Labour Gains Majority Control Of Adur District Council

The Labour Party has gained control of Adur District Council after winning 13 of the 16 seats up for grabs in the May 2 local elections.

The party now controls 16 of the 29 seats on the council, a two-seat majority, doubling the eight seats they entered the elections with.

The Conservatives, who previously held control of the council, now have nine seats, down from 15, after retaining one of their seven seats that were up for election.

Adur Labour leader Jeremy Gardner was re-elected in his seat in St Mary’s ward, and will take over as leader of the council once the authority returns to normal business later this month.

Mr Gardner said Adur had never had a majority Labour administration before, making this a first in the district’s history.

He said Labour gained more seats than they were expecting to in the elections, having only anticipated gaining about six seats.

He added that they were taking over a council with ‘little money’ so would need to be careful,  and would ‘work together’ with communities and businesses to ‘improve’ the district and its finances.

Previous council Leader Neil Parkin (Con, Hillside) said he was concerned about the future of Adur’s finances under the Labour party, referencing the  financial situation at Labour controlled Worthing Borough Council.

Labour gained seats from the Conservatives in Buckingham, Churchill, Cokeham, Eastbrook, Peverel and Hillside wards, and two seats in Widewater ward.

The Greens held their seat in St Nicolas, and the Shoreham Beach Residents Association held its seat in Marine.

Adur District Council was the last conservative controlled lower tier authority in Sussex.

Final results by ward in Adur were:

Buckingham: Labour gain

Con: 424

LDem: 164

Lab: 681

Green: 70

Churchill: Labour gain

Con: 394

Lab: 411

Green: 107

Cokeham: Labour gain

Con: 359

Green: 71

LDem: 70

Lab: 407

Britain First: 131

Eastbrook: Labour gain

Con:338

Lab: 596

Green: 84

Hillside: Labour gain

Lab: 623

Con: 451

Green: 74

Manor: Conservatives hold

Con: 572

Green: 95

Ldem: 54

Lab: 370

Marine: SBRA hold

Lab: 283

Green: 120

SBRA: 933

Ldem: 42

Mash Barn: Labour hold

Green: 84

Con: 296

Lab: 655

Peverel: Labour gain

Lab: 514

Con: 462

Green: 71

Southlands: Labour hold

Con: 288

LDem 71

Lab 540

Green 54

Southwick Green: Labour hold

Lab:780

Con: 278

Green: 72

LDem: 86

St Mary’s: double Labour hold

Lab: 905 

Lab: 858

Green: 255

Con: 314

St Nicholas: Greens’ hold

Green: 652

Con: 447

Ind: 77

Ldem: 47

Lab: 401

Widewater: two Labour gains

Lab: 604

Lab: 712

Con: 463

Con: 415

Green: 336

Green: 346

Ind: 281