| Election Name: | 2022 Colchester Borough Council election |
| Country: | Essex |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2021 Colchester Borough Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2021 |
| Next Election: | 2023 Colchester City Council election |
| Next Year: | 2023 |
| Seats For Election: | 18 out of 51 seats to Colchester Borough Council |
| Majority Seats: | 26 |
| Turnout: | 32.1% (1.8%) |
| Leader1: | Paul Dundas |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election1: | 23 seats, 44.8% |
| Leaders Seat1: | Stanway (defeated) |
| Seats Before1: | 23 |
| Seats1: | 6 |
| Seats After1: | 19 |
| Seat Change1: | 4 |
| Popular Vote1: | 16,308 |
| Percentage1: | 34.5% |
| Swing1: | 10.3% |
| Leader2: | Martin Goss |
| Party2: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Leaders Seat2: | Mile End |
| Last Election2: | 12 seats, 19.7% |
| Seats Before2: | 11 |
| Seats2: | 5 |
| Seats After2: | 14 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| Popular Vote2: | 13,731 |
| Percentage2: | 29.1% |
| Swing2: | 9.4% |
| Leader3: | Adam Fox |
| Party3: | Labour Co-operative |
| Leaders Seat3: | Old Heath &<br> The Hythe |
| Last Election3: | 11 seats, 22.5% |
| Seats Before3: | 11 |
| Seats3: | 6 |
| Seats After3: | 13 |
| Seat Change3: | 2 |
| Popular Vote3: | 13,311 |
| Percentage3: | 28.2% |
| Swing3: | 5.7% |
| Leader4: | Steph Nissen |
| Party4: | Green Party of England and Wales |
| Leaders Seat4: | Castle |
| Last Election4: | 2 seats, 10.7% |
| Seats Before4: | 2 |
| Seats4: | 1 |
| Seats After4: | 3 |
| Seat Change4: | 1 |
| Popular Vote4: | 3,909 |
| Percentage4: | 8.3% |
| Swing4: | 2.4% |
| Leader5: | Beverley Oxford |
| Party5: | Independent politician |
| Leaders Seat5: | Highwoods |
| Last Election5: | 3 seats, 1.7% |
| Seats Before5: | 3 |
| Seats5: | 0 |
| Seats After5: | 2 |
| Seat Change5: | 1 |
| Popular Vote5: | 0 |
| Percentage5: | 0.0% |
| Swing5: | 1.7% |
| Leader of the Council | |
| Posttitle: | Leader of the Council after election |
| Before Election: | Paul Dundas |
| Before Party: | Conservative |
| After Election: | David King |
| After Party: | Liberal Democrats |
Elections to Colchester Borough Council took place on 5 May 2022.[1] [2] Eighteen members of the council (one-third of the whole) were elected: one from 16 of the 17 wards, and two councillors from New Town & Christ Church ward, following the death of incumbent councillor Nick Cope (Liberal Democrat),[3] elected in 2019 and due to serve until 2023.
At the election, the Conservative–Independent coalition lost control of the council, with the Conservatives losing seats to the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party. Paul Dundas, the leader of the council, lost his seat in Stanway to challenger Tracey Arnold.Labour gained one seat from the Liberal Democrats and won the vacated Independent seat in Highwoods, giving them their largest share of representation on the council since the 1990s.
Following the results of the previous election, the ruling "Progressive Alliance" coalition (comprising the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Independents) lost control of the council after the Independents decided to form an administration with the Conservatives, giving them a majority of one seat over the opposition parties.
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berechurch | Martyn Warnes | Yes | ||
| Castle | Simon Crow | Yes | ||
| Greenstead | Tina Bourne | No | ||
| Highwoods | Phil Oxford | No | ||
| Lexden & Braiswick | Martin Leatherdale | Yes | ||
| Marks Tey & Layer | Jackie Maclean | Yes | ||
| Mersea & Pyefleet | Robert Davidson | Yes | ||
| Mile End | David King | Yes | ||
| New Town & Christ Church | Lorcan Whitehead | No | ||
| Old Heath & The Hythe | Lee Scordis | Yes | ||
| Prettygate | Roger Buston | Yes | ||
| Rural North | Peter Chillingworth | No | ||
| Shrub End | Pauline Hazell | No | ||
| St. Anne's & St. John's | Chris Hayter | No | ||
| Stanway | Paul Dundas | Yes | ||
| Tiptree | Derek Loveland | No | ||
| Wivenhoe | Andrea Luxford-Vaughn | Yes | ||
On 17 May 2022, it was announced that a three-party administration between the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Green Party would be formed to run the council throughout the 2022-2023 term. This gave the new administration a majority of 12 seats over the now-opposition Conservatives.[4]
David King (Liberal Democrats, Mile End) was elected Leader of the Council, with Adam Fox (Labour Co-op, Old Heath & The Hythe) elected as the Deputy Leader.
Following coalition negotiations, a cabinet was formed that consisted of four Liberal Democrats, three Labour, and one Green Party member.[5]
| Portfolio | Councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy | David King | ||
| Local Economy & Transformation | Adam Fox | ||
| Culture & Heritage | Pam Cox | ||
| Neighbourhood Services & Waste | Martin Goss | ||
| Environment & Sustainability | Steph Nissen | ||
| Resources | Mark Cory | ||
| Planning & Infrastructure | Andrea Luxford-Vaughn | ||
| Housing & Communities | Julie Young | ||
The Statement of Persons Nominated was released on 5 April 2022, detailing the candidates who will be standing in each of the wards.[6] The results of the borough council election were announced on 6 May 2022.[7]
Incumbents are listed with an asterisk *
No Reform UK (2.7%) candidate as previous.
No Independent (35.0%), Green (6.4%) or Reform UK (2.9%) candidates as previous.
No Independent (4.7%) candidate as previous.
No Green (16.1%) candidate as previous.
No Reform UK (2.5%) candidate as previous.
No Green (6.1%) or Reform UK (2.8%) candidates as previous.
No Green (6.8%) candidate as previous.
No Green (4.4%) candidate as previous.
No Green candidate (11.1%) as previous.
On 20 October 2022, it was announced that Cllr Gerard Oxford and Cllr Beverley Oxford, the two remaining Independent councillors for Highwoods ward, would be resigning from their roles with immediate effect.[8] A by-election was held on 8 December 2022 to fill their vacant seats and was won by one Labour and one Liberal Democrat candidate respectively.[9] [10]