Local elections 2023: Father and daughter elected as Milton Keynes alliance continues

Robin Bradburn and his daughter Kerrie celebrated their victories in Bradwell and Broughton respectively

A father and daughter have been elected for the Liberal Democrats as the Labour/Liberal Democrat Alliance continues in Milton Keynes.

But the Conservatives have lost their place as the party with most seats, replaced by Labour with 25 seats.

The Liberal Democrat leader and deputy Leader of the whole council, Robin Bradburn, held his Bradwell seat.

Soon afterwards, his daughter Kerrie celebrated winning the ward of Broughton.

Labour leader Pete Marland, who has led the council for eight years, held his Wolverton seat.

Labour's Steve Brown beat the Conservatives' Greg Pius by 620 votes in the vacant ward of Stantonbury

One third of Milton Keynes Council is elected each year on a three-year rotation, followed by a year without an election. The authority has had no overall control since 2006.

While the Conservatives were the biggest single group, Labour and the Liberal Democrats agreed a coalition - known as the "Progressive Alliance" - to run the unitary authority after the 2021 local elections when the Tories made sizeable gains.

After the 2022 poll, the Conservatives had 22 seats, Labour had 19 and the Liberal Democrats 14, with two seats vacant.

Parties need 29 to have overall control and Labour are now closing in on that figure.

Analysis:

Amy Holmes, BBC 3CR political reporter

This result won't shock anyone.

The way Milton Keynes elects its councillors in thirds makes significant change tricky, so we may have to wait until proposed boundary changes in 2026 - when all councillors would be up for election - for that to not be the case.

In fact, we already knew in advance of these first city council elections that the Labour and Liberal Democrat Progressive Alliance would continue its two-year reign of running things.

However, within the results is another interesting stat, as Labour not only take over from the Conservatives as the largest party, but its 25 councillors is the highest by any party for nine years.

It leaves them just four short of the 29 needed to take control, whilst the Tories, who branded themselves as Local Conservatives on the ballot papers, now have just 17 councillors, their lowest since 2010.

Debbie Whitford is now the mayor and councillor of Olney and said the win was "awesome".

"It's massive. The turnout has been fantastic and the support has been fantastic.

"I'm out and about, I'm approachable in the community and I listen and engage, it's as simple as that."

Pete Marland, the Labour leader of Milton Keynes Council, said: "To see us go up by a lot of councillors and to win where we have never won before, it's great to see that."

Councillor Debbie Whitford being congratulated on her Olney ward win in the Milton Keynes local elections

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