2018 Oxford City Council election

The 2018 Oxford City Council election took place on 3 May 2018, to elect 24 of the 48 members of Oxford City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections in England. Each of Oxford's 24 wards elected one councillor, with the other seat in each ward next due for election in May 2020.[3]

2018 Oxford City Council election
3 May 2018
24 of 48 seats to Oxford City Council
25 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Labour Liberal Democrats Green
Last election 18 seats, 47.0% 4 seats, 18.1% 1 seat, 16.9%[note 1]
Seats before 34 (16 up) 8 (4 up) 4 (3 up)
Seats won 18 5 1
Seats after 36 9 2
Seat change 1 1 2
Popular vote 18,227 8,892 5,535
Percentage 47.8% 23.3% 14.5%
Swing 0.8% 5.1% 2.5%
The wards of Oxford City Council
Leader of the Council before election

Susan Brown
Labour

 Elected Leader of the Council

Susan Brown[2]
Labour

The Labour Party sought to defend its majority on the Council, which it had controlled since 2008. Key issues in the election campaign included affordable housing, homelessness and air pollution. The results saw Labour gain two seats from the Green Party while losing one to the Liberal Democrats. This left Labour with 36 seats, the Liberal Democrats with 9 and the Greens with 2.

Background

Before the election, the Labour Party held a majority of seats on Oxford City Council. When the 24 seats up for election in 2018 were contested at the 2014 Oxford City Council election, 17 were won by Labour, 4 by the Liberal Democrats, and 3 by the Green Party of England and Wales.[4] The 2016 election, at which the Council's other 24 seats were contested, saw a stronger result for Labour (18 seats won) and weaker for the Greens (1 seat).[5]

The 2018 election was the first regular election to Oxford City Council since the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, at which Oxford defied a UK-wide vote to leave the European Union by returning a 70% vote to remain.[6] A year after the referendum, in the 2017 UK general election, Labour significantly increased its majority in the parliamentary constituency of Oxford East (which includes most of the city of Oxford), while the Liberal Democrats gained Oxford West and Abingdon from the Conservative Party.[7]

New Statesman commentator Stephen Bush suggested in March 2018 that a successful result for Labour in the 2018 Oxford City Council election, building on its strong parliamentary performance in 2017, would be to win all the available Green seats.[8] The Oxford Mail's political correspondent Nathan Briant predicted, "Labour are likely to return a healthy number of councillors", but identified potential difficulties for the party: a rise in homelessness in Oxford as in other cities, controversy of the Council's use of community protection notices to threaten to fine homeless people, and a perception of the national Labour leadership as too eurosceptic.[9]

Stephen Bush argued that if the Liberal Democrats' national strategy of appealing to pro-European voters succeeded, one benchmark for this would be an expansion from eight seats on Oxford City Council to double figures.[10]

Policies and campaigns

Conservative

The Oxford Conservative Association's chair Mark Bhagwandin criticised the Labour administration for a lack of affordable housing in Oxford, including at the recent Barton development. He stated he was confident that the Conservatives could improve on their previously weak position in Oxford, and that they would hold Labour to account. The party pledged to freeze the salaries of senior council staff, which Bhagwandin described as "huge".[11]

Green

The Green Party's campaign also emphasised a need for scrutiny and opposition; co-leader Caroline Lucas stated while campaigning in Oxford that "one more Labour councillor won't make any difference", while "one more Green councillor" would ensure the council was "forced to deliver".[12] Lucas identified homelessness as the issue on which Oxford's Green councillors been most active,[12] and the Greens' manifesto highlighted their past campaigns for the council to provide additional homeless shelters and consider the use of rent controls, as well as their role in challenging fines for rough sleepers and removal of their property.[13] Green policies also included addressing air pollution in St. Clement's[12] by extending the council's proposed zero-emission zone,[13] and redesignating the entire development on the Lucy Faithfull House site for affordable housing (instead of half as proposed by the council).[11]

Labour

Oxford's governing Labour Party pledged in its manifesto, subtitled Fighting Austerity for a Fairer City, to build 1000 affordable homes and work with adjacent councils on "high quality urban extensions that will increase the availability of affordable homes".[14][15] The Leader of the Council, Susan Brown, advocated more development in the Oxford Green Belt to meet the city's housing needs.[11] Emphasising Oxford's "strong cycling tradition",[16] the manifesto included policies to provide more lanes and parking for cyclists, while supporting cycle hire businesses.[14][17] On homelessness, Labour pledged increased spending and cooperation with charitable and voluntary organisations "with the objective of ensuring that no-one has to sleep rough in Oxford".[14] Other "key pledges" included promotion of an Oxford living wage, support for sports clubs and facilities, and measures to reduce the city's carbon footprint and air pollution.[18]

