Category: W.D.C. Elections

Abbey & Borrowell (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Helen Dore	Liberal Party	1384
Jack Bastock	Liberal Party	1054
Haydn Thomas	Liberal Party	925
Peter Moore	Conservative Party	870
Ronald Stansfield	Conservative Party	867
Eleanor Hogarth	Conservative Party	687
Thomas Litterick	Labour Party	283
Mrs I. Barley	Labour Party	236
G. Parkington	Labour Party	206

Windy Arbour (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
John Wilson	Conservative Party	827
Thomas Robinson	Conservative Party	789
Jan Mokrzycki	Liberal Party	474
Lynn Pollard	Liberal Party	444
Mrs M. McLellan	Labour Party	106

St John’s (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Chris Webster	Labour Party	553
William Wozencroft	Labour Party	500
Terry Rogers	Liberal Party	380
Hugh Martyre	Liberal Party	376
E. I. Milligan	Conservative Party	320
J. Rickard	Conservative Party	315

Castle (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Kenneth Rawnsley	Conservative Party	749
E. L. Burbidge	Conservative Party	728
Dora Greenway	Liberal Party	564
Peter Simmonds	Liberal Party	545
Jane Litterick	Labour Party	119
B. Carrell	Labour Party	108

Park Hill (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Robert Butler	Liberal Party	650
Graham Bramwell	Liberal Party	588
Spencer Harrison	Conservative Party	586
Kenneth Hogarth	Conservative Party	569
W. J. Clarke	Labour Party	151
Mrs S. Harris	Labour Party	132

INAUGURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL ELECTIONS

In the re-organisation of local government, Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth were combined to form the new Warwick District Council (WDC). 11 of the 58 members were allocated to Kenilworth.

Five re-counts were required in the closely contested Park Hill ward, where Mr Bramwell beat Mr Harrison by just two votes for the second available seat.

Liberals dominated in the combined Abbey & Borrowell ward, gaining all three seats. Overall they had five candidates elected in the town.

Within the WDC, the Liberals have just seven seats, which may not seem many. But they now hold the balance of power at the new council as the Tories gained 26 seats and Labour 25.

Kenilworth District Councillors

5 Liberal Party (B. Butler, G. Bramwell, H. Dore, H. Thomas, J. Bastock)

4 Conservative Party (K. Rawnsley, E. Burbidge, J. Wilson, T. Robinson)

2 Labour Party (C. Webster, B. Wozencroft)

Abbey & Borrowell (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Helen Bainbridge Dore	Kenilworth Liberals	1397
*Jack Bastock	Kenilworth Liberals	1226
Kenneth William Hogarth	Conservative Party	1224
Richard Mayne Oldnall	Conservative Party	1002
Patrica Francis Adams	Conservative Party	942
*Haydn Alan Thomas	Kenilworth Liberals	918
Joseph William England	Labour Party	277
Roger Christopher Smith	Labour Party	260
Susan Elizabeth O’Donovan	Labour Party	199

Registered Voters 4358

Ballot Papers Issued 2618 (Spoilt Papers 0)

Votes Cast 7445 (60%)

One Conservative gain from Liberal

Castle (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Kenneth Rawnsley	Conservative Party	1057
Michael Francis Coker	Conservative Party	977
John Henry Drew	Kenilworth Liberals	502
John Riordan	Kenilworth Liberals	443
Rosemary Mary Ellis	Labour Party	93
Jane Ellen Litterick	Labour Party	89

Registered Voters 2737

Ballot Papers Issued 1622 (Spoilt Papers 16)

Votes Cast 3161 (59%)

No Change

Park Hill (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Henry Fredrick Potts	Conservative Party	862
Ann Judith Pearce	Conservative Party	774
*Robert Charles Butler	Kenilworth Liberals	648
*George Lansbury Bramwell	Kenilworth Liberals	596
Malcolmn Leslie Burfitt	Labour Party	109
Peter Rhydwen Jones	Labour Party	104

Registered Voters 2443

Ballot Papers Issued 1576 (Spoilt Papers 20)

Votes Cast 3093 (65%)

Two Conservative gains from Liberal

St John’s (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Richard Ernest Monnington	Conservative Party	561
*William Henry Wozencroft	Labour Party	557
Jerry Hick	Conservative Party	551
Kevin John O’Donovan	Labour Party	435
Kenneth Charles Evans	Kenilworth Liberals	353
John Keith Ord	Kenilworth Liberals	309

Registered Voters 2276

Ballot Papers Issued 1462 (Spoilt Papers 34)

Votes Cast 2766 (64%)

One Conservative gain from Labour

Windy Arbour (2 seats)

Candidates	Party	Votes
*John Pearson Wilson	Conservative Party	1134
*Thomas Fredrick Robinson	Conservative Party	1076
Derek Ching	Kenilworth Liberals	482
Dennis George Coulson	Kenilworth Liberals	391
Peter Frederick Singer	Labour Party	79
Graham Charles Hall	Labour Party	75

Registered Voters 2544

Ballot Papers Issued 1651 (Spoilt Papers 2)

Votes Cast 3237 (67%)

No change

RIGHT TURN FOR WARWICK DISTRICT

Any influence the Liberals had on the WDC has now finally diminished following this election. Three years ago they had the balance of power with just seven members, the Tories and Labour having the same number of seats. In Kenilworth they were down to just two councillors, Helen Dore and Jack Bastock. Both returned in Abbey ward. But Haydn Thomas was unsuccesful in retaining his seat in the same ward. Two other Liberals failed to be re-elected, Bob Butler and George Bramwell at Park Hill. Within the district the Liberals only have three members.

For the Tories, is was a good day with three of their members being re-elected, plus five new councillors. This doubled their Kenilworth representation from the 1973 poll. In the district, the Tories took overall control.

Labour were down to only one councillor, Bill Wozencroft, who was returned in St. John’s ward. Chris Webster who had been elected at the 1973 poll, did not seek re-election.

Kenilworth District Councillors (11 seats)

8 Conservative Party (M. Coker, K. Hogarth, J. Wilson, T. Robinson, R. Monnington, H. Potts, A. Pearce, K. Rawnsley)

2 Liberal Party (H. Dore, J. Bastock)

1 Labour Party (B. Wozencroft)

Park Hill

Spencer Charlton Harrison	Conservative Party	465
Lance Bramwell	Liberal Party	421
Malcolm Leslie Burfitt	Labour Party	76

CONSERVATIVES RETAIN SEAT

This by-election was called due to the resignation of sitting member Ann Pearce, who was leaving the town and moving to London with her husband.

But the Tories held the seat with a majority of 44. Winner, Spencer Harrison had contested the inaugural district council election in 1973 but was unsuccessful, losing by just 2 votes in Park Hill to Liberal, Graham Bramwell. He did not stand in last years poll.

Mr Harrison is 52 years-old and lives in Station Road. He is a director of Buckingham Swimming Pools in Priory Road and has four children, all attending local schools. He had previous been on the old Kenilworth Urban District Council for seven years, also representing Park Hill.

Kenilworth District Councillors

8 Conservative Party (M.Coker, J. Wilson, T. Robinson, R. Monnington, H. Potts, K. Rawnsley, K. Hogarth, S. Harrison)

2 Liberal Party (H. Dore, J. Bastock)

1 Labour Party (B. Wozencroft)

Abbey & Borrowell (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Helen Bainbridge Dore	Liberal Party	1986
*Jack Bastock	Liberal Party	1795
Haydn Alan Thomas	Liberal Party	1387
*Kenneth William Hogarth	Conservative Party	1340
Ronald Stansfield	Conservative Party	1245
Nicholas Russell Wilson	Conservative Party	1141
Wendy Jane England	Labour Party	474
Susan Elizabeth O’Donovan	Labour Party	322
Collen Bernadette Ramsey	Labour Party	259

Registered Voters 4287

Ballot Papers Issued 3474 (7 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 9949 (81% Turnout)

Liberal gain from Conservative

Castle (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Michael Francis Coker	Conservative Party	1277
*Kenneth Rawnsley	Conservative Party	1199
Leslie Graham Windybank	Liberal Party	699
David Arthur Preece	Liberal Party	681
Thomas Swallow	Labour Party	166
Gordon Herbert Mitchell	Labour Party	161

Registered Voters 2765

Ballot Papers Issued 2271 (16 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 4183 (82.1% Turnout)

No Change

Park Hill (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Robert Charles Butler	Liberal Party	1080
Spencer Charlton Harrison	Conservative Party	968
Kenneth Bulmer	Conservative Party	922
Kenneth Charles Evans	Liberal Party	869
Peter Rhydwen Jones	Labour Party	249
Peter Frederick Singer	Labour Party	222

Registered Voters 2684

Ballot Papers Issued 2237 (1 spoilt paper)

Votes Cast 4310 (83.3% Turnout)

Liberal gain from Conservative

St John’s (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*William Henry Wozencroft	Labour Party	790
*Richard Ernest Monnington	Conservative Party	710
Robert Ronald Wooller	Conservative Party	678
Malcolm Leslie Burfitt	Labour Party	566
Mary Muirhead Archer	Liberal Party	377
Leonard Charles Davis	Liberal Party	354

Registered Voters 2241

Ballot Papers Issued 1816 (2 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 3475 (81% Turnout)

No Change

Windy Arbour (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*John Pearson Wilson	Conservative Party	1381
James Herbert Whitby	Conservative Party	1282
Lynn Annette Pollard	Liberal Party	601
Stephen James Francis Adams	Liberal Party	524
Joseph William England	Labour Party	213
Elizabeth Evelyn Lee	Labour Party	176

Registered Voters 2609

Ballot Papers Issued 2194 (10 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 4177 (84.1% Turnout)

No Change

MASSIVE TURNOUT BY KENILWORTH VOTERS

Not for many years has a Kenilworth election produced such a large turnout of voters. But as it was the same day as the General Election, it wasn’t surprising. Every ward produced more that 80%, un-heard of in local elections. In the event, the Liberals gained two seats from the Tories, much to everyones surprise. The lone Labour voice is Bill Wozencroft, who retained his seat by topped the poll at St John’s with 790 votes.

Four Conservatives who seeked re-election retained their seats. One surprise return to the Tory ranks was James Whitby. He was first elected in Kenilworth in 1964, during the days of the old KUDC but did not seek re-election in the1967 poll. The Tories also saw the return of Spencer Harrision, another veteran of the old council.

In Kenilworth, the Tories took 46.6% of votes cast, Liberals 39.7 and Labour 13.5.

In the district, the Tories have overall control of the council with 40 of the 58 seats. Liberals have just 4 seats (all in Kenilworth), Labour have 13 seats, their best-to-date, plus one Independent, representing the Ratepayers of Whitnash. (later renamed Whitnash Residents Association)

Kenilworth District Councillors

6 Conservative Party (J. Pearson, J. Whitby, R. Monnington, S. Harrison, M. Coker, K. Rawnsley)

4 Liberal Party (R. Butler, H. Dore, J. Bastock, H. Thomas)

1 Labour Party (B. Wozencroft)

Abbey & Borrowell

Candidate	Party	Votes
Leslie Graham Windybank	Liberal Party	834
John Anthony Cooke	Conservative Party	758
Melanie Ruth Lomas	Labour Party	150

LIBERAL HOLD

Turnout 49%

LIBERALS RETAIN SEAT

This by-election was called due to the resignation of Liberal, Helen Dore, who had been on the district council since its inception in 1973.

Graham Windybank, leader of the town council managed to retain the seat for the Liberals by a majority of 76 over rival, John Cooke. It was never going to be an easy task for the Conservatives who needed more than a 7% swing from 1979 poll, to be win the seat.

Labour candidate, Melanie Lomas, a former Kenilworth Grammar School pupil, faced an up-hill struggle to get anywhere near the winning line. District elections for Labour have always been poor in Kenilworth, especially in Abbey & Borrowell, where they have never had a candidate elected.

Abbey (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Kenneth Rawnsley	Conservative Party	1934
*Michael Coker	Conservative Party	1823
John Cooke	Conservative Party	1787
*Jack Bastock	Liberal Party	1766
*Graham Windybank	Liberal Party	1577
*Haydn Thomas	Liberal Party	1557
Melonie Lomas	Labour Party	313
Geoffrey Cleave	Labour Party	300
Teresa Blackwell	Labour Party	294

Park Hill (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Spencer Harrison	Conservative Party	911
*Robert Butler	Liberal Party	898
Tony Dalton	Conservative Party	896
Paul Weatherall	Liberal Party	840
John Airey	Labour Party	182
Chris Payne	Labour Party	166

St John’s (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Bob Wooller	Conservative Party	2029
*John Wilson	Conservative Party	2009
*James Whitby	Conservative Party	1933
*William Wozencroft	Labour Party	1170
John Whitehouse	Social Democratic Party	830
Mary Harrison	Social Democratic Party	733
Brenda Payne	Labour Party	651
Mark Juby	Labour Party	564

TORY LANDSLIDE IN KENILWORTH

The district council had reduced the number of councillors down to 45 from the previous 58. This left Kenilworth with only 8 seats to contest, which meant a restructuring of the ward boundaries and the reduction from five wards to three. This did not go down well with the Liberals. Abbey & Borrowell was renamed just Abbey with Castle and Windy Arbour being the two wards that disappeared.

