

Ward Date Incumbent party Winning party
Lexden & Braiswick 28 July 2022 Conservative Conservative
Highwoods 8 December 2022 Independent Labour
Highwoods 8 December 2022 Independent Liberal Democrats
Highwoods 21 September 2023 Labour Liberal Democrats
Tiptree 20 February 2025 Conservative Conservative
New Town & Christ Church 23 October 2025 Labour Labour

Notes

  1. ^ Includes totals for the predecessors of the Liberal Democrats, the Liberal Party and SDP (both of which participated in the Alliance)

References

  1. ^ "Composition calculator". Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  2. ^ "By-elections". Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Archived from the original on 18 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchester_City_Council_elections