# 2024 Hastings Borough Council election

The 2024 Hastings Borough Council election was held on Thursday 2 May 2024, alongside the other local elections in the United Kingdom being held on the same day. Half of the 32 members of Hastings Borough Council in East Sussex were elected. The council remained under no overall control, but the Green Party made significant gains in their number of seats, becoming the largest party on the council. The Conservatives performed poorly, losing a third of their 2023 share of the vote and half their seats. Reform UK also lost their only seat, which they had gained in May 2023 following a Conservative Councillor switching parties. The Labour group leader, Heather Bishop, lost her seat.
Prior to the election, the council was being run by a minority coalition of the Green Party and the subset of the independent councillors known as the 'Hastings Independent Group'. Following the election a Green minority administration formed instead.

## Background

Hasting historically been controlled by all 3 major parties. The Conservatives first won a majority in 1976, but lost the council to no overall control in 1980. The Liberal Democrats won control in 1996, with the Conservatives having lost all their seats on the council the previous year. The Labour Party won control of the council 2 years later, and held a majority until 2002, with the Conservatives retaking the council in 2006. Labour gained the council in 2010, and controlled the council until 2022.
In 2022, Labour won 9 seats (down 3) with 42.1% of the vote, the Conservatives won 4 with 29.6%, and the Green Party won 3 (up 3) with 23.5%. Following this election, Labour formed a majority coalition with the Green Party, but later formed a minority administration after the Greens withdrew from the coalition. Labour lost their position as the largest group on the council in December 2023, after the resignation of 8 councillors from Labour and the suspension of another. A minority coalition of the Green Party and the 8 who left Labour was then formed, with a Green Party leader.
The seats up for election in 2024 were last contested in 2021; because of the delay of all local elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the seats are up for election after 3 years rather than the usual 4. In that election, the Conservatives won 8 seats (up 4) with 40.7% of the vote, Labour won 7 (down 5) with 37.6%, and the Green party won 1 (up 1) with 16.3%

## Previous council composition

| After 2022 election | After 2022 election | After 2022 election | Before 2024 election | Before 2024 election | Before 2024 election | After 2024 election | After 2024 election | After 2024 election |
| Party | Party | Seats | Party | Party | Seats | Party | Party | Seats |
| | Independent | 0 | | Independent | 11 | | Independent | 7 |
| | Conservative | 12 | | Conservative | 10 | | Conservative | 5 |
| | Labour | 15 | | Labour | 6 | | Labour | 8 |
| | Green | 5 | | Green | 4 | | Green | 12 |
| | Reform UK | 0 | | Reform UK | 1 | | Reform UK | 0 |
Changes:
* April 2023: Lucian Fernando leaves Conservatives to sit as an independent
* May 2023: Lucian Fernando (independent) joins Reform UK
* October 2023: John Rankin leaves Conservatives to sit as an independent
* December 2023: Paul Barnett, Andy Batsford, John Cannan, Maya Evans, Ali Roark, Nigel Sinden, Mike Turner, and Simon Willis leave Labour to sit as independents; Sabina Arthur suspended from Labour
* January 2024: Claire Carr leaves Green Party to sit as an independent

## Summary
### Election result

2024 Hastings Borough Council election :
| Party | Party | This election | This election | This election | Full council | Full council | Full council | This election | This election | This election |
| Party | Party | Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− |
| | Green | 9 | 8 | 56.3 | 3 | 12 | 37.5 | 9,013 | 37.7 | +14.2 |
| | Labour | 5 | 2 | 31.3 | 3 | 8 | 25.0 | 7,724 | 32.4 | –9.7 |
| | Independent | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 7 | 7 | 21.9 | 1,765 | 7.4 | N/A |
| | Conservative | 2 | 5 | 12.5 | 3 | 5 | 15.6 | 4,550 | 19.1 | –10.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 479 | 2.0 | –2.7 |
| | Reform UK | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 345 | 1.4 | N/A |

## Ward results

An asterisk (*) indicates an incumbent councillor.

### Ashdown

Ashdown :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sorrell Marlow-Eastwood* | 470 | 38.5 | –11.5 |
| | Labour | Steve Thorpe | 398 | 32.6 | +4.5 |
| | Green | Daniel Hope | 167 | 13.7 | +4.9 |
| | Reform UK | Thee Kuga | 116 | 9.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Milton | 69 | 5.7 | –7.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 72 | 5.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,220 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 8.0 | |

### Baird

Baird :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Yunis Smith | 387 | 29.0 | +21.7 |
| | Conservative | Liam Atkins | 312 | 23.4 | –14.1 |
| | Labour | Liam Crowter | 312 | 23.4 | –28.5 |
| | Independent | Peter Bailey | 289 | 21.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Emlyn Jones | 35 | 2.6 | –0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 75 | 5.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,335 | | |
| | Green gain from Conservative | Green gain from Conservative | Swing | 17.9 | |

### Braybrooke

Braybrooke :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Mark Etherington | 1,001 | 56.3 | +35.3 |
| | Labour | Tim Shand | 616 | 34.6 | –18.8 |
| | Conservative | Shelley Bland | 161 | 9.1 | –10.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 385 | 21.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,778 | | |
| | Green gain from Independent | Green gain from Independent | Swing | 27.1 | |

### Castle

Castle :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Becca Horn | 1,108 | 55.7 | +14.0 |
| | Labour | James Thomas | 700 | 35.2 | –6.8 |
| | Conservative | Rob Cooke | 181 | 9.1 | –4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 408 | 20.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,989 | | |
| | Green gain from Independent | Green gain from Independent | Swing | 10.4 | |

### Central St Leonards

Central St Leonards :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Adele Bates | 820 | 45.4 | +1.8 |
| | Labour | Josh Matthews | 541 | 29.9 | –11.7 |
| | Independent | Steph Warren | 275 | 15.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Craig Andrew | 156 | 8.6 | –3.3 |
| | Independent | Richard Haberkost | 15 | 0.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 279 | 13.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,807 | | |
| | Green gain from Labour | Green gain from Labour | Swing | 6.8 | |

### Conquest

Conquest :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Foster* | 491 | 37.3 | –11.0 |
| | Labour | Hugh Nicholson | 386 | 29.3 | +2.5 |
| | Independent | Anna Winston | 191 | 14.5 | N/A |
| | Green | Tracey Lord | 143 | 10.8 | +3.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stewart Rayment | 107 | 8.1 | –9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 105 | 8.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,318 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 6.8 | |

### Gensing

Gensing :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Paula Warne | 1,073 | 57.8 | +12.5 |
| | Labour | Edwina Hughes | 602 | 32.4 | –6.8 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Meaden | 183 | 9.8 | –2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 471 | 25.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,858 | | |
| | Green gain from Labour | Green gain from Labour | Swing | 9.7 | |

### Hollington

Hollington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Danuta Kean | 395 | 36.5 | –24.5 |
| | Independent | Maya Evans* | 351 | 32.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Stephen Butterton | 261 | 24.1 | –5.2 |
| | Green | Dulcie Reynolds | 74 | 6.8 | –3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 44 | 4.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,081 | | |
| | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent |

### Maze Hill

Maze Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Darren MacKenzie | 590 | 37.9 | +19.0 |
| | Labour | Mike Southon | 397 | 25.5 | –0.2 |
| | Conservative | Graeme Williams* | 380 | 24.4 | –18.7 |
| | Reform UK | Paul Murphy | 83 | 5.3 | N/A |
| | Independent | Sarah Buller | 68 | 4.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bruce Meredeen | 40 | 2.6 | –9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 193 | 12.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,558 | | |
| | Green gain from Conservative | Green gain from Conservative | Swing | 9.6 | |

### Old Hastings

Old Hastings :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Julia Hilton* | 1,123 | 60.8 | +24.3 |
| | Labour | Jeremy Hicks | 536 | 29.0 | –22.0 |
| | Conservative | Martin Clarke | 189 | 10.2 | –2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 587 | 31.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,848 | | |
| | Green hold | Green hold | Swing | 23.2 | |

### Ore

Ore :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Jo Walker | 763 | 57.7 | +40.1 |
| | Labour | Heather Bishop | 327 | 24.7 | –18.9 |
| | Conservative | Roger Streeten | 195 | 14.8 | –24.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Wakeford | 37 | 2.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 436 | 33.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,322 | | |
| | Green gain from Conservative | Green gain from Conservative | Swing | 29.5 | |

### Silverhill

Silverhill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Billie Barnes | 643 | 40.9 | –3.6 |
| | Conservative | Max Hewitt | 393 | 25.0 | –14.8 |
| | Green | Lesley Arshad | 336 | 21.3 | +9.6 |
| | Reform UK | Lucian Fernando* | 146 | 9.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Terry Keen | 56 | 3.6 | –0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 250 | 15.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,574 | | |
| | Labour gain from Reform UK | Labour gain from Reform UK | Swing | 5.6 | |

### St Helens

St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Whitehill | 503 | 30.9 | –18.8 |
| | Conservative | Peter Pragnell* | 456 | 28.0 | –11.4 |
| | Independent | Jackie Patton | 293 | 18.0 | N/A |
| | Green | Ollie Hunter | 287 | 17.6 | +10.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bob Lloyd | 91 | 5.6 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 47 | 2.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,630 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 3.7 | |

### Tressell

Tressell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Natalie Gaimster | 817 | 65.6 | +9.7 |
| | Labour | Anna Sabin | 324 | 26.0 | –2.6 |
| | Conservative | Sue Clarke | 104 | 8.4 | –7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 493 | 39.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,245 | | |
| | Green gain from Independent | Green gain from Independent | Swing | 6.2 | |

### West St Leonards

West St Leonards :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Trevor Webb | 441 | 38.7 | +12.5 |
| | Conservative | Karl Beaney* | 402 | 35.3 | –14.3 |
| | Green | Marisa McGreevy-Rose | 182 | 16.0 | +1.4 |
| | Independent | Adam Taylor-Foster | 70 | 6.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathon Stoodley | 44 | 3.9 | –5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 39 | 3.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,139 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 13.4 | |

### Wishing Tree

Wishing Tree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Helen Kay | 603 | 51.4 | –2.3 |
| | Conservative | Rob Lee | 216 | 18.4 | –17.7 |
| | Independent | Ian Miller | 213 | 18.1 | N/A |
| | Green | Mike Wharton | 142 | 12.1 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 387 | 33.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,174 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 7.7 | |