Tories Manage to Hang on in Wandsworth

Labour gain seats but fall just short of taking control of Council


The votes are counted. Picture: Wandsworth Council

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The Conservatives have managed to retain control of Wandsworth Council despite losing a number of seats in the local elections. The number of councillors the party have has been reduced from 41 to 33 with Labour taking 26 and one independent being elected. This is the closest they have come to defeat since 1978.

At the close of polling at 10pm the early indications were that turnout had increased compared with 2014. Results elsewhere were giving the Conservatives encouragement and Putney MP Justine Greening talked about last year's General Election representing 'peak-Corbyn.' London Mayor Sadiq Khan who was a Councillor in the borough for many years seemed to backtrack on previous predictions of a Labour victory and talked in terms of gaining seats in the borough rather than gaining control. He said that Labour had canvassed and delivered leaflets in areas they had never done so before.

Labour hopes were raised early on as the first ward results were declared just before 3am. They managed to gain all three seats in the previously split wards in Queenstown Road and Bedford. In the case of Queenstown Road the swing to Labour was large enough for them to believe a shock victory might be on the cards. They also gained some encouragement from the news that a recount was taking place in St Mary's Park ward which was a key target.

However, these hopes were quickly dashed just after 3am when the result from the key Southfields ward was announced with the Conservatives comfortably retaining all three seats. Labour needed to take at least two in this ward to have any chance of winning the Council. It was around this time that Sadiq Khan chose to leave the counting suggesting that he had recognised the loss in Southfields was decisive.

It wasn't, however, a comfortable night for the Conservatives and any complacency that a win was guaranteed disappeared with the result from the West Hill ward which saw independent candidate Malcolm Grimston gain over 4,000 votes with the Labour party taking the two other seats in the ward.

Cllr Grimston tweeted, "Seriously humbled to get 4002 votes as an Independent - biggest vote of the night. I will try to live up to my Ward's hopes for me and will hold both Parties to account when they deserve it (and support them similarly)". The other two seats were won by Labour's Angela Ireland and Peter Carpenter.

After 24 hours to reflect on his result Cllr Grimston told this website: ""I hope the two main parties will realise that residents are fed up of being ignored for three and a bit years and then being swamped with visits and literature when their votes are required. That the largest vote in Wandsworth Council's history did not go to Labour or Conservative ought to make them realise that there is more to serving the local community than a two month flashy campaign."

Although at this time Labour was notionally ahead of the Conservatives with 23 seats to 21 the remaining wards to declare were all Tory held and unlikely to be won by Labour given the swing they had achieved. A number of recounts were being held but the Conservatives told reporters they were confident about the outcome.

Council leader Ravi Govindia said he attributed the result to a focus on local not national issues.

As expected, the Conservatives lost seats elsewhere in London and the Lib Dems managed to gain control of Richmond on Thames. On the other hand Labour failed to take Westminster, another borough they had hoped to win.

Party of Councillors in Wandsworth Borough
Ward Result in 2014   Result in 2018
Balham            
Bedford            
Earlsfield            
East Putney            
Fairfield            
Furzedown            
Graveney            
Latchmere            
Nightingale            
Northcote            
Queenstown            
Roehampton and Putney Heath            
Shaftesbury            
Southfields            
St Mary's Park            
Thamesfield            
Tooting            
Wandsworth Common            
West Hill            
West Putney            
Blue = Conservative. Red = Labour. White = Independent

West Hill Ward

All change - 1 Independent & 2 Labour

Name
Party Votes
Malcolm Charles Grimston Independent
4,002
Angela Mary Ireland Labour
1,850
Peter Jon Carpenter Labour
1,687
All the above elected as Councillors
Alison Dawne Rodwell Conservative
1,626
Nobuco Hara Labour
1,606
Salvatore Murtas Conservative
1,363
Robert Daniel Hughes Conservative
1,265
Terence Gibbin Brown Green  
448
Penny Bianca Staniaszek Green
364
Eleanor Mary Doody Liberal Democrats
264
Andrew Charles Hinton Liberal Democrats
250
Linda Maria Joy Liberal Democrats
249
Electorate: 11,192 Ballot Papers Issued: 6,000 Turnout: 51.1%

Thamesfield Ward

Conservative Hold

Candidate Party Votes
Rosemary Clare Torrington Conservative 2697
Michael John Ryder
Conservative 2618
John Locker Conservative 2492
All the above elected as Councillors
Warren Sally Anne Labour 1,103
GIBBONS, Stephen Labour 1,019
LOCKE, Christopher Edwin Labour 1,011
BENTON Paul Hans Liberal Democrats 975
MERCER Ryan Jonathan Liberal Democrats 929
KEEP John James Liberal Democrats 877
McCANN Diana Mary Green Party 739
CARTER, Richard Francis Green Party 468
PASOLA Anna Green Party 430
Electorate: 12,178 Ballot Papers Issued: 5,228 Turnout: 43.1%

Southfields Ward

Conservative Hold

Name
Party Votes
Kim Caddy Conservative
2,981
Guy Derek Ralph Humphries Conservative
2,912
Terence Michael Walsh Conservative
2,888
Sheila Mary Boswell Labour
2,338
Guy David Price Griffith Labour
2,155
Sam Alex Nicholas Labour
2,137
Susan Jane Wixley Liberal Democrats
716
Pappathi Durai-Bates Liberal Democrats
696
Duncan James Anton Lyons Liberal Democrats
643
Benjamin Joseph Fletcher Green
462
Lauren Jayne Harris Green
402
Nicola Joanna Blair Renew
94
Patricia Mary Ward UKIP
80
Electorate: 12,950 Ballot Papers Issued: 6,315 Turnout:
48.9%

Roehampton and Putney Heath Ward

Labour Hold

Candidate Party Votes
Jeremy Noel Ambache Labour 1806
Susan Elizabeth McKinney Labour 1787
Marianne Claire Halliday Gilbert Labour 1723
All the above elected as Councillors
Mohammad Masood Conservative 1,249
Kyle Knight Conservative 1,231
Dan Francis Lynch Conservative 1,197
Fergal Joseph McEntee Green Party 319
Helen Margaret Speedy Liberal Democrats 250
Hugh Palmer Brown Liberal Democrats 226
Benjamin Gresham Speedy Liberal Democrats 208
Electorate: 9,749 Ballot Papers Issued: 3,515 Turnout:
36.1 %

East Putney Ward

Conservative Hold

Candidate Party Votes
Sarah Jane Louise Binder Conservative 2,627
Luigi George Crivelli Conservative 2,503
Ravindra Pragji [Ravi] Govindia Conservative 2,418
All the above elected as Councillors
Finna Jane Ayres Labour 1,296
Eileen Ann Flanagan Labour 1,232
Hugh Rhys Samuel Labour 1,098
Jose Ignacio Rodriguez Andres Liberal Democrats 795
John Morris Williams Liberal Democrats 743
Timothy Guyse Williams Liberal Democrats 633
Anita Claire Gray Green Party 389
Jonathan Stuart Croall Green Party 324
Richard John Morris Green Party 240
Electorate: 11,907 Ballot Papers Issued: 4,897 Turnout: 41.1%

West Putney

Conservative Hold

Candidate Party Votes
Jane COOPER Conservative 2684
Ian Peter LEWER Conservative 2604
Stephanie (Steffi) Jayne SUTTERS Conservative 2584
All the above elected as Councillors
Yasin Inan Labour 1,419
James Alexander [Jim] McKinney Labour 1,405
Susan Olech Labour 1,304
Helen Maria Compson Liberal Democrats 580
Charles Edward Gillbe Liberal Democrats 458
Sharon Ruth Davis Liberal Democrats 419
Emma Josephine Killick Green Party 369
Jennifer Pang Green Party 342
Christopher Edward Poole Green Party 266
Electorate: 11,237 Ballot Papers Issued: 4,931 Turnout: 43.97%

May 5, 2018

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