2023 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election

2023 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election
21 of 63 seats on Wakefield Council; 32 seats needed for a majority
	Winner of each seat at the 2023 Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council election
Leader before election; Denise Jeffery; Labour	Leader after election ; Denise Jeffery; Labour

The 2023 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Wakefield Council in West Yorkshire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England. There were 21 of the 63 seats up for election, being the usual third of the council.^[2]

Labour retained its majority on the council.^[3]^[4]

Overview[edit]

Labour increased its majority by taking four seats from the Conservatives. After the election Labour had 49 councillors. The Conservatives lost all four seats they were defending, leaving them with seven seats. The Liberal Democrats held the one seat they were defending in Knottingley, leaving them with three councillors overall after the election. Both the independent councillors who were standing re-election were defeated, leaving four independent councillors after the election.^[5]

Results[edit]

2023 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election
Party		This election			Full council			This election
Party		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Labour	20	6	95.2	29	49	77.8	34,304	52.7	+1.0
	Conservative	0	4	0.0	7	7	11.1	14,153	21.7	-5.8
	Independent	0	2	0.0	4	4	6.3	5,415	8.3	+2.9
	Liberal Democrats	1		4.8	2	3	4.8	3,300	5.1	-0.2
	Green	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	4,663	7.2	+2.3
	Yorkshire	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	2,563	3.9	-0.4
	Reform UK	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	446	0.7	+0.5
	TUSC	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	165	0.3	+0.2
	SDP	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	84	0.1	+0

Results by ward[edit]

An asterisk (*) indicates a sitting councillor standing for re-election. Changes with 2019.

Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton[edit]

Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jessica Carrington*	1,516	47.5	+12.7
	Conservative	Chad Jordan Thomas	579	18.1	-0.2
	Independent	Gwen Marshall	550	17.2	+9.3
	Reform UK	Arthur Jerome Miles	293	8.8	New
	Green	Jody Paul Gabriel	267	8.4	New
Majority			937	29.4	+12.1
Turnout			3,221	23.9	-3.4
Rejected ballots			28
	Labour hold		Swing

Airedale and Ferry Fryston[edit]

Comparison for the Wakefield District Independents for this ward are comparing to the Independent candidate in 2019 due to them being of the same grouping, but now formalising this arrangement. However, as a by-election was held in 2021, this seat remains a Labour hold rather than a Labour gain.

Airedale and Ferry Fryston
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Les Shaw	1,061	48.6	+6.3
	Wakefield District Independents	Neil Kennedy	711	32.5	-12.7
	Conservative	Keith Hudson	258	11.8	-0.7
	Green	John Paul Ingham	88	4.0	New
	Liberal Democrats	Richard Heaps	67	3.1
Majority			350	16.1	+13.2
Turnout			2,192	19	-3.4
Rejected ballots			7
	Labour hold		Swing

Altofts and Whitwood[edit]

Comparison for the Wakefield District Independents for this ward are comparing to the Democrats and Veterans candidate in 2019.

Altofts and Whitwood
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jo Hepworth*	1,748	52.8	+13.4
	Wakefield District Independents	John Thomas	804	24.3	+17.8
	Conservative	Amy Louise Swift	518	15.7	-1.1
	Green	Katherine Clare Dodd	238	7.2	New
Majority			944	28.5	+21.6
Turnout			3,308	23.0	-1.8
Rejected ballots			11
	Labour hold		Swing

Castleford Central and Glasshoughton[edit]

Castleford Central and Glasshoughton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Wallis*	1,657	62.1	+19.4
	Yorkshire	Paul Phelps	435	16.3	-6.1
	Conservative	Joanne Grace Smart	368	13.8	-5.7
	Green	Stephen James Brennan	114	4.3	New
	Liberal Democrats	Janet Walton	95	3.6	New
Majority			1,222	45.8	+30.0
Turnout			2,669	21.3	-4.0
Rejected ballots			16
	Labour hold		Swing

Crofton, Ryhill and Walton[edit]

Crofton, Ryhill and Walton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maureen Anne Cummings*	2,032	58.6	+9.5
	Conservative	Connor James Clayton	904	26.1	-6.2
	Yorkshire	Daniel Cochran	280	8.1	New
	Green	Garry Newby	250	7.2	New
Majority			1,128	32.5	+15.7
Turnout			3,466	28.1	+0.5
Rejected ballots			16
	Labour hold		Swing

Featherstone[edit]

Featherstone
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Graham Leslie Isherwood*	2,057	73.1	+2.1
	Conservative	James Robert Hardwick	475	16.9	-12.1
	Green	Ashton Victor Howick	281	10.0	New
Majority			1,582	56.2	+14.2
Turnout			2,813	21.5	+2.1
Rejected ballots			18
	Labour hold		Swing

Hemsworth[edit]

Hemsworth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jakob Matthew Williamson	1,310	56.3	+18.8
	Green	Lyn Morton	704	30.3	+24.0
	Conservative	Liz Cowton	313	13.5	+6.9
Majority			606	26.0
Turnout			2,327	19.3
Rejected ballots			11
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Horbury and South Ossett[edit]

Horbury and South Ossett
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gwen Page	1,796	50.3	+17.5
	Conservative	Simon John Fishwick*	1,303	36.5	-2.7
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Andrew Goodair	283	7.9	-3.0
	Green	Richard Hargreaves Norris	192	5.4	-3.0
Majority			493	13.8
Turnout			3,574	30.7
Rejected ballots			18
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Knottingley[edit]

Knottingley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Rachel Nadine Speak	1,398	58.6	-4.5
	Labour	Theo Biddle	734	30.8	+9.5
	Conservative	Eamonn Malachy Mullins	182	7.6	-0.2
	Green	Ruth Alexandra Love	72	3.0	-4.8
Majority			664	27.8
Turnout			2,386	22.8
Rejected ballots			11
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Normanton[edit]

Normanton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Armaan Khan	1,258	47.1	+1.5
	Wakefield District Independents	Cliff Parsons	520	19.5	-21.0
	Conservative	Laura Weldon	494	18.5	+4.5
	Liberal Democrats	Nigel James Ebbs	225	8.4	New
	Green	John Robert Clayton	175	6.5	New
Majority			738	27.6
Turnout			2,672	20.8
Rejected ballots			13
	Labour hold		Swing

Ossett[edit]

Ossett
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Olivia Maria Rowley	1,531	45.5	+6.3
	Independent	Deano Kitchen	670	19.9	New
	Yorkshire	Simon David Watson Britcliffe	484	14.4	New
	Liberal Democrats	Tony Sargeant	473	14.0	+6.8
	Green	Stephen Scott	210	6.2	-4.9
Majority			861	25.6
Turnout			3,368	27.0
Rejected ballots			29
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Pontefract North[edit]

Pontefract North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Hannah Ruth Appleyard	1,832	62.7	+21.3
	Conservative	Christopher Robert Hyomes	464	15.9	-3.5
	Yorkshire	Christopher Dawson	375	12.8	-26.4
	Green	Emma Kay Tingle	151	5.2	New
	Liberal Democrats	Leah Birdsall	101	3.5	New
Majority			1,368	46.8
Turnout			2,923	20.5
Rejected ballots			9
	Labour hold		Swing

Pontefract South[edit]

Pontefract South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Brian Arthur Mayhew	1,658	50.0	+3.6
	Conservative	Arnie Craven	1244	37.5	-2.7
	Green	Oliver Luke Watkins	164	5.0	New
	Liberal Democrats	Susan Hayes	163	4.9	-8.5
	SDP	Trevor Lake	84	2.5	New
Majority			414	12.5
Turnout			3,313	28
Rejected ballots			20
	Labour hold		Swing

South Elmsall and South Kirkby[edit]

South Elmsall and South Kirkby
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Steve Tulley*	2,091	79.8	+4.2
	Green	Stefan Arnold Ludewig	265	10.1	New
	Conservative	Perpertua Ruzvidzo	265	10.1	-0.7
Majority			1826	69.7
Turnout			2,621	19.2
Rejected ballots			14
	Labour hold		Swing

Stanley and Outwood East[edit]

Stanley and Outwood East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jack Spencer Hemingway*	2,018	55.8	+11.0
	Conservative	Kully Sanghera	733	20.3	-4.2
	Wakefield District Independents	Jenny Prest	336	9.3	New
	Yorkshire	Brent Andrew Hawksley	273	7.5	New
	Green	Richard David Copeland	223	6.2	New
	TUSC	Darren Joseph Lumber	36	1.0	New
Majority			1,285	35.5
Turnout			3,619	27.5
Rejected ballots			8
	Labour hold		Swing

Wakefield East[edit]