Launching the manifesto, Susan Brown and Shadow Secretary of State for Housing John Healey attacked the central government's austerity programme as responsible for homelessness and other social problems in Oxford and elsewhere, while Healey praised Oxford City Council's track record under its Labour administration.[17] The Guardian journalist and Labour activist Owen Jones canvassed for the party's candidate Rabyah Khan in Summertown.[19]

Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable highlighted the issues of homelessness and unaffordable housing during a visit to Oxford, while the party's Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran argued that Labour was over-dominant on the council and that additional Lib Dem councillors would provide improved scrutiny.[20] The party's manifesto[21] included pledges to re-examine potential sites in Oxford in order to build "hundreds more houses",[22] with their councillors suggesting that land designated for business development could be reallocated for housing.[11] The Lib Dems supported a review of the Green Belt for new sites for development, with safeguards for "areas of natural, historic, or scientific interest".[22] They proposed increased accommodation and support for homeless people, while opposing fining of rough sleepers.[23] Other pledges included a tourism tax as a source of revenue for public works.[24] The Lib Dem leader on the council, Andrew Gant, suggested that some voters would support the party because of opposition to Brexit.[11]

Candidates

The Labour and Conservative parties nominated candidates for all 24 seats, while the Greens contested 23 and the Liberal Democrats 21. The current Leader of the Council, Susan Brown (Labour), stood for re-election in Churchill ward.[25] David Thomas, the leader of the council's Green group who was previously elected in Holywell,[26] constested St. Clement's against the Labour incumbent Tom Hayes.[11]

Some councillors whose terms ended in 2018 did not seek re-election, including former Leader Bob Price (Labour, Hinksey Park) and Lord Mayor Jean Fooks (Liberal Democrat, Summertown).[25][27]

Results

Labour increased its majority on the Council, holding 36 of 48 seats after the election. The Greens, in what the Oxford Mail described as "an awful night" for the party, saw two of their three seats up for election won by Labour, while their leader David Thomas lost his place on the Council when his attempt to win St Clement's from Labour failed. This left the party with just two councillors.[28] The Liberal Democrats won Quarry and Risinghurst from Labour, which was Labour's first loss of a seat in Oxford since 2006.[29]

The highest turnout was 54.9% for Iffley Fields, and the lowest 19.9% for Northfield Brook.

Oxford Local Election Result 2018
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 18 2 1 +1 75 47.8 18277 +0.8
  Liberal Democrats 5 1 0 +1 20.8 23.3 8892 +5.1
  Green 1 0 2 -2 4.2 14.5 5535 -2.5
  Conservative 0 0 0 0 0 12.9 4938 +0.3
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 1.5 577 -3.0

Note: no UKIP candidates stood in this election, compared with two in 2016 and six in 2014. Two independent candidates were standing, compared with three in 2016 and four in 2014. Plus/minus percentages are calculated with respect to the 2016 Oxford City Council election. In addition to the 2 seats that Labour gained relative to the 2016 election, Labour also took back a seat they previously held that had become vacant in November 2017 (see Northfield Brook).

Total number of seats on the Council after the election:

Party Previous council Staying councillors Seats up for election Election result New council
Labour 34 18 16[note 2] 18 36
Liberal Democrats 8 4 4 5 9
Green 4 1 3 1 2
Independent 1 1 0 0 1
Total 47 24 23 24 48

Results by ward

Ward results are taken from the Oxford City Council website.[30] Results are described as holds or gains based on comparison with the 2014 election.

Barton and Sandhills
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Martyn James Rush 812 51.7 +2.0
Conservative Tim Patmore 268 17.1 +4.8
Independent Chaka Artwell 252 16.1 -0.6
Liberal Democrats Jemma Kathleen Hayward 153 9.7 +1.0
Green Symon James Hill 85 5.4 -0.4
Turnout 1570 31.9 3.2
Labour hold

Blackbird Leys
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Rae Humberstone 740 81.6 +8.6
Conservative Paul John Sims 114 12.6 +7.5
Green Chris Witt 53 5.8 +2.5
Turnout 907 22.3 0.8
Labour hold

Carfax
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Richard George Alexander Howlett 482 42.8 +0.8
Liberal Democrats Conor McKenzie 399 35.4 +15.0
Green Emma Teworte 127 11.3 -14.6
Conservative Thomas Crook 119 10.6 +0.2
Turnout 1127 36.3 1.1
Labour gain from Green

Churchill
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Susan Woolford Brown 709 66.2 -1.7
Conservative Jake Leon Whittingham 155 14.5 +1.6
Green William David Vowell 104 9.7 -1.9
Liberal Democrats Peter Charles Coggins 103 9.6 +2.0
Turnout 1071 25.2 2.2
Labour hold

Cowley
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Christine Mary Simm 839 56.6 +0.6
Green Hazel Dawe 350 23.6 -3.0
Conservative Sami Hasan 179 12.1 -1.2
Liberal Democrats Eleonore Vogel 114 7.7 +3.6
Turnout 1482 33.4 2.2
Labour hold

