# 2011 Babergh District Council election

The 2011 Babergh Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Babergh District Council in Suffolk, England. The whole council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

## Background

The previous election in 2007 saw no party win a majority, with the Conservatives being the largest party. Labour won no seats at the election, but recovered one seat when Tony Bavington gained a seat back in a 2010 by-election in Great Cornard. A further change in composition came in March 2010 when councillor Dean Walton defected to the Green Party from the Conservatives, but sat as an independent on Babergh Council.
A total of 122 candidates were nominated for the 43 seats being contested, which was reported to be a record for an election to Babergh Council, and up from 78 at the 2003 election and 87 in 2007. These were comprised on 34 Conservatives, 31 Labour, 27 Liberal Democrats, 14 United Kingdom Independence Party, 1 Green Party and 15 candidates from no party. The 31 candidates from Labour was a record for the party in Babergh, while the Liberal Democrat leader on Suffolk County Council, Kathy Pollard, was among the Liberal Democrat candidates.

## Election result

The results saw the council remain under no overall control, with the Conservatives staying as the largest party on 18 seats. The Liberal Democrats dropped to 12 seats, while Labour increased from the 1 seat they had held after a by-election gain to 3 seats.
Individual results included an independent gain from the Conservatives in Lavenham, Liberal Democrat Kathy Pollard winning a place back on the council after 16 years, while author and Labour candidate Nicci Gerrard lost in South Cosford, coming third with 187 votes.
Babergh Local Election Result 2011 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 18 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 41.9 | 38.6 | 17,691 | +2.0% |
| Liberal Democrats | 12 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 27.9 | 23.6 | 10,787 | -17.8% |
| Independent | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23.3 | 15.4 | 7,046 | +3.7% |
| Labour | 3 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 7.0 | 17.0 | 7,776 | +10.6% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 | 2,048 | +0.5% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 428 | +0.9% |
2 Liberal Democrat and 1 Independent candidates were unopposed.

## Ward results

Alton (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anthony Ward | 902 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Wood | 823 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Chambers | 503 |
| | Conservative | Patricia Cave | 396 |
| | Labour | Keith Rawlings | 231 |
| | Labour | Carol Tilbury | 219 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,074 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Berners (2) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal Democrats | Mackenzie Deacon | unopposed |
| Liberal Democrats | Charles Roberts | unopposed |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Boxford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Bryn Hurren | 695 | 65.6 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative | Tasia Kavvadias | 365 | 34.4 | +3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 330 | 31.1 | −6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,060 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Brett Vale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Desmond Keane | 434 | 50.3 | −12.7 |
| | Green | Robert Lindsay | 428 | 49.7 | +12.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6 | 0.7 | −25.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 862 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Brook (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Nicholas Ridley | 721 |
| | Independent | Peter Jones | 598 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Gloria Wallace | 562 |
| | Conservative | Barry Gasper | 555 |
| | Labour | Emma Cookson | 264 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,700 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing |
Bures St Mary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Peter Holbrook | 585 | 82.0 |
| | Labour | Iain Scott | 128 | 18.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 457 | 64.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 713 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
Chadacre :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | James Long | 792 | 89.7 |
| | Labour | John Finnigan | 91 | 10.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 701 | 79.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 883 | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | |
Dodnash (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Alan Hinton | 792 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Bamford | 495 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Miller | 451 |
| | Independent | Clive Totman | 354 |
| | Labour | Joy Harrison | 262 |
| | Labour | Emma Nordon | 174 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,528 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Glemsford and Stanstead (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Independent | Rex Thake | 694 |
| | Independent | Leonard Young | 611 |
| | Conservative | David Burch | 397 |
| | Labour | Heath Brown | 203 |
| | Labour | David Hayes | 183 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,088 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing |
Great Cornard North (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Anthony Bavington | 508 |
| | Labour | Neil Macmaster | 432 |
| | Conservative | Nicholas Antill | 387 |
| | UKIP | Derek Allen | 248 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marion Press | 229 |
| | UKIP | Cynthia Allen | 207 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,011 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Great Cornard South (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Peter Beer | 464 |
| | Conservative | Mark Newman | 426 |
| | Labour | Todd Bellaris | 210 |
| | Independent | Anthony Harman | 205 |
| | Labour | Robert Porter | 205 |
| | Independent | Thomas Keane | 170 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Platt | 158 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Catherine Press | 134 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,972 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
Hadleigh North (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Brian Riley | 595 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mary Munson | 448 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Whiting | 367 |
| | Labour | Angela Wiltshire | 247 |
| | Labour | David Westwood | 233 |
| | UKIP | Reginald Smith | 215 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,105 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Hadleigh South (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Grutchfield | 659 |
| | Conservative | Kathryn Grandon-White | 508 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Matthews | 380 |
| | Labour | Susan Monks | 204 |
| | Independent | David Cooper | 186 |
| | Labour | Stephen Cockerton | 158 |
| | UKIP | John Smith | 66 |
| | UKIP | Josephine Smith | 57 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,218 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
Holbrook :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | David Rose | unopposed | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Lavenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Andrea Norman | 411 | 50.3 |
| | Conservative | Philip Gibson | 337 | 41.2 |
| | Labour | James Coleman | 69 | 8.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 74 | 9.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 817 | |
| | Independent gain from Conservative | Independent gain from Conservative | Swing | |
Leavenheath :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jennifer Jenkins | 648 | 77.7 | +10.0 |
| | Labour | Andrew Jameson | 186 | 22.3 | +22.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 462 | 55.4 | +9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 834 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Long Melford (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Independent | Richard Kemp | 1,089 |
| | Independent | John Nunn | 743 |
| | Conservative | William Shropshire | 474 |
| | Conservative | Margaret Maybury | 419 |
| | Labour | Susan Bishop | 153 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,878 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing |
Lower Brett :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Susan Wigglesworth | 592 | 60.3 | −22.8 |
| | Conservative | John Ward | 390 | 39.7 | +39.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 202 | 20.6 | −45.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 982 | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Mid Samford (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Carpendale | 819 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Pollard | 808 |
| | Conservative | Gerald White | 766 |
| | Conservative | Theresa Bloomfield | 671 |
| | Labour | Susan Thomas | 228 |
| | UKIP | Richard Hudson-Smith | 112 |
| | UKIP | Christopher Streatfield | 108 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,512 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing |
Nayland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Cave | 498 | 57.3 | +3.5 |
| | Labour | William Kennedy | 160 | 18.4 | +18.4 |
| | UKIP | James Carver | 123 | 14.2 | +3.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Breeze | 88 | 10.1 | −25.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 338 | 38.9 | +20.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 869 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
North Cosford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Clive Arthey | 601 | 59.2 | −4.3 |
| | Conservative | Brian Tora | 288 | 28.3 | −8.2 |
| | Labour | Gerald Gould | 127 | 12.5 | +12.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 313 | 30.8 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,016 | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | | |
Pinewood (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Peter Burgoyne | 423 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Busby | 418 |
| | Labour | David Plowman | 400 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Leonard Johnson | 336 |
| | Conservative | Susan Powell | 327 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,904 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
South Cosford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Dawn Kendall | 492 | 48.8 | +7.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Lazenby | 330 | 32.7 | −26.3 |
| | Labour | Nicola Gerrard | 187 | 18.5 | +18.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 162 | 16.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,009 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Sudbury East (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Adrian Osborne | 500 |
| | Labour | Jack Owen | 479 |
| | Conservative | Janice Osborne | 476 |
| | Labour | Russell Smith | 392 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Emma Hewett | 153 |
| | UKIP | Susan Smith | 137 |
| | UKIP | Donald Martin | 133 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Oliver Forder | 99 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,369 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Labour gain from Independent | Labour gain from Independent | Swing |
Sudbury North (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | John Sayers | 690 |
| | Conservative | Raymond Smith | 537 |
| | Labour | Joanne Connah | 405 |
| | Labour | Ian Pointon | 370 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Welsh | 277 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,279 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
Sudbury South (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nigel Bennett | 508 |
| | Conservative | Simon Barrett | 371 |
| | Conservative | Peter Goodchild | 364 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martyn Booth | 337 |
| | Labour | Luke Cresswell | 336 |
| | Labour | Michael Cornish | 332 |
| | UKIP | Jane Martin | 132 |
| | UKIP | Christine Wardrop | 107 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,487 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing |
Waldingfield (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Jennifer Antill | 1,068 |
| | Conservative | Frank Lawrenson | 824 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alan Scott | 311 |
| | UKIP | Robert Armstrong | 228 |
| | UKIP | Leon Stedman | 175 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,606 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |