2021 Bristol City Council election explained

Election Name:2021 Bristol City Council election
Type:Parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Party Colour:yes
Previous Election:2016 Bristol City Council election
Previous Year:2016
Next Election:2024 Bristol City Council election
Next Year:2024
Seats For Election:All 70 seats to Bristol City Council
Majority Seats:36
Election Date:6 May 2021
Party1:Green Party of England and Wales
Leader1:Eleanor Combley
Leaders Seat1:Bishopston and Ashley Down
Seats Before1:11
Seat Change1:13
Popular Vote1:85,325
Percentage1:31.8
Swing1:11.9
Seats1:24
Party2:Labour Party (UK)
Leader2:Craig Cheney
Leaders Seat2:Hillfields
Seats2:24
Seats Before2:37
Seat Change2:13
Popular Vote2:85,014
Percentage2:31.7
Swing2:4.9
Party4:Conservative Party (UK)
Leader4:Mark Weston
Leaders Seat4:Henbury and Brentry
Seats Before4:14
Seats4:14
Popular Vote4:56,913
Percentage4:21.3
Swing4:0.9
Party5:Liberal Democrats (UK)
Leader5:Gary Hopkins
Leaders Seat5:Knowle
Seats Before5:8
Seats5:8
Popular Vote5:39,480
Percentage5:14.7
Swing5:2.2
Council control
Posttitle:Council control after election
Before Election:Labour
After Election:No Overall Control

The 2021 Bristol City Council election took place on 6 May 2021 to elect members of Bristol City Council in England. It coincided with nationwide local elections. Voters in the city also voted for the mayor of Bristol, the mayor of the West of England and for Avon and Somerset's police and crime commissioner. The election was originally due to take place in May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

The Labour Party, Conservative Party, Green Party and Liberal Democrats all stood full slates of 70 candidates. There were also eight candidates from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), two independent candidates, and one candidate each from Reform UK, the SDP and Burning Pink.[2]

Turnout was lower than in the 2016 Bristol City Council election, with a citywide turnout of 41.04%. Only four wards had a turnout of more than 50% of the electorate, compared to ten wards in 2016. Hartcliffe and Withywood recorded a turnout of 20.34%, the lowest turnout of any ward since Bristol's move to whole council elections.[3]

Background

Since the 2016 local elections, there have been changes to the political make up of the council. In 2016, Labour briefly lost control of the council after suspending three councillors.[4] Labour regained control of the council later that year after it readmitted them. On 24 May 2018, a by-election was held in Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze ward, resulting in the Conservatives gaining a seat from the Liberal Democrats.[5] On 22 March 2019, the Eastville councillor Sultan Khan resigned from the Labour Party, but continued to represent the ward as an independent before joining the Liberal Democrats.[6] On 17 July 2019, the Brislington East councillor Tony Carey resigned from the Conservative Party, but continued to represent the ward as an independent before joining the Liberal Democrats[7] A by-election took place in Brislington East on 16 January 2020 after the death of the Labour councillor Mike Langley. The by-election was won by the Labour candidate Tim Rippington.[8] [9] On 23 March 2021, the Labour councillor Jo Sergeant defected to the Green Party.

In preparation for the election, political parties went through their selection processes. The Conservative Party faced controversy after the party deselected Peter Abraham, the council's longest serving councillor who had first been elected in 1966 for the Stockwood ward. The local party did not state a reason for this decision.[10] Labour Party selection processes, which are normally overseen by local party officials, were taken over by paid officials from the South West Labour Party Regional Office, who removed and banned candidates in several key wards, resulting in resignations by local volunteer members.[11] The Labour group in the city saw seventeen of its backbench councillors standing down; twenty councillors, including all of the cabinet, are seeking re-election.[12]

For the candidates for the mayoral election, Marvin Rees was re-selected as Labour's candidate;[13] Sandy Hore-Ruthven was announced as the Green party's candidate,[14] Caroline Gooch from the Liberal Democrats and Samuel Williams was initially selected as the Conservative candidate.[15] Williams subsequently decided to stand down as the Conservative candidate, choosing instead to run in the regional West of England mayoral election.[16] Alastair Watson, a former city councillor, stood for the Conservatives in place of Williams.[17]

Campaign

Conservative mayoral candidate Williams was critical of Rees's pursuit of Bristol Energy, a council-run energy company and the ambition of constructing underground transport for the city.[15] Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats campaigned to scrap the post of elected mayor.[18] [19]

Council composition

Prior to the 2021 election, the composition of the council was:

3714118
LabourConservativeGreenLib Dems

After the 2021 election, the composition of the council was:

2424148
GreenLabourConservativeLib Dems

Summary

Election result

The Greens and Labour each won 24 seats out of 70.

|-

Ward results

Windmill Hill

Changes 2021–2024

Southmead

The Southmead by-election was triggered following the stepping down of Helen Godwin over time constraint alongside her other job.[21]

Hotwells & Harbourside

The Hotwells and Harbourside by-election was triggered following the stepping down of Alex Hartley over health concerns.[22] At the time of this by-election, both Labour and Green Party held 24 seats on Bristol Council, making them the joint-largest parties. The Green gain in this by-election meant the Greens became the largest group on the council.[23]

Bishopston and Ashley Down

The Bishopston and Ashley Down by-election was triggered following the stepping down of Lily Fitzgibbon due to her moving away from the area.[24]

Notes and References

  1. News: Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus . 13 March 2020 . BBC News . 13 March 2020.
  2. News: Bristol City Council elections 2021: candidate list in full released. 17 April 2021 . Bristol Live. en-gb.
  3. Web site: Local councillor elections turnout and results . . 2021-05-07 . Bristol City Council . 2021-05-07.
  4. Web site: Labour loses its majority on Bristol City Council after 'purge' of Corbyn supporters . https://web.archive.org/web/20160921193217/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-purges-away-its-own-majority-on-bristol-city-council-a7317811.html . 2016-09-21 . limited . live . The Independent. 20 September 2016 . 8 July 2019.
  5. Web site: Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze by-election . Bristol City Council . 8 July 2019.
  6. Web site: Labour calls on Bristol councillor to resign and trigger by-election after quitting party . BristolLive . 22 March 2019 . 8 July 2019.
  7. Web site: Brislington East councillor resigns from Tory party . Bristol247 . 19 July 2019 . 20 July 2019 .
  8. Web site: Brislington East By-election - bristol.gov.uk . Bristol City Council.
  9. Web site: Teale . Andrew . Preview: 16 Jan 2020 – Britain Elects . . 31 January 2020 . 16 January 2020.
  10. News: Gogarty . Conor . Bristol's longest-serving councillor 'deselected' by Tories . 3 February 2020 . . . 1 February 2020.
  11. Web site: Entire Labour Party branch committee resigns en masse in row over election candidate selection. Bristol Live. 18 March 2021.
  12. News: Labour set for shake up ahead of local elections in Bristol . 31 January 2020 . Meeting Place Communications . 3 July 2019 . 31 January 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200131065902/https://www.meetingplacecommunications.com/the-yimby/bristolelections . dead .
  13. Web site: Kate Wilson . Marvin Rees will be Labour's Bristol mayoral candidate after winning party ballot . . 1 August 2019 . 24 April 2019.
  14. Web site: Esme Ashcroft . 'Bristol needs a Mayor with the courage to get things done' says Green candidate . . 1 August 2019 . 20 September 2018.
  15. News: Wilson . Kate . The Conservative candidate for Bristol's mayoral election next year . 3 February 2020 . . . 25 October 2019.
  16. Web site: Tory candidate pulls out of Bristol mayoral election. 19 December 2020.
  17. Web site: Alastair Watson is new Tory mayoral candidate. 29 January 2021.
  18. Web site: 'It's time to scrap the mayor, and we have a chance to do it'. 16 March 2021.
  19. Web site: Tory councillors launch petition for referendum on elected mayor. 25 March 2021.
  20. News: Longstanding Lib Dem Councillors' resignations throw party into turmoil. Booth. Martin. 13 December 2021. Bristol24-7. 13 December 2021.
  21. News: Booth . Martin . 24 December 2021 . Former Cabinet Member's resignation to trigger by-election . Bristol 24/7.
  22. Web site: Raval . Priyanka . 2023-02-01 . Hotwells and Harbourside by-election: How it's all played out . 2024-04-22 . The Bristol Cable . en-GB.
  23. News: Bristol by-election: Green Party becomes largest on council . Seabrook . Alex . BBC News . 3 February 2023 . 3 February 2023.
  24. Web site: Seabrook . Alex . 2023-08-25 . Greens by-election win means they remain largest party in Bristol . 2024-04-22 . The Bristol Cable . en-GB.
  25. News: LABOUR COUNCILLOR RESIGNS OVER PARTY’S PALESTINE POLICY. Booth. Martin. 13 December 2023. Bristol24/7. 13 December 2023.
  26. News: Pipe . Ellie . 20 March 2024 . GREEN COUNCILLOR SUSPENDED FROM PARTY . 20 March 2024 . Bristol 24/7.