# 2011 West Berkshire Council election

The 2011 West Berkshire Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of West Berkshire Council in Berkshire, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.

## Background

At the last election in 2007 the Conservatives won a majority of 20 seats, with 36 councillors, compared to 16 for the Liberal Democrats. By the time of the 2011 election 2 seats were vacant after the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Keith Lock from Mortimer ward and the resignation of Conservative councillor Ellen Crumly from Thatcham Central ward.
Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats stood in all 30 wards, while Labour stood in 17 and the Apolitical Democrats and UK Independence Party stood in 2 wards each. There were also 3 independent candidates to make a total of 142 candidates for the 52 seats on the council.

## Election result

The Conservatives made a net gain of 3 seats to increase their majority on the council, finishing with 39 councillors, compared to 13 for the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives picked up seats in Thatcham North and Thatcham South and Crookham from the Liberal Democrats to win the majority of the seats in Thatcham. Meanwhile, Labour failed to win any seats but did increase their share of the vote to just under 10%.
West Berkshire local election result 2011 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 39 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 75.0 | 57.4 | 55,480 | -2.0% |
| Liberal Democrats | 13 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 25.0 | 31.7 | 30,644 | -3.6% |
| Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 | 9,168 | +7.3% |
| Apolitical Democrats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | 586 | +0.6% |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 458 | -1.0% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 355 | +0.1% |