Wakefield East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Stuart Heptinstall*	1,815	52.5	-4.4
	Conservative	Muhammad Ansar Hayat	1,175	34.0	+21.8
	Independent	Matt Wilson	216	6.2	New
	Green	Janet Mackintosh	183	5.3	-3.6
	TUSC	Mick Griffiths	70	2.0	-0.9
Majority			640	18.5
Turnout			3,459	29.6
Rejected ballots			14
	Labour hold		Swing

Wakefield North[edit]

Wakefield North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Margaret Isherwood*	1,818	61.3	+15.3
	Conservative	Angela Margaret Holwell	643	21.7	+2.2
	Green	Daniel Mark Russell	224	7.6	New
	Yorkshire	Andy Mack	222	7.5	-2.6
	TUSC	Tom Griffiths	59	2.0	New
Majority			1,175	39.6
Turnout			2,966	24.3
Rejected ballots			11
	Labour hold		Swing

Wakefield Rural[edit]

Wakefield Rural
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jordan Phillip Bryan	1,530	37.5	+4.5
	Conservative	Ian John Sanders*	1516	37.2	-7.2
	Yorkshire	David John Rowntree Herdson	494	12.1	New
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Simon Lord	300	7.4	-1.1
	Green	Karen Sadler	240	5.9	-8.3
Majority			14	0.3
Turnout			4,080	29.9
Rejected ballots			13
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Wakefield South[edit]

Wakefield South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Katrina Pentland Frame Law	1,493	42.6	+14.4
	Conservative	Naeem Formuli	1,424	40.6	-0.2
	Wakefield District Independents	Karl Johnson*	298	8.5	-32.3
	Green	Krys Tal Holmes	291	8.3	New
Majority			69	2.0
Turnout			3,506	32.5
Rejected ballots			13
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Karl Jones had been elected as a Conservative in 2019 but left the party in February 2023 to join the Wakefield District Independents.^[6]

Wakefield West[edit]

Wakefield West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Michael Paul Graham*	1,829	64.0	+15.7
	Conservative	Nick Hannam	681	23.8	+1.7
	Wakefield District Independents	Christine Mary Gill	190	6.7	New
	Green	Lewis Elliott	156	5.5	New
Majority			1,148	40.2
Turnout			2,856	25.3
Rejected ballots			10
	Labour hold		Swing

Wrenthorpe and Outwood West[edit]

Wrenthorpe and Outwood West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charlie Keith*	1,520	40.2	+6.0
	Wakefield District Independents	Nic Stansby	1,120	29.7	New
	Conservative	Waj Ali	614	16.3	-16.8
	Liberal Democrats	Natasha De Vere	195	5.2	-2.3
	Green	Oliver Thompson	175	4.6	New
	Reform UK	David Alan Dews	153	4.1	-13.5
Majority			400	10.5
Turnout			3,777	29.2
Rejected ballots			5
	Labour hold		Swing

References[edit]

^ Of the five independent councillors prior to the election, two formed the "Wakefield Independent Group", and the other three were described as "Independent".

^ "Find councillor". Wakefield Council. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
^ "Election timetable in England". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
^ Norden, Jasmine (5 May 2023). "Wakefield Council local election results 2023". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
^ "Local election results 2023: Labour continue to dominate in West Yorkshire". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
^ "Local Election Results 2023". Wakefield Council. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
^ Boothroyd, David (3 February 2023). "Bristol fashion now wearing Green". Local Councils. Retrieved 21 May 2023.

[2] Of the five independent councillors prior to the election, two formed the "Wakefield Independent Group", and the other three were described as "Independent".

[1] "Find councillor". Wakefield Council. Retrieved 4 May 2023.

[3] "Election timetable in England". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 April 2022.

[4] Norden, Jasmine (5 May 2023). "Wakefield Council local election results 2023". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 20 May 2023.

[5] "Local election results 2023: Labour continue to dominate in West Yorkshire". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.

[6] "Local Election Results 2023". Wakefield Council. Retrieved 5 May 2023.

[7] Boothroyd, David (3 February 2023). "Bristol fashion now wearing Green". Local Councils. Retrieved 21 May 2023.

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v t e Council elections in West Yorkshire
Mayor	2021 2024
Bradford	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Calderdale	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Kirklees	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Leeds	1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Wakefield	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
West Yorkshire CC	1973 1977 1981 Abolished
West Riding CC	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes