Election Name: | 2021 West Northamptonshire Council election |
Type: | Parliamentary |
Ongoing: | no |
Election Date: | 6 May 2021 |
1Blank: | Candidates |
Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
1Data1: | 93 |
Popular Vote1: | 133,952 |
Percentage1: | 50.60% |
Seats1: | 66 |
Seat Change1: | 3 |
Party2: | Labour Party (UK) |
1Data2: | 71 |
Popular Vote2: | 64,714 |
Percentage2: | 24.45% |
Seats2: | 20 |
Seat Change2: | 1 |
Party3: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
1Data3: | 59 |
Popular Vote3: | 43,095 |
Percentage3: | 16.28% |
Seat Change3: | 2 |
Seats3: | 5 |
Party Colour: | yes |
Posttitle: | Council control after election |
Seats For Election: | 93 seats on West Northamptonshire Council |
Leader1: | Jonathan Nunn |
Leaders Seat1: | Nene Valley |
Leader2: | Wendy Randall |
Leaders Seat2: | Daventry West |
Leader3: | Sally Beardsworth |
Leaders Seat3: | Kingsthorpe South |
Majority Seats: | 47 |
Next Year: | 2025 |
Next Election: | 2025 West Northamptonshire Council election |
Previous Year: | 2017 (County Council) |
Previous Election: | 2017 Northamptonshire County Council election |
The 2021 West Northamptonshire Council election took place during 2021, alongside nationwide local elections. The election was originally due to take place in May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
A total of 93 councillors were elected, with the 31 wards electing 3 councillors each.[2] The election was held concurrently with the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner election.
Gains and losses calculated from nominal results of the 2017 Northamptonshire County Council election, which used the same electoral divisions.
This resulted in a Gallagher index score of 16.8, meaning the council is highly disproportionate.
The election was initially supposed to occur in 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Conservatives launched their campaign on 30 of March, declaring that the new Councils would "give everyone in Northamptonshire a fresh start."[3] The Liberal Democrat campaign launch was delayed by the death of the Duke of Edinburgh and promised a "listening, caring and competent council."[4]
There were several controversies during the campaign. The Conservatives were criticised for a mistake on a leaflet in Silverstone ward, which had not been adapted from the standard template. This caused embarrassment, as the stock promise was '[insert prominent local pledges here, e.g. save our libraries]' despite local anger at Conservative plans to close twenty-one libraries in the previous council.[5] The Conservatives, in turn, criticised the Liberal Democrats for a leaflet in the style of a tabloid newspaper, though the Labour Party and the Greens both defended the leaflet.[6] The Labour candidate for Sixfields, Graham Croucher, was expelled from the party after standing against the official Labour candidate in the Northampton Town Council election.[7]
A by-election was held on 8 February 2024 following the resignation of Cllr Suresh Patel due to "ill health".