Abbey Ward (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| *Alix Margaret Dearing | Green Party | 714 |
| Zoe Laura Leventhal | Green Party | 562 |
| *John Anthony Cooke | Conservative Party | 399 |
| Richard John Hales | Conservative Party | 376 |
| William Ederyn | Liberal Democrats | 164 |
| Annabel Mia Gurney-Terry | Liberal Democrats | 138 |
| Hannah Deacon | Labour Party | 91 |
Electorate 2358 (turnout 52.97%) Ballot Papers Issued 1249 (4 spoilt)
St John’s Ward (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| *Richard Guy Dickson | Liberal Democrats | 1251 |
| Alison Insley | Liberal Democrats | 1134 |
| Adrian John Marsh | Liberal Democrats | 1042 |
| *Andrew William Milton | Liberal Democrats | 1000 |
| *Richard John Spencer | Conservative Party | 749 |
| Jeremy Eastaugh | Labour Party | 361 |
Electorate 4321 (turnout 44.97%) Ballot Papers Issued 1943 (17 spoilt)
Park Hill Ward (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| Neil Alwyn Eaton | Green Party | 1055 |
| Roy John Spencer Minto | Green Party | 985 |
| Alex Randall | Green Party | 759 |
| Akira Moonlight Summers | Green Party | 734 |
| Malcolm Graham | Conservative Party | 582 |
| Felicity Gena Bunker | Local Conservatives | 555 |
| Andrew Keith Roadnight | Labour Party | 294 |
| Simon Ian Want | Liberal Democrats | 294 |
| Steve McKernan | Independent | 174 |
Electorate 3933 (turnout 42.51%) Ballot Papers Issued 1672 (4 spoilt)
Dalehouse Ward (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| *Alistair James Kennedy | Green Party | 1152 |
| *Peter James Jones | Green Party | 1051 |
| Mark Laurence Stevens | Green Party | 915 |
| David Alexander Thomas Bailey | Green Party | 858 |
| Joanna Mary Illingworth | Local Conservatives | 521 |
| Silvia Fuchss | Liberal Democrats | 268 |
Electorate 3834 (turnout 39.57%) Ballot Papers Issued 1517 (4 spoilt)
Borrowell Ward (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| *Katherine Sara Dickson | Liberal Democrats | 1077 |
| *Alan Gordon Chalmers | Liberal Democrats | 827 |
| Josh Payne | Liberal Democrats | 770 |
| Joe Ruskin | Green Party | 561 |
| Andy Metcalf | Local Conservatives | 421 |
Electorate 3409 (turnout 45.88%) Ballot Papers Issued 1564 (11 spoilt)
*denotes retiring councillor
GLORIOUS GREENS MARCH ON – LIB-DEMS CONSOLIDATE
Despite five of their members, Firth, Austin, J. Dearing, Barry and Drew not putting themselves forward for re-election, this did not seem to make any difference to the electorate – Kenilworth is gradually turning green. In the 2019 poll, eight of their candidates were elected, but this year, that was increased to ten, so gaining overall control of the council.
The trend of wards being dominated by one party or another continued just like in previous years. Abbey ward, which has historically been mix of Lib-Dems and Tories, is now all Green (2), as is Dalehouse (4) and Park Hill (4). The other two wards are held by the Liberal Democrats, Borrowell (3) and St John’s (4).
Due to many members not seeking re-election or others losing their seats, ten new members were elected.
Same Again For Liberal Democrats
The Lib-Dems retained seven seats on the council, the same as in 2019 election, but were down to just six members by the end of the term after losing a seat at the St John’s by-election in 2021. Two of their members did not seek re-election, out-going Mayor, Samantha Louden-Cooke and Graham Hyde.
Alison Insley who has lived in the town for over 30 years, joins the council for the first time. She was un-successful in the 2021 by-election at St. John’s but came second in the ward this time around. Her 1,134 votes was the third highest in the overall poll. In her spare time she plays squash and is a level-3 coach, no less. She is also a cycling instructor with the Warwickshire County Council.
The highest poll of the day of any candidate was Richard Dickson who topped the tree in St John’s with 1,251 votes. His wife Kate headed the poll in Borrowell with 1,077 votes. Alan Chalmers, who was elected to Borrowell in 2019, easliy retained his seat again. He was elected deputy Mayor for the forthcoming year.
No Tories Left on Council
For the first time since the town council was created in 1974, no Conservatives were left on the council. John Cooke lost his seat in Abbey, while Richard Spencer failed to retain his seat in St John’s.
Long standing member, Michael Coker M.B.E. aged 88, (pictured) did not put himself forward for re-election. He had been a district councillor since 1976 and then two lengthy stints as a town councillor from 1983 to 1995, then from 1996 to 2023. He has been Mayor three times. The 37-years he served on the town council is never likely to be beaten!
Voter ID Arrives
This was the first ever election when Voter ID was required to cast your vote.
This did not go down too well with everybody. But it’s here to stay!
Polling Stations
12 polling stations used thoughout the town for this years election.
6 x Churches, 3 x communtity centres/halls, 2 x Pubs (not enough) and 1 x School.
Fancy an Election Job?
Warwick District Council advertised for people to help during the election. The jobs available were:
At Polling Stations – Presiding Officer £261.39. Polling Clerk (x2) £170.79. (6.30am-10.30pm)
At the Count – Count Clerk £146.43. Count Assistant £105.75
Postal Votes – Postal Vote Clerk £35.24 per session
The count took place at Stoneleigh Park on Friday 5th May.
The total cost of the election to the Town Council was just under £46,000 (up from £32,000 in 2019). At a Town Council meeting, Cllr Richard Dickson commented; “Democracy is a costly business”.
Kenilworth Town Councillors (17 seats)
10 Green Party (A. Dearing, Z. Leventhal, A. Kennedy, P. Jones, M. Stevens, D. Bailey, N. Eaton, R. Minto, A. Randall, A. Summers)
7 Liberal Democrats (R. Dickson, K. Dickson, A. Chalmers, J. Payne, A. Insley, A. Marsh, A. Milton)
Town Clerk – Maggie Field
Deputy Town Clerk – Gemma Honey
Admin – Miles Wyatt-Smith
Mayor for 2023-24 was Alix Dearing pictured at the Lions Show in the Abbey Fields, soon after the election.
Mayors
2023-24 Alix Dearing
2024-25 Alan Chalmers (pictured)