2021 Bristol City Council election

The 2020 Bristol City Council election is due to take place during 2021, alongside nationwide local elections. Voters in the city will also vote for the Mayor of Bristol, the Mayor of West of England and for Avon and Somerset's Police and Crime Commissioner. The election was originally due to take place in May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

2021 Bristol City Council election

6 May 2021
All 70 seats to Bristol City Council 36 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Marg Hickman Mark Weston Party Labour Conservative Leader's seat Lawrence Hill Henbury and Brentry Seats before 37 14   Third party Fourth party   Leader Eleanor Combley Gary Hopkins Party Green Liberal Democrats Leader's seat Bishopston and Ashley Down Knowle Seats before 11 9
Council control before election Labour Party (UK) Council control after election TBD

Background

Since the 2016 local elections, there have been a few changes to the political make up of the Council. In 2016, Labour briefly lost control of the Council after expelling a number of its councillors.[2] Labour regained control of the Council later that year after it readmitted them. On 24 May 2018, a by-election was held in Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze ward, resulting in the Conservatives gaining a seat from the Liberal Democrats.[3] On 22 March 2019, Eastville Councillor Sultan Khan resigned from the Labour Party, but continued to represent the ward as an Independent before joining the Liberal Democrats.[4]. On 17 July 2019, Brislington East Councillor Tony Carey resigned from the Conservative Party, but continued to represent the ward as an Independent before joining the Liberal Democrats[5] A by-election took place in Brislington East on 16 January 2020 after the death of Labour councillor Mike Langley, he was succeeded by Labour candidate Tim Rippington.[6][7]

In preparation for the election, political parties went through their selection processes. The Conservative party face controversy after the party deselected Peter Abraham, the council's longest serving councillor having been first elected in 1966 in the Stockwood ward, The local party did not state a reason for this decision.[8] The Labour group in the city is seeing 17 of its backbench councillors resigning; 20 councillors, including all of the cabinet, are seeking re-election.[9]

For the candidates for the Mayoral election: Marvin Rees was re-selected as Labour's candidate;[10] Sandy Hore-Ruthven was announced as the Green party's candidate,[11] Mary Page from the Liberal Democrats and Samuel Williams as the Conservative candidate.[12]

Events prior to the election

In June 2020 a wave of protests begun spreading across the United Kingdom about racial injustice and disproportionate policing of Black And other Minority Ethnicity (BAME) people across the UK. Starting in the United States, the protests were catalysed by the killing of George Floyd- an unarmed black man- by the hands of police officers using unsafe restraint in the city of Minneapolis. On Sunday 7 June Black Lives Matter UK and Unite Against Fascism organised a protest in Bristol- of which there was 10,000 protestors present-[13] which saw the protestors tear down the Statue of Edward Colston and throw it into Bristol Harbour. The Statue of Colston, a slaver trader, has stood in Bristol since 1895 and has been subject to continuous controversy and petitions for its removal.[14] Marvin Rees responded to the action by saying "As an elected politician, obviously I cannot condone the damage and I am very concerned about the implications of a mass gathering on the possibility of a second Covid wave [...] But I am of Jamaican heritage and I cannot pretend that I have any real sense of loss for the statue, and I cannot pretend it was anything other than a personal affront to me to have it in the middle of Bristol, the city in which I grew up."[15] Conservative councillor Richard Eddy opposed to this action, describing Colston as a hero.[16] The council plans to retrieve the statue, assess it for damage and have it displayed in a museum with greater detail of Colston's history and the placards place round its plinth.[15][13] Rees stated he wants to see "a conversation" develop around Colston's history in the city and discuss its future.[13]

Campaign

Conservative mayoral candidate Williams was critical of Rees's pursuit of Bristol Energy, a council-run energy company and the ambition of constructing underground transport for the city.[17]

Council Composition

Prior to the election the composition of the council was:

↓

36	14	11	9
Labour	Conservative	Green	Lib Dem

Ward results

Ashley

Ashley (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green	Jude Brew-English
	Green	William Mountford
	Green	Tim Wye
	Labour	Carole Johnson
	Labour	Amirah Cole
	Labour	Mohamed Kamal Sharaf
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston

Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Matthew Melias
	Conservative	Siobhan Kennedy-Hall
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Jo Sergeant
	Labour	Don Alexander
	Labour	Daphne Chikwere
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Bedminster

Bedminster (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Celia Phipps
	Labour	Mark Bradshaw
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Bishopston & Ashley Down

Bishopston & Ashley Down (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Darran McLaughlin
	Labour	Eileen Means
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Bishopsworth

Bishopsworth (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative	Richard Eddy
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Thomas Pearce
	Labour	Emma Moore
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Brislington East

Brislington East (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Tim Rippington
	Labour	Katja Hornchen
	Liberal Democrats	Tony Carey
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Brislington West

Brislington West (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Carolyn Magson
	Labour	Rob Logan
	Liberal Democrats	Jos Clark
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Varney
Turnout

Central

Central (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Kye Dudd
	Labour	Paul Smith
	Liberal Democrats	Zachary Barker
	Liberal Democrats	Fergus Ustianowski
Turnout

Clifton

Clifton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour
	Labour
	Liberal Democrats	Nicholas Coombes
	Liberal Democrats	Max Langer
Turnout

Clifton Down

Clifton Down (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green	Carla Denyer
	Green	Tom Hathway
	Labour	Elliott Callander
	Labour
	Liberal Democrats	Laura Barry
	Liberal Democrats	Merche Clarke
Turnout

Cotham

Cotham (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Dylan Woodward
	Labour	Kieran Glasssmith
	Liberal Democrats	Anthony Negus
	Liberal Democrats	Miles Taylor
Turnout