## Ward results

Aldermaston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Irene Neill | 884 | 79.6 | −0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Peplow | 227 | 20.4 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 657 | 59.1 | −0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,111 | 51 | +4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Basildon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Law | 1,065 | 76.8 | −6.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ceinwen Lally | 322 | 23.2 | +6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 743 | 53.6 | −12.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,387 | 58 | +7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Birch Copse (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Mooney | 1,482 | | |
| | Conservative | Anthony Linden | 1,342 | | |
| | Conservative | Emma Webster | 1,321 | | |
| | Labour | Senan Hartney | 623 | | |
| | Labour | Clive Taylor | 594 | | |
| | Labour | James Hutchinson | 539 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sylvia Fowler | 341 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Brown | 303 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Wood | 279 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,824 | 43 | +8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Bucklebury (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Graham Pask | 1,865 | | |
| | Conservative | Quentin Webb | 1,648 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Benjamin Morgan | 611 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philippa Harper | 462 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,586 | 55 | +6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Burghfield (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Royce Longton | 1,210 | | |
| | Conservative | Carol Jackson-Doerge | 1,130 | | |
| | Conservative | Ian MacFarlane | 971 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nicholas Morse | 929 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,240 | 52 | +7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Calcot (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Brian Bedwell | 1,575 | | |
| | Conservative | Peter Argyle | 1,462 | | |
| | Conservative | Manohar Gopal | 1,406 | | |
| | Labour | Gordon Lewis | 746 | | |
| | Labour | Charles Croal | 737 | | |
| | Labour | Bernadette McNally | 568 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Arthur Johnson | 200 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gary Johnson | 182 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pamela Taylor | 164 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,040 | 38 | +4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Chieveley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hilary Cole | 697 | 71.0 | −11.2 |
| | Independent | Andrew Fforde-Lutter | 189 | 19.3 | +19.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Johnson | 95 | 9.7 | −8.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 508 | 51.8 | −12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 981 | 52 | +5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Clay Hill (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jeffrey Beck | 1,104 | | |
| | Conservative | Dave Goff | 928 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Tysoe | 572 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rruwan Uduwerage-Perera | 553 | | |
| | Labour | Johnathan Roberts | 292 | | |
| | Labour | Thomas Satterthwaite | 280 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,729 | 41 | +2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Cold Ash :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Garth Simpson | 890 | 73.3 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philip Brooks | 325 | 26.7 | −4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 565 | 46.5 | +8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,215 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Compton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Virginia Celsing | 828 | 70.7 | +2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Silvia Boschetto | 343 | 29.3 | −2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 485 | 41.4 | +4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,171 | 52 | −1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Downlands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Chandler | 900 | 69.9 | −0.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Allen | 247 | 19.2 | +5.5 |
| | Labour | Paul Johnston | 141 | 10.9 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 653 | 50.7 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,288 | 56 | +4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Falkland (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Adrian Edwards | 1,329 | | |
| | Conservative | Howard Bairstow | 1,307 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bryan Harper | 884 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sam Dibas | 758 | | |
| | Labour | Linda Cooper | 213 | | |
| | UKIP | David Black | 205 | | |
| | Labour | Leslie Cooper | 204 | | |
| | UKIP | David McMahon | 150 | | |
| | Independent | Brian Burgess | 132 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,182 | 57 | −1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Greenham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | William Drummond | 868 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Julian Swift-Hook | 857 | | |
| | Conservative | Allan Beal | 693 | | |
| | Conservative | Christopher Austin | 688 | | |
| | Labour | Hannah Cooper | 204 | | |
| | Labour | Gary Puffett | 202 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,512 | 44 | +2 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Hungerford (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Hewer | 1,315 | | |
| | Conservative | David Holtby | 1,178 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Denise Gaines | 840 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rhona Sherwood | 711 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,044 | 50 | +1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Kintbury (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony Stansfeld | 1,417 | | |
| | Conservative | Andrew Rowles | 1,393 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Mole | 493 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Hudson | 487 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,790 | 53 | +6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Lambourn Valley (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Jones | 1,489 | | |
| | Conservative | Arnos Lundie | 1,293 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joyce Easteal | 426 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Greenhalgh | 229 | | |
| | Labour | Grahame Murphy | 228 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,665 | 47 | +0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Mortimer (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mollie Lock | 1,337 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Mayes | 1,061 | | |
| | Conservative | Hugh Gunn | 996 | | |
| | Conservative | Sarah Jones | 942 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,336 | 55 | +1 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Northcroft (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anthony Vickers | 844 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gwendoline Mason | 758 | | |
| | Conservative | Mauline Akins | 701 | | |
| | Conservative | Leon Larkings | 669 | | |
| | Apolitical Democrats | Charlotte Farrow | 195 | | |
| | Apolitical Democrats | David Yates | 181 | | |
| | Labour | Gerald Orbell | 166 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,514 | 46 | +0 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Pangbourne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Pamela Bale | 876 | 75.8 | −7.0 |
| | Labour | Ian Stevens | 157 | 13.6 | +8.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Matthew Shakespeare | 122 | 10.6 | +5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 719 | 62.3 | −14.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,155 | 52 | +11 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Purley on Thames (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Timothy Metcalfe | 1,621 | | |
| | Conservative | David Betts | 1,536 | | |
| | Labour | Robert Tutton | 512 | | |
| | Labour | Riyad Abboushi | 318 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ann Turner | 282 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Walter | 226 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,495 | 48 | +10 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Speen (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Bryant | 1,360 | | |
| | Conservative | Marcus Franks | 1,209 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Farrant | 561 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martha Vickers | 419 | | |
| | Labour | Richard Garvie | 325 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,874 | 53 | +9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
St Johns :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Johnston | 1,133 | | |
| | Conservative | Robert Tuck | 1,071 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Diane Smith | 947 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alexander Payton | 938 | | |
| | Labour | Alan Burgess | 320 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,409 | 54 | +5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Sulhamstead :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Keith Chopping | 698 | 68.2 | +1.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Bird | 326 | 31.8 | −1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 372 | 36.3 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,024 | 47 | −4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Thatcham Central (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Rendel | 1,075 | | |
| | Conservative | Richard Crumly | 873 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Antony Ferguson | 774 | | |
| | Conservative | David Dobson | 734 | | |
| | Labour | Matthew Beadle | 236 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,692 | 45 | +6 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Thatcham North (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Horton | 961 | | |
| | Conservative | Sheila Ellison | 958 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Cole | 726 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Emma Spriggs | 607 | | |
| | Labour | Judith Dear | 211 | | |
| | Labour | Juno Orbell | 177 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,640 | 46 | −4 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Thatcham South and Crookham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Dominic Boeck | 1,101 | | |
| | Conservative | Roger Croft | 1,082 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Owen Jeffery | 940 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Morgan | 917 | | |
| | Labour | Theresa McDowell | 239 | | |
| | Labour | Stephen Schollar | 195 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,474 | 47 | +8 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Thatcham West (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jeffrey Brooks | 932 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Keith Woodhams | 891 | | |
| | Conservative | Robert Denton-Powell | 771 | | |
| | Conservative | John Burgoyne-Probyn | 698 | | |
| | Labour | David Hamilton | 207 | | |
| | Independent | George Rattray | 137 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,636 | 40 | +3 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Theale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Macro | 575 | 55.6 | +4.7 |
| | Conservative | Robert Holden | 326 | 31.5 | −2.8 |
| | Labour | Thomas Adams | 134 | 12.9 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 249 | 24.1 | +7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,035 | 48 | +6 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Victoria (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Allen | 685 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Hunneman | 639 | | |
| | Conservative | David Moffat | 499 | | |
| | Conservative | Pauline Bastien | 491 | | |
| | Labour | Sean Semple | 157 | | |
| | Apolitical Democrats | David Reid | 127 | | |
| | Apolitical Democrats | Iain Wallace | 83 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,681 | 42 | +7 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Westwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Laszlo Zverko | 574 | 59.7 | −4.7 |
| | Labour | Paul Anderson | 243 | 25.3 | +12.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Croker | 144 | 15.0 | −7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 331 | 34.4 | −7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 961 | 44 | +5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

## By-elections between 2011 and 2015
### Hungerford

A by-election was held in Hungerford ward on 15 August 2013 after the death of Conservative councillor David Holtby. The seat was held for the Conservatives by James Podger with a reduced majority of 59 votes over the Liberal Democrats.
Hungerford by-election 15 August 2013 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Podger | 810 | 48.4 | −12.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Denise Gaines | 751 | 44.8 | +5.9 |
| | Labour | Gary Puffett | 86 | 5.1 | +5.1 |
| | United People's Party | Andrew Stott | 28 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 59 | 3.5 | −18.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,675 | 38.2 | −12 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Purley on Thames

A by-election was held in Purley on Thames ward on 28 January 2015 after the death of Conservative councillor David Betts. The seat was held for the Conservatives with a majority of 764 votes over the Labour Party.
Purley on Thames by-election 28 January 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Jones | 936 | 68.1 | +1.0 |
| | Labour | Ian Stevens | 172 | 12.5 | −8.7 |
| | UKIP | Catherine Anderson | 163 | 11.9 | +11.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Bown | 104 | 7.6 | −4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 764 | 55.6 | +9.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,375 | 26.6 | −21 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |