South West local elections 2022 results for Bristol, Plymouth, Exeter, Cheltenham and Swindon
People in the West Country went to the polls yesterday to decide who they wanted to represent them locally.
In Bristol, the position of mayor is now set to be scrapped after a referendum saw people vote in favour of a committee system.
In Plymouth, the city council remains a ‘hung council’ but it was a historic night after Labour welcomed the first ever openly transgender councillor in 21-year-old Dylan Tippett.
We’ll bring you the latest results as they come in throughout the day…
Bristol
In Bristol, people went to the polls to decide if the position of Bristol Mayor should stay or go - and voted in favour of a committee system.
A majority of elected members of Bristol City Council backed a motion to hold a legally binding second referendum 10 years after the first which created the post of Mayor of Bristol in 2012.
A total of 94,552 people voted in the referendum, almost 29% of those eligible. Of those, 56,113 voted in favour of a committee system while 38,439 voted to keep the mayoral role.
Cheltenham
Cheltenham Borough Council has retained its Liberal Democrat majority after the local elections.
21 of 40 seats were up for grabs and the Lib Dems were in control going into polling day so it is no surprise that they kept the council.
The Liberal Democrats have been in control of Cheltenham Borough Council for over a decade.
Exeter
Exeter City Council is still in the hands of Labour but their majority has been cut. They previously had 28 out of the 39 councillors but are now down to 26.
To Labour’s surprise they gained a seat from the Conservatives in Topsham, but lost a seat to the Green Party in St David’s.
The composition of Exeter City Council is: Labour (26), Conservative (5), Green (5), Liberal Democrats (2), Independents (1).
A total of 17 seats out of 39 were up for grabs: 13 in line with the usual cycle of a third every election year, as well as four others because of vacancies.
After the last election in 2021, Labour held 28, Conservatives were on six and the Liberal Democrats and Greens had two each, with one independent.
Now Labour holds 26 seats – a reduction of two on its tally from 2021 – while the Conservatives and Greens now have five, the Liberal Democrats have two, and independents have one.
Plymouth
Plymouth City Council remains a ‘hung council’ after a dramatic and historic night which saw neither of the two main parties were able to win an overall majority.
The Green Party won their first seat on the council, and Labour welcomed the city's first ever openly transgender councillor in 21-year-old Dylan Tippett.
Conservative leader Richard Bingley said he hopes to remain in charge, but admitted he would need support from other parties.
Somerset
The Liberal Democrats have gained control of the new Somerset unitary council.
With 94 results declared, the party has won 56 seats on the 110-member authority.
The Conservatives were fighting the Liberal Democrats for control of the new unitary authority in Somerset.
Responding to the Liberal Democrats take over of Somerset, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “This is a political earthquake stretching from Somerset to Cumbria, among rural communities fed up with being taken for granted by Boris Johnson and the Conservatives.
“Here in the West Country and across the UK, people are electing Liberal Democrats to be their strong local champions who will stand up for their health services, schools and farmers.
“The British people have put Conservative MPs on notice. If they don’t get rid of Boris Johnson and stop taking people for granted, Liberal Democrats are coming for them.
“Our great country deserves so much better than Boris Johnson and his out-of-touch Conservative Government.”
Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats said the victory was a "historic moment"
Swindon
The Conservatives remain in charge of Swindon Borough Council, with leader David Renard having winning a very solid majority in the council chamber of 11.
Swindon had a Conservative majority before the local elections, where there are 19 seats out of 57 up for grabs.
Votes are still being counted, but after gaining Central - represented by Anabelle Patricia Pegado - the Conservatives now have a majority in the council with 29 seats.
The Conservatives needed 2 to get to 29 for an overall majority, while Labour needed 18 out of the 19 announced.
The voter turn out confirmed by the vote verification is 33 per cent across the borough.
As of 12:30 on 6 May, the vote count stands at: Conservatives 34, Labour 23 - giving the Conservatives a majority of 11.
The full results are expected to come in at around 5pm on Friday 6 May.
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