Election Name: | 2013 Somerset County Council election |
Country: | Somerset |
Type: | Parliamentary |
Ongoing: | no |
Party Colour: | yes |
Previous Election: | 2009 Somerset County Council election |
Previous Year: | 2009 |
Next Election: | 2017 Somerset County Council election |
Next Year: | 2017 |
Seats For Election: | All 55 seats to Somerset County Council |
Majority Seats: | 28 |
Election Date: | 2 May 2013 |
Image1: | Con |
Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
Last Election1: | 35 seats, 46.5% |
Seats1: | 29 |
Seat Change1: | 6 |
Popular Vote1: | 52,279 |
Percentage1: | 35.0% |
Swing1: | 11.5% |
Party2: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
Last Election2: | 21 seats, 36.3% |
Seats2: | 18 |
Seat Change2: | 3 |
Popular Vote2: | 38,989 |
Percentage2: | 26.1% |
Swing2: | 10.2% |
Image3: | UKIP |
Party3: | UK Independence Party |
Last Election3: | 0 seats, 4.2% |
Seats3: | 3 |
Seat Change3: | 3 |
Popular Vote3: | 29,710 |
Percentage3: | 19.9% |
Swing3: | 15.7% |
Image4: | Lab |
Party4: | Labour Party (UK) |
Last Election4: | 2 seats, 4.7% |
Seats4: | 3 |
Seat Change4: | 1 |
Popular Vote4: | 17,592 |
Percentage4: | 11.8% |
Swing4: | 7.1% |
Image5: | Ind |
Party5: | Independent politician |
Last Election5: | 0 seats, 4.6% |
Seats5: | 2 |
Seat Change5: | 2 |
Popular Vote5: | 4,333 |
Percentage5: | 2.9% |
Swing5: | 1.7% |
Council control | |
Posttitle: | Council control after election |
Before Election: | Conservative Party |
After Election: | Conservative Party |
An election to Somerset County Council took place on 2 May 2013 as part of the 2013 United Kingdom local elections. 55 councillors were elected from 54 electoral divisions, which returned one county councillor each with the exception of the two-member Glastonbury & Street division. Members were elected by the first-past-the-post voting system for a four-year term of office. The electoral divisions were changed from those used at the previous election in 2009, reducing the number of county councillors from 58 to 55 from this election. No elections were held in North Somerset or Bath and North East Somerset, which are unitary authorities outside the area covered by the County Council.
The Conservative Party retained control of the council, despite having their majority reduced. They won 28 of the 54 seats contested on 2 May,[1] in addition to the division of Coker,[2] where the election was delayed until 16 May due to the death of one of the candidates.[3]
All locally registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) who were aged 18 or over on Thursday 2 May 2013 were entitled to vote in the local elections. Those who were temporarily away from their ordinary address (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) were also entitled to vote in the local elections,[4] although those who had moved abroad and registered as overseas electors cannot vote in the local elections. It is possible to register to vote at more than one address (such as a university student who had a term-time address and lives at home during holidays) at the discretion of the local Electoral Register Office, but it remains an offence to vote more than once in the same local government election.[5]
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The nomination of Judith Kendall (Liberal Democrats) was ruled as invalid
David Wilson (UK Independence Party) was withdrawn as a candidate before the close of nominations
Election was deferred until 16 May 2013, due to the death of the original UK Independence Party candidate, Audrey Spencer[7]