Ipswich election results 2022: Labour increases majority

Counting takes place at Ipswich's Corn Exchange - the borough council was the only local authority in Suffolk to hold elections on Thursday

Labour has increased its hold on Ipswich Borough Council after Thursday's local election.

A third of the council's 48 seats were up for grabs and, with 30 seats, the Labour Party had a majority of 12 going into the poll.

It was defending 13 seats and won 14, gaining two seats from the Conservatives.

The Liberal Democrats held their one seat and the town's one independent candidate was not standing this year.

The Tories retained their two seats in Bixley and Castle Hill, but lost their seats to Labour in Stoke Park and Holywells.

The narrowest gain was in Stoke Park where former Conservative group leader Nadia Cenci - who was elected to Suffolk County Council a year ago - lost her seat to Labour's Tony Blacker by 38 votes.

Holywells incumbent John Downie lost out by 253 votes to Labour's George Lankester.

It marked a recovery for Labour, which last year saw six of its seats scooped up by the Tories.

Labour council leader David Ellesmere said Ipswich had sent a "very strong message to Boris Johnson"

Labour council leader David Ellesmere told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The dream result last year for the Conservatives has turned into a nightmare, and it's a nightmare made in Downing Street.

"We heard time and time again, lifelong Conservative voters, and people who voted Conservative in 2019 saying there is no way they are going to vote Conservative while Boris Johnson is still Prime Minister.

"We heard people fed up of the parties - they are still angry about that, and really concerned about the cost of living crisis.

"They are just not getting the help from the government they need."

Mr Ellesmere said it was a mix of some Conservative voters opting not to vote at all, while others voted Labour this time around.

Analysis: Ben Parker, BBC Radio Suffolk political reporter

It was a strong result for Labour in Ipswich, where they won two seats from the Conservatives and defended all 12 of their own.

It means the controlling Labour group has increased its majority in a town represented by two Conservative MPs.

The Tories had been hoping to build on results a year ago where they took six seats from Labour, but group leader Ian Fisher said "the cost of living crisis has really hit home".

Labour leader David Ellesmere said there had been a "very strong message to Boris Johnson, to Conservative MPs who can get rid of Boris Johnson".

The Conservatives managed to defend two seats and the Liberal Democrats one.

A third of the 48 seats were up for grabs with 16 councillors - one in each ward - seeking election. An additional seat was contested in St John's ward.

Ian Fisher, leader of the Conservative opposition group, said: "Losing two good, hard-working councillors was never part of our plan, but the voters have made their mark and said their piece.

"We have struggled to get our voters out.

"Across the board, mostly Labour has got a similar amount out to what they normally get whereas we have struggled to get our voters out.

"In the first two or three weeks of the election, Partygate hardly came up at all, what we have noticed in the last couple of weeks is the cost of living coming up on the doorsteps."

He added the core Conservative vote remained split on the prime minister, but said the next 24 to 48 hours were going to be the time to "find out if Boris Johnson is going to lead us into the next election".

More locally, he added: "We have still got ambitions to run the council, but if we seriously want to do that we have got to get better representation across the town."

An overall turnout figure of 33.32% was recorded, with a postal vote turnout of 63%.

Ipswich was the only council in Suffolk holding local elections this year.

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