Local election results 2023: Three Tory leaders toppled in Lincolnshire
- Published
Gary Porter (South Holland), Kelham Cooke (South Kesteven) and Paul Skinner (Boston) all lost their seats
Conservatives in Lincolnshire have taken a battering with three leaders being toppled during a night that saw a surge in support for independents.
Gary Porter, of South Holland District Council, Kelham Cooke, of South Kesteven District Council and Paul Skinner, of Boston Borough Council, all lost their seats.
Independents are now in control of Boston Borough Council.
The Conservatives lost overall control of East Lindsey District Council.
Here's a round-up of the results so far:
Boston Borough Council
Independent councillors swept to power for the first time since 2011 in a night which saw the leader toppled and the mother of a nine-year-old stabbing victim elected.
The Boston Independent Group, which was only set up in the past few months in a co-ordinated bid to get independent councillors into power, took 18 seats, leaving the Conservatives with just five positions, down from their original 14.
Elsewhere, other independents took five seats, the Blue Revolution Party took one and the Liberal Democrats have one.
Independents in Boston celebrate their gains
Conservative leader Paul Skinner was one of several council bosses across the county to lose their seat.
In Mr Skinner's Fishtoft ward, all three Conservative party councillors were booted out by the electorate.
He told BBC Radio Lincolnshire his party had "worked hard" to bring funding to the area and build relationships with government.
However, he lashed out at the previous administration's "indecision" in attracting funding, and at media coverage of the town's lack of Christmas lights.
Asked why the independents had done so well, he said: "They must have run a very good campaign on one leaflet where we put four out.
"Good luck to them. It's all right getting in, but you have to deliver."
Elsewhere, Lina Savickiene, the mother of nine-year-old Lilija Valutyte, who was stabbed to death in a Boston street, was successful in her bid for office.
The district authority has a history of being under no overall control and was once led by an independent group, but has been Conservative since 2015.
South Holland District Council
The Conservatives will be breathing a sigh of relief; they remain in control, but only just and their leader has gone.
The party lost five seats, taking their total number down to 19. There are now 18 independents - five more than before the ballot - in an election that saw all 37 seats up for grabs.
Lord Gary Porter, who had led South Holland District Council since 2003, described losing his seat as "one of those things".
Conservative Gary Porter, leader of South Holland District Council, has lost his seat
He said: "Everybody who stands for election knows there are only two ways it can go. I've been lucky for the last five or six elections, it's gone one way and tonight the electoral support in some areas decided it was going the other.
"It is what it is. It's their choice, they never get it wrong."
Lord Porter said he was beaten by good local candidates and they campaigned positively, adding he had no complaints about those who beat him or how they fought their campaigns.
He cited a lack of candidates from other parties funnelling support to the independents.
Lord Porter said he had loved "to bits" the last 20 years as leader, adding he had been proud to be part of the authority and had worked with great councillors and staff.
"But, when people tell you it's time to go, that's it."
Analysis by Sharon Edwards, BBC Radio Lincolnshire political reporter
Political reporters in Lincolnshire don't necessarily go into local elections anticipating a night of drama - but it can happen and today voters are waking up to something more than the status quo.
The Conservatives lost three of their council leaders in Lincolnshire overnight - and four of the councils they controlled.
There were audible gasps of shock in counting rooms around the county as news filtered through that Lord Gary Porter had lost his seat.
His departure was quickly followed by that of Kelham Cooke, the young and ambitious leader in South Kesteven.
Then Paul Skinner lost his seat - and leadership - in Boston. The authority has been comprehensively taken over by a new independent group formed just months ago.
The Liberal Democrats confirmed predictions and became the biggest party on West Lindsey. They will have to do a deal to take control, but say they have already come to an arrangement with two independents.
South Kesteven and East Lindsey, previously strong Conservative holds, now remain under no overall control, even though the Tories remain the biggest party on both. Compromises will have to be made.
Lincoln, which previously stuck out like a sore thumb as the only Labour-controlled authority, remains red, although two seats were lost to the Liberal Democrats.
North Kesteven will count during Friday.
Why has it happened?
The independents, whether standing as individuals or as part of local groups, did not stand under one unifying policy, but they did echo the same message: "We are the only ones who truly care about the litter in your streets, the crime on your doorstep and the empty shop premises in your High Street."
Talking to voters in previous weeks one thing became clear: hyperlocal issues mattered in this election and the establishment parties are often seen as ignoring the problem, or even creating them with bad or ineffective policies.
Some called this the cost of living election and, for many, it was, but for a great many others it's about the pride they feel in their communities and their sense within it.
West Lindsey District Council
The council remains hung with no single party in overall control.
The Lib Dems have the most seats (18), after gaining six. However, they were one seat short of taking a majority.
The Conservatives lost five, taking their total to 14.
East Lindsey District Council
The Conservatives lost overall control of East Lindsey District Council after several councillors were severed from its final tally and an influx of independent wins.
The party took 26 of the seats available in the district, down from the 31 it held before the poll. Meanwhile, the number of independent councillors increased from eight before the election to 16 (including one unaligned councillor).
Independent Travis Hesketh was elected in the Withern and Theddlethorpe ward
Elsewhere, Labour managed to gain a seat, while the Skegness Urban District Society and the Liberal Democrats lost one each.
The Greens were also successful in taking one ward with Robert Watson taking 1,048 votes for the party in the Sutton on Sea ballot.
Eight of the district's wards were uncontested this year, for a total of 13 seats split between 10 Conservatives, two independents, and a Liberal Democrat. The pre-election result secured the Tories just under a third of the seats before voters went to the polls.
Leader Craig Leyland managed to keep his seat, unlike three of his counterparts across the county.
South Kesteven District Council
Conservative leader Kelham Cooke lost his seat
The Conservatives lost overall control, but remain the biggest party.
The Tories now have 24 seats - five short of a majority - after losing 16 seats.
The Independents have 22 seats after gaining 11.
The Greens made waves, gaining four seats, while the Lib Dems took another two seats taking their total to four. Labour lost one seat, taking their total down to two seats.
City of Lincoln Council
Labour comfortably hold onto power, despite losing two seats to the Lib Dems. See here for full story.
North Kesteven District Council
The Conservatives have taken control after winning 25 seats. Previously the party had run the authority as part of a coalition.
Tory leader Richard Wright said he was "pleased for my team and pleased for all the candidates".
"We've ended up with more than we started with," he said.
He said candidates had been out on the doorstep "convincing people that perhaps are looking at the national picture... and getting them to understand that local is important."
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