Cowley Marsh
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Lubna Arshad 885 54.7 -0.1
Independent Judith Anne Harley 325 20.1 +5.3
Green Annie Pickering 207 12.8 -5.2
Liberal Democrats Tony Brett 113 7.0 +0.4
Conservative Alan William Gibbs 89 5.5 -0.3
Turnout 1619 36.3 2.2
Labour hold

Headington
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Mohammed Altaf-Khan 1,140 61.3 +1.6
Labour Simon John Peter Ottino 504 27.1 +3.4
Conservative Isa Mohammed 117 6.3 -3.0
Green Ray Hitchins 100 5.4 -1.9
Turnout 1861 44.8 0.1
Liberal Democrats hold

Headington Hill and Northway
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Joe McManners 698 51.5 -0.2
Liberal Democrats Guy John Garden 296 21.8 +11.1
Conservative Georgina Ruth Gibbs 250 18.5 -11.6
Green Kate Josephine Robinson 111 8.2 +0.7
Turnout 1355 37.1 5.3
Labour hold

Hinksey Park
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Alex Donnelly 1,094 65.0 -2.5
Green Robert James Henry Paynter 228 13.5 -1.0
Liberal Democrats Adam Charles Povey 206 12.2 +4.8
Conservative Kate Kettle 156 9.3 -1.3
Turnout 1684 41.3 4.2
Labour hold

Holywell
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Nadine Marie-Christine Bely-Summers 393 38.3 -2.6
Liberal Democrats Finn Thomas Conway 386 37.7 +12.1
Green Timothy John Robert Eden 153 14.9 -9.1
Conservative David Robert Pearson 93 9.1 -0.4
Turnout 1025 41 2.7
Labour gain from Green

Iffley Fields
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Richard John Joseph Tarver 1,041 48.9 +1.4
Green Elise Danielle Benjamin 936 44.0 -1.0
Conservative Simon James Bazley 85 4.0 -0.4
Liberal Democrats Harry Samuels 66 3.1 0.0
Turnout 2128 54.9 1
Labour hold

Jericho and Osney
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Susanna Pressel 1,424 65.9 +13.3
Green Lois Knight Muddiman 537 24.9 -1.6
Conservative James Moreton Wakeley 199 9.2 -0.4
Turnout 2160 47.9 4.7
Labour hold

Littlemore
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Tiago Corais 845 59.3 -0.2
Conservative Daniel Stafford 295 20.7 +0.3
Liberal Democrats Christopher Smowton 147 10.3 +4.9
Green Lucy Irene Ayrton 139 9.7 -5.0
Turnout 1426 30.4 0.4
Labour hold

Lye Valley
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Ben Lloyd-Shogbesan 867 64.9 -0.3
Green Kevin Nicholas McGlynn 251 18.8 +6.3
Conservative Johnson Mackline Kyeswa 218 16.3 +1.1
Turnout 1336 27.9 1.5
Labour hold

Marston
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Mary Ruth Clarkson 1,044 52.6 +17.3
Conservative Mark Bhagwandin 580 29.2 +24.4
Liberal Democrats Maria Bourbon 180 9.1 +6.1
Green Alistair David Pryce Morris 180 9.1 +4.3
Turnout 1984 43.8 8
Labour hold

North
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Ann Louise Upton 856 48.8 -2.5
Liberal Democrats Ruvi Ziegler 712 40.6 +14.6
Conservative Alexander James Curtis 185 10.6 -0.9
Turnout 1753 51.7 5.6
Labour hold

Northfield Brook
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini 647 73.0 +2.9
Conservative Pat Jones 106 12.0 +1.1
Liberal Democrats Rosemary Anne Beatrice Morlin 68 7.7 -0.4
Green Matthew James Hull 65 7.3 -0.9
Turnout 886 19.9 1.3
Labour hold

The Northfield Brook seat contested at this election had been won by Labour in 2014.[4] It was vacant between the death of Councillor Jennifer Pegg in November 2017 and the May 2018 election.[31][32]

Quarry and Risinghurst
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Roz Smith 978 44.0 +5.6
Labour Dee Sinclair 879 39.5 -5.2
Conservative Alex Mackenzie Smith 219 9.8 -0.4
Green Liz Taylor 149 6.7 +0.1
Turnout 2225 48.7 0.9
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour

Rose Hill and Iffley
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Shaista Aziz 997 58.0 -11.3
Conservative Dan Gee 260 15.1 +1.5
Liberal Democrats David William Bowkett 231 13.4 +8.1
Green Miranda Shaw 231 13.4 +1.6
Turnout 1719 37.2 0.1
Labour hold

St. Clement's
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Co-op Tom Hayes 905 58.9 +8.6
Green David Nicholas Thomas 479 31.2 +2.6
Conservative Luke Allen 86 5.6 -2.8
Liberal Democrats Graham Roderick Jones 67 4.4 -8.3
Turnout 1537 41.2 4.2
Labour hold

St. Margaret's
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Paul Harris 979 60.4 +22.6
Labour Jesse Samuel Joseph Erlam 291 17.9 -7.4
Conservative Penelope Anne Lenon 267 16.5 -5.1
Green Al Wilson 85 5.2 -10.1
Turnout 1622 49 2.7
Liberal Democrats hold

St. Mary's
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Green Dick Wolff 677 50.6 -1.6
Labour Luke Daniel Louis Barbanneau 520 38.8 +0.2
Conservative Jim Brennan 82 6.1 +1.1
Liberal Democrats Stefanie Garden 60 4.5 +0.3
Turnout 1339 39.8 1.7
Green hold

Summertown
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Michael Leonard Gotch 1,153 52.3 +7.8
Labour Rabyah Khan 588 26.7 -0.2
Conservative David Roger Nimmo Smith 299 13.6 -3.6
Green Larry Sanders 163 7.4 -4.0
Turnout 2203 48.2 3.5
Liberal Democrats hold

Wolvercote
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Democrats Steve Goddard 1,341 61.0 +15.8
Conservative Gary William Dixon 517 23.5 -6.3
Labour Adam John Ellison 217 9.9 -1.5
Green Sarah Janet Edwards 125 5.7 -7.9
Turnout 2200 49.6 2.1
Liberal Democrats hold

Notes
  1. Results for the "last election" shown in this table are for the 2016 Oxford City Council election.[1]
  2. Excluding Northfield Brook.
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References
  1. "Election of city councillors for the wards of [sic]: summary of results" (PDF). Oxford: Elections Office. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. "Oxford City Council Executive Board announced". Oxford City Council. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  3. "Local elections in May 2018". Oxford City Council. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  4. "Election of city councillors for the wards of Oxford City Council: summary of results" (PDF). Oxford: the Returning Officer. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  5. Campbell, Loughlan (6 May 2016). "Election 2016 overview: Oxford City Council's full results". Oxfordshire Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  6. "EU referendum: Oxfordshire votes to remain". BBC News. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  7. "Election results 2017: Lib Dems gain Oxford West and Abingdon". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  8. Bush, Stephen (22 March 2018). "What would be a good night for Labour in the 2018 local elections?". New Statesman. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  9. Briant, Nathan (18 April 2018). "Opinion: How Oxfordshire might vote". Oxford Mail. Newsquest. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  10. Bush, Stephen (27 March 2018). "What would be a good night for the Liberal Democrats in the 2018 local elections?". New Statesman. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  11. Briant, Nathan (26 April 2018). "Rivals take aim at Labour's majority". The Oxford Times. Newsquest. pp. 8–9.
  12. "Co-leader of the Greens Caroline Lucas given warm welcome in city". Oxford Mail. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  13. "Caroline Lucas launches Green city manifesto in East Oxford". Oxfordshire Green Party. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  14. "Oxford Labour's manifesto: fighting austerity for a fairer city" (PDF). 2018. p. 2. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  15. "Oxford Labour manifesto 2018". Oxford Labour. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  16. "Oxford Labour's manifesto: fighting austerity for a fairer city" (PDF). 2018. p. 7. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  17. Briant, Nathan (28 March 2018). "Labour Party 'will make Oxford a fairer city'". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  18. "Oxford Labour's manifesto: fighting austerity for a fairer city" (PDF). 2018. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  19. "Owen Jones joins Labour's election battle in Oxford". Oxford Mail. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  20. "Lib Dem leader visits Oxford and calls for end of 'destitution'". Oxford Mail. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  21. "Oxford manifesto 2018". Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  22. "Building affordable homes". Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  23. "Helping Oxford's homeless". Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  24. "Building a vibrant local economy". Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  25. "Oxford City Council leader will have to fight for her seat next month". Oxford Mail. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  26. "Councillor David Thomas". Oxford City Council. Retrieved 30 April 2018. Ward: Holywell
  27. Oliver, Matt (25 May 2017). "Last hurrah for long-serving councillor Jean Fooks as she becomes Lord Mayor of Oxford". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  28. "Labour tighten grip on Oxford City Council". Oxford Mail. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  29. "Local elections 2018: Tory losses in West Oxfordshire". BBC News. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  30. "Election results – 3 May 2018". Oxford City Council. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  31. "Oxford City Council pays tribute to Councillor Jennifer Pegg". Oxford City Council. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  32. "Vacancy". Oxford City Council. Retrieved 15 April 2018. Vacancy ... Ward: Northfield Brook ... Term of Office: 23/11/2017 - 03/05/2018
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