Easton

Easton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Afzal Hussain Shah
	Labour
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Eastville

Eastville (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Sangeetha Wynter
	Labour	Marley Bennett
	Liberal Democrats	Sultan Khan
	Liberal Democrats	Mohammad Rashid
Turnout

Filwood

Filwood (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Chris Jackson
	Labour	Zoe Goodman
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Frome Vale

Frome Vale (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Mike Wollacott
	Labour	Amal Ali
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Hartcliffe & Withywood

Hartcliffe & Withywood (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Helen Holland
	Labour	Paul Goggin
	Labour	Kerry Bailes
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Henbury & Brentry

Henbury & Brentry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Mark Roscoe Weston
	Conservative	Chris Windows
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Teresa Hogan
	Labour	David Mullaney
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Hengrove & Whitchurch Park

Hengrove & Whitchurch Park (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Lee Starr-Elliott
	Labour	Mark Brain
	Labour	Jon Moore
	Liberal Democrats	Harriett Clough
	Liberal Democrats	Tim Kent
	Liberal Democrats	Tara Murray
Turnout

Hillfields

Hillfields (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Craig Cheney
	Labour	Anna Keen
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Horfield

Horfield (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Claire Hiscott
	Conservative	Jake Esley
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Holly Jones
	Labour	Tom Renhard
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats	Tracey O'Reilley
Turnout

Hotwells & Harbourside

Hotwells & Harbourside (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Green
	Labour
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Williams
Turnout

Knowle

Knowle (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Michele Tedder
	Labour	Brandon Gage
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Davies
	Liberal Democrats	Gary Hopkins
Turnout

Lawrence Hill

Lawrence Hill (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Hibaq Jama
	Labour	Shona Jemphrey
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Lockleaze

Lockleaze (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Rebecca Ward
	Labour	Nina Franklin
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Redland

Redland (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Alex Kohnert
	Labour
	Liberal Democrats	James Cox
	Liberal Democrats	Caroline Gooch
Turnout

Southmead

Southmead (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	James Martin
	Conservative	Jack Payne
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Helen Godwin Tiege
	Labour	Brenda Massey
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Southville

Southville (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green	Tony Dyer
	Green	Christine Townsend
	Labour
	Labour
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

St George Central

St George Central (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Nicola Beech
	Labour	Steve Pearce
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

St George Troopers Hill

St George Troopers Hill (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Green
	Labour	Fabian Breckels
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

St George West

St George West (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Green
	Labour	Asher Craig
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Stockwood

Stockwood (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Samuel Fox[18]
	Labour	Justin Ibbett[19]
	Liberal Democrats
	Liberal Democrats
Turnout

Stoke Bishop

Stoke Bishop (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative	John Goulandris
	Green
	Green
	Labour	James Wood
	Labour
	Liberal Democrats	Nwakasi Belisle-Nweke
	Liberal Democrats	Mary Page
Turnout

Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze

Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze (3 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Steve Smith
	Conservative	Geoff Gollop
	Conservative
	Green
	Green
	Green
	Labour	Miranda McCabe
	Labour	Warwick Everett-Rimmer
	Labour	Beth Moreton
	Liberal Democrats	Simon Cook
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Harris
	Liberal Democrats	Alex Hartley
Turnout

Windmill Hill

Windmill Hill (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative
	Conservative
	Green	Natasha Clarke
	Green	Lisa Stone
	Labour	Aileen McLoughlin
	Labour	Ted Powell
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Brown
	Liberal Democrats	Sarah Classick
Turnout

References

1. "Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus". BBC News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
2. "Labour loses its majority on Bristol City Council after 'purge' of Corbyn supporters". The Independent. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
3. "Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze by-election". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
4. "Labour calls on Bristol councillor to resign and trigger by-election after quitting party". BristolLive. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
5. "Brislington East councillor resigns from Tory party". Bristol247. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
6. "Brislington East By-election - bristol.gov.uk". Bristol City Council.
7. Teale, Andrew (16 January 2020). "Preview: 16 Jan 2020 – Britain Elects". Britain Elects. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
8. Gogarty, Conor (1 February 2020). "Bristol's longest-serving councillor 'deselected' by Tories". Bristol Post. Local World. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
9. "Labour set for shake up ahead of local elections in Bristol". Meeting Place Communications. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
10. Kate Wilson (24 April 2019). "Marvin Rees will be Labour's Bristol mayoral candidate after winning party ballot". Bristol Post. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
11. Esme Ashcroft (20 September 2018). "'Bristol needs a Mayor with the courage to get things done' says Green candidate". Bristol Post. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
12. Wilson, Kate (25 October 2019). "The Conservative candidate for Bristol's mayoral election next year". Bristol Post. Local World. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
13. Morris, Steven (10 June 2020). "Bristol mayor wants 'citywide conversation' on future of Edward Colston statue". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
14. York, Chris. "The Edward Colston Statue Has A New Home – Once It's Been Retrieved From Bristol Harbour". Retrieved 10 June 2020.
15. Duncan, Conrad (8 June 2020). "Bristol mayor says statue of slave trader Edward Colston was a 'personal affront'". The Independent. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
16. Buchan, Lizzy (9 June 2020). "Tory condemns toppling of 'hero' Edward Colston statue, calling him a 'hero' to many". The Independent. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
17. Wilson, Kate (25 October 2019). "The Conservative candidate for Bristol's mayoral election next year". Bristol Post. Local World. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
18. https://www.facebook.com/stockwoodlabour/photos/a.2823462537878144/2905774702980260/?type=3&theater
19. https://www.facebook.com/stockwoodlabour/photos/a.2823462537878144/2905774702980260/?type=3&theater