2024 Harlow District Council election

2024 Harlow District Council election

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All 33 seats to Harlow District Council
17 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
  Blank Blank
Leader Dan Swords Chris Vince
Party Conservative Labour
Last election 21 seats, 41.5% 12 seats, 43.8%
Seats before 21 12
Seats won 17 16
Seat change Decrease 4 Increase 4
Popular vote 21,900 21,928
Percentage 43.8% 43.8%
Swing Increase 2.3% Steady 0.0%

Winner of each seat at the 2024 Harlow District Council election

Leader before election

Dan Swords
Conservative

Leader after election

Dan Swords
Conservative

The 2024 Harlow District Council election was held on Thursday 2 May 2024, alongside the other local elections in the United Kingdom being held on the same day. All 33 members of Harlow District Council in Essex were elected following boundary changes.

The Conservatives retained their majority on the council, but lost four seats to Labour, reducing the Conservative majority to just one seat.

Background

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Historically, Harlow was a Labour council. Labour held a majority on the council from its creation until 2002, when the district fell into no overall control.[1] The Conservatives held a majority for the first time following the 2008 election, but Labour retook control in 2012.

The Conservative won a majority on the council in 2021,[2] and have governed as a majority since then. In the most recent election, the Conservatives gained 1 seat with 41.5% of the vote, and Labour lost 1 seat with 43.8%.

In the build up to the May 2024 election, Conservative candidate James Leppard was suspended from the party pending investigation,[3] following a Hope Not Hate allegation of Islamophobia.[4] He remained listed as a Conservative on the ballot paper, and he was re-elected. His suspension from the party was lifted a few weeks after the election, after an investigation concluded that his comments which had triggered the complaint had been selectively edited and taken out of context.[5]

Boundary changes

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Harlow usually elects its councillors in thirds, on a 4-year cycle. However, following boundary changes, all councillors will be elected to the new wards.[6] All wards have 3 councillors.

Old wards[7] New wards
Bush Fair Bush Fair
Church Langley Church Langley North and Newhall
Great Parndon Church Langley South and Potter Street
Harlow Common Great Parndon
Little Parndon and Hare Street Latton Bush and Stewards
Mark Hall Little Parndon and Town Centre
Netteswell Mark Hall
Old Harlow Netteswell
Staple Tye Old Harlow
Sumners and Kingsmoor Passmores
Toddbrook Sumners and Kingsmoor

Summary

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The Conservatives lost four seats, but retained a one-seat majority over Labour.[8][9]

Council composition

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After 2023 election Before 2024 election[10] After 2024 election
Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats
Conservative 21 Conservative 21 Conservative 17
Labour 12 Labour 12 Labour 16

Election result

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2024 Harlow District Council election
Party Candidates Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 33 17 0 0 Decrease 4 51.5 43.8 21,900 +2.3
  Labour 33 16 0 0 Increase 4 48.5 43.8 21,928 ±0.0
  Green 24 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 8.6 4,314 –0.9
  Harlow Alliance Party 4 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 2.0 993 –0.8
  Liberal Democrats 3 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.7 351 –0.8
  UKIP 2 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.6 325 N/A
  Independent 1 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.3 141 N/A
  TUSC 1 0 0 0 Steady 0.0 0.1 55 –0.2

Ward results

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Statement of Persons Nominated:[11]

Bush Fair

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Bush Fair (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jodi Dunne* 778 43.0
Labour Co-op Kay Morrison* 769 42.5
Labour Co-op Mark Ingall 737 40.7
Conservative Colleen Morrison 589 32.5
Conservative Nidhi Hindocha 575 31.8
Conservative Brian Kasule 550 30.4
Green Hannah Bolton 177 9.8
Green David Margetts 175 9.7
Green Jennifer Steadman 175 9.7
UKIP Daniel Long 141 7.8
Liberal Democrats William Tennison 89 4.9
Turnout 1,811 28.3
Registered electors 6,397
Labour Co-op hold
Labour Co-op hold
Labour Co-op gain from Conservative

Church Langley North & Newhall

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Church Langley North & Newhall (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Johnson* 831 62.8
Conservative Michael Hardware* 779 60.3
Conservative Dan Swords* 798 58.9
Labour Edna Stevens 437 33.0
Labour Simon O'Dell 418 31.6
Labour John Solomon 384 29.0
Green Michelle Margetts 185 14.0
Green Bengeman White 136 10.3
Turnout 1,453 27.3
Registered electors 5,318
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Church Langley South & Potter Street

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Church Langley South & Potter Street (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicky Purse* 939 61.7
Conservative Danielle Brown* 890 58.4
Conservative James Leppard* 826 54.2
Labour Christine Gallacher 568 37.3
Labour Emma Mullard-Toal 513 33.7
Labour Jeff Mace 505 33.2
Green Tina Richardson 187 12.3
Independent Gary Roberts 141 9.3
Turnout 1,773 26.6
Registered electors 6,669
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Great Parndon

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Great Parndon (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Carter* 932 59.4
Conservative Hannah Ellis 825 52.6
Conservative Matthew Saggers* 791 50.4
Labour Rosie Jackson 581 37.0
Labour Allan Jolley 527 33.6
Labour Harry Tennison 490 31.2
Harlow Alliance Nicholas Taylor 289 18.4
Green Vicki O'Brien 149 9.5
Green Liz Pike 121 7.7
Turnout 1,711 30.6
Registered electors 5,601
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Latton Bush & Stewards

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Latton Bush & Stewards (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Luke Howard 890 47.1
Conservative Alastair Gunn* 881 46.6
Conservative Stacy Seales 859 45.4
Conservative John Steer* 836 44.2
Labour Phil Waite 805 42.6
Labour Peiyee O'Dell 781 41.3
Harlow Alliance Karen James 221 11.7
Green Tina Higginson 215 11.4
Green Jack Margetts 183 9.7
Turnout 2,100 30.8
Registered electors 6,815
Labour win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Little Parndon & Town Centre

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Little Parndon & Town Centre (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Chris Vince* 761 62.7
Labour Tony Durcan* 710 58.5
Labour Maggie Hulcoop* 671 55.3
Conservative Dan Brown 388 32.0
Conservative Geoffrey Longster 349 28.8
Conservative Anne Richards 332 27.4
Green Klara Bow 187 15.4
Green Caroline Schellin-Jolley 133 11.0
Green Danielle Kemm 108 8.9
Turnout 1,365 26.1
Registered electors 5,228
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)

Mark Hall

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Mark Hall (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Houlihan 722 50.3
Labour Aiden O'Dell* 685 47.7
Labour Lanie Shears* 682 47.5
Conservative Simon Carter* 408 28.4
Green Julie Taylor 370 23.5
Conservative Fahreday Purse 337 22.9
Conservative John Purse 329 22.9
Green Ernesto Johnson 240 16.7
Green Paul King 233 16.2
UKIP Mark Gough 184 12.8
Liberal Democrats Lesley Rideout 117 8.1
Turnout 1,571 27.7
Registered electors 5,679
Labour gain from Conservative
Labour hold
Labour hold

Netteswell

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Netteswell (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Griggs* 871 67.2
Labour Nancy Watson* 710 54.8
Labour Stefan Mullard-Toal 705 54.4
Conservative Wendy Carter 420 32.4
Conservative Elena Hardware 403 31.1
Conservative Vic Petch 367 28.3
Green Milly Judd 147 11.3
Liberal Democrats Robert Thurston 145 11.2
Green Adam Margetts 122 9.4
Turnout 1,432 24.9
Registered electors 5,749
Labour hold
Labour hold
Labour gain from Conservative

Old Harlow

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Old Harlow (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Joel Charles* 1,042 58.8
Conservative Michael Garnett* 957 54.0
Conservative Sue Livings* 943 53.2
Labour Michael Danvers 665 37.5
Labour Liam Kerrigan 563 31.8
Labour Anita Schultschik 559 31.6
Green Yasmin Gregory 247 13.9
Green Jacklyn Stansfield 168 9.5
Green Jacobus Van Der Poel 115 6.5
TUSC Paul Lenihan 55 3.1
Turnout 1,907 30.4
Registered electors 6,269
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Passmores

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Passmores (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Edwards* 799 62.3
Labour Daniella Pritchard* 753 58.7
Labour Jake Shepherd 748 58.3
Conservative Amanda Maison 427 33.3
Conservative Michelle Field 422 32.9
Conservative Ash Malik 337 26.3
Harlow Alliance Steve Barnes 198 15.4
Green Gareth Williams 166 12.9
Turnout 1,439 27.0
Registered electors 5,339
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)
Labour win (new seat)

Sumners & Kingsmoor

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Sumners & Kingsmoor (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Russel Perrin* 886 49.8
Conservative Clive Souter* 864 48.5
Conservative Emma Ghaffari 788 44.3
Labour Robert Davis 752 42.3
Labour Cara Dunne 719 40.4
Labour Simon Vincent 670 37.6
Harlow Alliance Alan Leverett 285 16.0
Green Julie Bull 205 11.5
Green Dean Bull 170 9.6
Turnout 1,909 31.1
Registered electors 6,135
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

By-elections

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Little Parndon and Town Centre

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Little Parndon and Town Centre: 10 October 2024[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Linda Clark 513 50.3
Conservative Colleen Morrison 227 22.3
Reform UK Peter Lamb 201 19.7
Green Ernesto Johnson 56 5.5
UKIP Mark Gough 23 2.3
Majority 286 28.0
Turnout 1,020
Labour hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ "Harlow District Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Local elections 2021: Conservatives take Harlow from Labour". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  3. ^ Casey, Michael (18 April 2024). "Harlow Conservative councillor suspended after claims he made series of "Islamophobic comments"". Your Harlow. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  4. ^ Davis, Gregory (18 April 2024). "Revealed: Islamophobia from Conservative Councillor in Harlow". Hope Not Hate. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Tory councillor James Leppard has suspension lifted following investigation". Your Harlow. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  6. ^ "The Harlow (Electoral Changes) Order 2023", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2023/797, retrieved 16 March 2024
  7. ^ "The District of Harlow (Electoral Changes) Order 2001", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2001/2437, retrieved 16 March 2024
  8. ^ "Council leader appoints new Cabinet team to transform and rebuild Harlow". Your Harlow. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Harlow election result". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Your Councillors". Harlow District Council. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Candidates announced for Harlow District Council Election 2024". Your Harlow. 2024-04-08. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  12. ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Little Parndon and Town Centre Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2024.