| Election Name: | 2023 Dartford Borough Council election |
| Country: | Kent |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2019 Dartford Borough Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2019 |
| Next Election: | 2027 Dartford Borough Council election |
| Next Year: | 2027 |
| Seats For Election: | All 42 seats to Dartford Borough Council |
| Majority Seats: | 22 |
| Leader1: | Jeremy Kite |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election1: | 29 seats, 53.1% |
| Seats Before1: | 31 |
| Seats1: | 29 |
| Popular Vote1: | 27,404 |
| Percentage1: | 55.8% |
| Swing1: | 3.0% |
| Leader2: | Kelly Grehan |
| Party2: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Last Election2: | 10 seats, 29.4% |
| Seats Before2: | 7 |
| Seats2: | 11 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Popular Vote2: | 17,141 |
| Percentage2: | 34.9% |
| Swing2: | 5.1% |
| Leader3: | Laura Edie |
| Party3: | Green Party of England and Wales |
| Last Election3: | 0 seats, 0.6% |
| Seats Before3: | 1 |
| Seats3: | 1 |
| Seat Change3: | 1 |
| Popular Vote3: | 2,069 |
| Percentage3: | 4.2% |
| Swing3: | 3.6% |
| Party4: | Residents Association |
| Last Election4: | 3 seats, 5.4% |
| Seats Before4: | 1 |
| Seats4: | 1 |
| Seat Change4: | 2 |
| Popular Vote4: | 1,640 |
| Percentage4: | 3.3% |
| Swing4: | 2.1% |
| Party5: | Independent politician |
| Last Election5: | 0 seats, 1.6% |
| Seats Before5: | 2 |
| Seats5: | 0 |
| Popular Vote5: | 117 |
| Percentage5: | 0.2% |
| Swing5: | 1.4% |
| Leader | |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| Before Election: | Jeremy Kite |
| Before Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| After Election: | Jeremy Kite |
| After Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
The 2023 Dartford Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect all 42 members of Dartford Borough Council in Kent, England.[1]
This election took place alongside other local elections across England.
The council remained under Conservative majority control after the election.[2]
After Cllr Jonathon Hawkes, leader of the Labour Group, lost his seat in 2019, Cllr Sacha Gosine was elected as the new Leader of the Opposition. He was replaced by Cllr Kelly Grehan in 2022. Between 2019 and 2023, the Labour Group lost 3 councillors. Deputy Leader Cllr Adrian Oakley-Dow resigned from the party following the election of a new Deputy. Around this time, Cllr Romana Gosine was expelled by the party for an alleged "breach of the rules".[3] Cllr Laura Edie left the Labour Party after criticising the national party's policies, and sat as a Green Party councillor for the remainder of her term. She was re-elected as a Green councillor in 2023.[4]
In April 2021, 2 councillors from the Swanscombe and Greenhithe Residents Association, Cllrs Sue Butterfill and Anita Barham, left the party to form a new Independent Party Group. They later joined the Conservative Party. Cllr Barham stood as a Conservative candidate in Swanscombe in 2023, but was not elected.[5]
Cllr Ann Allen died in October 2021, triggering a by-election in Maypole & Leyton Cross. Cllr Lucas Reynolds also stood down for personal reasons, triggering a by-election in Wilmington, Sutton-At-Hone & Hawley. Both seats were held by the Conservatives with large majorities.[6]
In May 2022, it was announced that Cllr Laura Edie and Cllr Peter Harman (of the Swanscombe and Greenhithe Residents Association) had formed the Alliance Group together.[7]
A by-election was also held in February 2023, once again in Wilmington, Sutton-At-Hone & Hawley, where the Conservative majority was increased.[8]
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The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Dartford Borough Council following the close of nominations on 4 April 2023.[9] The results for each ward were as follows:[10]