Abbey (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| *Alix Margaret Dearing | Green | 714 |
| Zoe Laura Leventhal | Green | 562 |
| *John Anthony Cooke | Conservative | 399 |
| Richard John Hales | Conservative | 376 |
| William Ederyn | Lib-Dems | 164 |
| Annabel Mia Gurney-Terry | Lib-Dems | 138 |
| Hannah Deacon | Labour | 91 |
Electorate 2358 (turnout 52.97%)
Ballot Papers Issued 1249 (4 spoilt)
St John’s (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| *Richard Guy Dickson | Lib-Dems | 1251 |
| Alison Insley | Lib-Dems | 1134 |
| Adrian John Marsh | Lib-Dems | 1042 |
| *Andrew William Milton | Lib-Dems | 1000 |
| *Richard John Spencer | Conservative | 749 |
| Jeremy Eastaugh | Labour | 361 |
Electorate 4321 (turnout 44.97%)
Ballot Papers Issued 1943 (17 spoilt)
Park Hill (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| Neil Alwyn Eaton | Green | 1055 |
| Roy John Spencer Minto | Green | 985 |
| Alex Randall | Green | 759 |
| Akira Moonlight Summers | Green | 734 |
| Malcolm Graham | Conservative | 582 |
| Felicity Gena Bunker | Local Conservatives | 555 |
| Andrew Keith Roadnight | Labour | 294 |
| Simon Ian Want | Lib-Dems | 294 |
| Steve McKernan | Independent | 174 |
Electorate 3933 (turnout 42.51%)
Ballot Papers Issued 1672 (4 spoilt)
Dalehouse (4 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| *Alistair James Kennedy | Green | 1152 |
| *Peter James Jones | Green | 1051 |
| Mark Laurence Stevens | Green | 915 |
| David Alexander Thomas Bailey | Green | 858 |
| Joanna Mary Illingworth | Local Conservatives | 521 |
| Silvia Fuchss | Lib-Dems | 268 |
Electorate 3834 (turnout 39.57%)
Ballot Papers Issued 1517 (4 spoilt)
Borrowell (3 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| *Katherine Sara Dickson | Lib-Dems | 1077 |
| *Alan Gordon Chalmers | Lib-Dems | 827 |
| Josh Payne | Lib-Dems | 770 |
| Joe Ruskin | Green | 561 |
| Andy Metcalf | Local Conservatives | 421 |
Electorate 3409 (turnout 45.88%)
Ballot Papers Issued 1564 (11 spoilt)
*denotes retiring councillors
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, thus 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 historically has been a mixture of Lib-Dems and Tories, is now Green (2 seats), as is Dalehouse (4 seats) and Park Hill (4 seats). The remaining two wards are held by the Liberal Democrats, Borrowell (3 seats) and St John’s (4 seats).
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, 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.
She has previously served 6 years as an on-call Firefighter in Kenilworth, and is also a cycling instructor with the Warwickshire County Council. In her spare time she plays squash and is a level-3 coach, no less.
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 didn’t do so bad either, topping Borrowell with 1,077. 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 lost 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 was first elected to the district council in 1976, but also did two lengthy stints on the town council from 1983 to 1995, and then from 1996 until this year. He also became a ‘Triple’ Mayor. The 39-years he served 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 later Town Council meeting, Cllr Richard Dickson commented; “Democracy is a costly business”.
Kenilworth Town Councillors
10 Greens (Dearing, Leventhal, Kennedy, Jones, Stevens, Bailey, Eaton, Minto, Randall, Summers)
7 Lib-Dems (R. Dickson, K. Dickson, Chalmers, Payne, Insley, Marsh, 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)
2025-26 James Kennedy