The Consevatives took seven of the seats, leaving only one Liberal left, Bob Butler, who only just got elected by two votes over Tory rival Tony Dalton in Park Hill. But Jack Bastock and Haydn Thomas were the biggest casulties of all the Liberals, both being dumped out of Abbey ward. Mr Thomas said; “There is no doubt the boundary changes have helped the Tories and the Labour party took votes off us”. He added; “People voting Labour had effectively put the Tories in. If it were not for the Labour vote the Liberals would have been comfortably elected”.

Town mayor, Labour’s Bill Wozencroft, lost his seat in St. John’s. The newly formed SDP didn’t fair well, with their two candidates, John Whitehouse and Mary Harrison being unsuccessful in St. John’s ward.

Six of the Tories who stood for re-election, retained their seats. For John Cooke, this was the first district council election he had contested beating Liberal rival Jack Bastock by just 21 votes.

Overall in the district council, the Conservatives hold a 17-seat majority, winning 31 seats to Labour’s 7, Liberals 5 and the Whitnash Ratepayers Association 3.

Kenilworth District Councillors

7 Conservative Party (M. Coker, J. Cooke, B. Wooller, J. Wilson, J. Whitby, S. Harrison, K. Rawnsley)

1 Liberal Party (B. Butler)

Abbey (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Kenneth Rawnsley	Conservative Party	2027
*John Anthony Cooke	Conservative Party	2025
*Michael Francis Coker	Conservative Party	1989
Jack Bastock	SDP-Liberal Alliance	1887
Haydn Alan Thomas	SDP-Liberal Alliance	1586
Mary Latham Harrison	SDP-Liberal Alliance	1470
Teresa Margaret Blackwell	Labour Party	400
Garry John Lucas	Labour Party	302
Leonora Everitt	Labour Party	260

Votes Cast 11,946 (spoilt papers 29)

Park Hill (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Spencer Charlton Harrison	Conservative Party	1189
Thomas Anthony Dalton	Conservative Party	1116
Kenneth James Griffiths	SDP-Liberal Alliance	689
*Robert Charles Butler	SDP-Liberal Alliance	649
Lesley Jane Bowen	Labour Party	242
Anthony Bowen	Labour Party	240

Votes Cast 4,125 (spoilt papers 10)

St. John’ (3 seats)

Candidates	Party	Votes
*Robert Ronald Wooller	Conservative Party	2348
*John Pearson Wilson	Conservative Party	2334
*James Herbert Whitby	Conservative Party	2214
William Henry Wozencroft	SDP-Liberal Alliance	1581
Dennis Edmund Royston	SDP-Liberal Alliance	1206
Vera Maud Royston	SDP-Liberal Alliance	1187
John David Bennett	Labour Party	415
John Payne	Labour Party	393
Geoffrey Ernest Cleave	Labour Party	378

Votes Cast 12,056 (spoilt papers 9)

CLEAN SWEEP FOR TORIES IN KENILWORTH

Bob Butler, the lone SDP-Liberal Alliance from the 1983 poll, lost his seat in Park Hill. He said he was very disappointed and puzzled by the result. He also lost his town council seat and he said he is contemplating standing down from local politics. He said., “This might be my ‘swan song’, I’ve worked hard in Kenilworth for the last 12 years but if this is what the voters want, then that is what they will get, you never really know the reasons why. I haven’t faced any animosity from people or the oppostion”.

Town Mayor-elect, Bob Wooller was of course delighted with the Kenilworth and overall district results, saying it is down to the good and hard working Tory group. Councillor Rawnsley, currently the leader of the Conservative group on the district council, believed the success was due to their record over the last four years. He was disappointed to lose three councillors in Leamington but happy that they had a sweeping success in Kenilworth.

The Conservatives kept their overall majority at the district council. They lost two seats to the Alliance but still have a good majority of 29 over their rivals. Labour have 7 seats, Alliance 6 and the Whitnash Ratepayers 3.

Kenilworth District Councillors

8 Conservative Party (K. Rawnsley, M. Coker, J. Cooke, B. Wooller, J. Wilson, J. Whitby, T. Dalton, S. Harrison)

St. John’s

Candidate	Party	Votes
Leslie Graham Windybank	Conservative Party	1308
Diana Margaret Basham	Labour Party	650
Enys Parthenia Thomas	Liberal Democrats	313
Paul Steven Lloyd	Green Party	200

Turnout 43%

TORIES HOLD SEAT IN ST JOHN’S

Kenilworth’s St John’s remains with the Conservatives following Graham Windybank’s victory. This means they still hold all eight seats in Kenilworth on the district council.

This by-election was called because of the death of James Whitby who died last month. He had been a district councillor since 1983 and also served on both the town council and the old KUDC.

Mr Windybank, who lives in Brookside Ave, has lived in the town for 27 years. He is a widower with two children. He has spent his life in advertising and is a director of a midland agency. As a member of the town council he was chairman of the open spaces working party and was involved in the work on a management plan for the Common.

Kenilworth District Councillors

8 Conservatives (K. Rawnsley, M. Coker, J. Cooke, B. Wooller, J. Wilson, T. Dalton, S. Harrison, G. Windybank)

Abbey (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Jack Bastock	Liberal Democrats	1985
Haydn Alan Thomas	Liberal Democrats	1581
*Michael Francis Coker	Conservative Party	1444
Patrick Joseph Ryan	Liberal Democrats	1404
*Kenneth Rawnsley	Conservative Party	1321
*John Anthony Cooke	Conservative Party	1225
John David Bennett	Labour Party	428
Geoffrey Ernest Cleave	Labour Party	394
Murial Johnston	Labour Party	392
Nicholas Henry D’Ambrumenil	Green Party	310
Paul William Lewis	Independent	135

Registered Voters 6273

Ballot Papers Issued 3665 (23 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 10,619 (58.4%)

Park Hill (2 seats)

Candidates	Party	Votes
*Thomas Anthony Dalton	Conservative Party	818
*Spencer Charlton Harrison	Conservative Party	812
Dennis Edmund Royston	Liberal Democrats	608
Vera Maud Royston	Liberal Democrats	575
Robin Rain Winn	Labour Party	383
Edwin Arthur John Griffiths	Labour Party	350
Philippa Cecily Austin	Green Party	100

Registered Voters 3620

Ballot Papers Issued 1833 (2 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 3646 (50.6%)

St. John’s (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
Pauline Winifred Edwards	Conservative Party	2143
*Robert Ronald Wooller	Conservative Party	1992
*Leslie Graham Windybank	Conservative Party	1980
Barabra Ward	Liberal Democrats	1009
Grace Lillian Gunter	Liberal Democrats	991
David John Peggs	Labour Party	809
Helen Maria Ruffles	Labour Party	786
Thomas Shallow	Labour Party	776
Robert Paul Langlands	Green Party	452

Registered Voters 7261

Ballot Papers Issued 3857 (10 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 10,938 (53.1%)

FIGHT BACK BY LIB-DEMS

In Kenilworth, the Tories had a much tougher time than usual in this years election. However, in Park Hill and St. John’s they won five from five seats.

But in Abbey ward it was a different tale all together. 35-year veteran of local government, Ken Rawnsley was out, as too was John Cooke. Michael Coker looked to be on his way as well, but after a long and nervous recount against Lib-Dem Pat Ryan, he scraped in by 40 votes. New to the Tories in St. John’s is Pauline Edwards, who had been on the town council since 1983.

Leamington Town Hall was awash with jubilant Liberal Democrats, all centred around Kenilworth’s Jack Bastock, the main man in Mr Rawnsley’s downfall. Mr Bastock topped the poll in Abbey with 1985 votes, well clear of all his rivals. He now has his seat back on the council, which he lost eight years ago. He said; “At this moment I’m thrilled but very tired. It’s been a tough few hours and I need some time to gather my thoughts”. Haydn Thomas was also back on the council after being eight years in the wilderness.

Both Rawnsley and Cooke blamed their demise on the national trend and some local issues. An emotional Mr. Rawnsley said; “Kenilworth Abbey has always been a marginal ward and I believe the electorate have mistaken the district council from the county council, who are responsible for the cuts and capping”.

Soon after the election, Tony Dalton who topped the poll in Park Hill, took over the top job as leader of the District Council from Kenneth Rawnsley. But he still considered himself a ‘new boy’ after only four year’s service. He believed his fellow Tories chose him because he was fresh and would bring new ideas to the council. But he admitted, that he would have to learn on the job and quickly. He said that he spent all weekend making sure there was an equal spread of councillors from all areas on the committees. Previously, it had been far too bias towards Kenilworth councillors.

Overall however, it was not all bad news for the Conservatives, receiving 39% share of the vote. Their six seats in Kenilworth helped strongly towards the narrow three seat majority on the 45 seat council. 24 Tories,10 Labour, 8 Lib-Dems, 3 Whitnash Residents Association.

Kenilworth District Councillors

6 Conservative Party (M. Coker, P. Edwards, B. Wooller, G. Windybank, T. Dalton, S. Harrison)

2 Liberal Democrats (J. Bastock, H. Thomas)

Abbey (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Jack Bastock	Liberal Democrats	1763
*Haydn Alan Thomas	Liberal Democrats	1468
Patrick Joseph Ryan	Liberal Democrats	1270
*Michael Francis Coker	Conservative Party	1114
James Finnie	Conservative Party	904
Terence John Quainton	Conservative Party	883
Rosemary May Ellis	Labour Party	787
Geoffrey Ernest Cleave	Labour Party	761
Christopher John Edgerton	Labour Party	719

Registered Voters 6287

Ballot Papers Issued 3289 (18 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 9687 (52.5% Turnout)

Park Hill (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
David John Shilton	Liberal Democrats	665
*Spencer Charlton Harrison	Conservative Party	600
Muriel Johnston	Labour Party	511
Henry Scarborough	Labour Party	489
*Thomas Anthony Dalton	Conservative Party	487
Judith Ann Rawson	Liberal Democrats	471

Registered Voters 3679

Ballot Papers Issued 1787 (5 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 3223 (48.6% Turnout)

St. John’s (3 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes
*Pauline Winifred Edwards	Conservative Party	1694
*Robert Ronald Wooller	Conservative Party	1613
*Leslie Graham Windybank	Conservative Party	1610
David John Hatton	Labour Party	1152
David John Peggs	Labour Party	1151
Jill Murdoch	Labour Party	1107
Richard Guy Dickson	Liberal Democrats	763
Barbara Ward	Liberal Democrats	729
Graham John Thomas	Liberal Democrats	681

Registered Voters 7450

Ballot Papers Issued 3584 (17 spoilt papers)

Votes Cast 10,500 (48.1% Turnout)

MISERY FOR TORIES AT DISTRICT COUNCIL

The biggest shock of the election was in Park Hill, where former district council leader, Tony Dalton lost his seat, finishing fifth out of six candidates. If that wasn’t enough, he also lost his town council seat. Mr Dalton was of course disappointed by the results but he had expected it. He said; “I have been on the district council for eight years and I’m proud of what I have achieved but I’ll be back”. New to the district council is Lib-Dem, Dave Shilton, who topped the poll with 665 votes. Spencer Harrison once again retained his seat for the Tories, which he had first gained at a by-election in 1977.

In Abbey ward, Jack Bastock and Haydn Thomas easily retained their seats and were joined by fellow Lib-Dem, the rejuvenated Pat Ryan, who overcame sitting Tory member Michael Coker by 156 votes. Mr. Coker had been on the district council since 1976, said that he had enjoyed every minute of it, but with the national situation, it’s a fair result. I’ve succeeded in the five previous elections on the strength of the government but now I’ve gone out on the strength of it. At least my garden will benefit from the result, he joked!

At St. John’s it was a clean sweep for the Conservatives with all their three candidates finishing well ahead of the field. Although knowhere near gaining a seat, the Labour party had a far better poll than is normally the case. Each candidate polled over 1,100 votes, up by around 300 from the 1991 election. It was a ward they had specifically targeted, spokesman for the group, Dave Peggs, said he was very pleased with the outcome. But St. John’s continues to be a graveyard for the Liberal Democrats and the Liberals/Alliance before that. Not one of their candidates has ever been elected there since the district council elections began in 1973.

The outcome of the election produced no overall majority.

17 Labour, 13 Tories, 11 Lib-Dems, 3 Whitnash Residents Association, 1 Independent.

Kenilworth District Councillors

4 Liberal Democrats (J. Bastock, H, Thomas, P. Ryan, D. Shilton)

4 Conservatives (P. Edwards. B. Wooller, G. Windybank, S. Harrison)