# 2022 Watford Borough Council election

The 2022 Watford Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. One third (12) of the 36 members of Watford Borough Council were elected. The elections took place alongside elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom, and an election for the Mayor of Watford.
The Liberal Democrats went into the election controlling the council, holding 24 of the 36 seats. They also held the mayorship, after Peter Taylor was elected in 2018.

## Electoral process

Watford Borough Council is elected in thirds, with a third of all seats up for election every year for three years, with an election to Hertfordshire County Council instead in the fourth year. The election took place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term. The seats up for election in 2022 are those last contested in the 2018 election.

## Results summary

2022 Watford 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 % | +/− |
| | Liberal Democrats | 10 | 1 | 83.3 | 17 | 27 | 75.0 | 12,163 | 51.3 | |
| | Labour | 2 | 1 | 16.7 | 7 | 9 | 25.0 | 6,624 | 27.9 | |
| | Conservative | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 4,642 | 19.6 | |
| | Independent | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 142 | 0.6 | |
| | TUSC | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 103 | 0.4 | |
| | Reform UK | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 37 | 0.2 | |

## Candidates

Candidates seeking re-election are marked with an asterisk (*).

### Callowland

Callowland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ian Stotesbury* | 1,082 | 53.6 | 8.0 |
| | Labour | Terry Butler | 729 | 36.1 | 0.3 |
| | Conservative | Matthew Geary | 209 | 10.3 | 1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 353 | 17.5 | 8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,020 | 35.0 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 4.1 | |

### Central

Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Aga Dychton* | 1,151 | 55.4 | 13.6 |
| | Labour | Mohammed Wadud Hakim | 553 | 26.6 | 12.7 |
| | Conservative | Hrithik Dattani | 233 | 11.2 | 1.7 |
| | Independent | Dennis Wharton | 142 | 6.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 598 | 28.8 | 26.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,079 | 30.7 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 13.1 | |

### Holywell

Holywell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Matt Turmaine* | 949 | 53.2 | 12.4 |
| | Conservative | Sanjaya Pant | 426 | 23.9 | 9.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Penelope Hill | 360 | 20.2 | 0.2 |
| | TUSC | Mark O'Conner | 49 | 2.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 523 | 29.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,784 | 27.4 | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | 11.1 | |

### Leggatts

Leggatts :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Shafiq Ahmed | 952 | 44.3 | 11.8 |
| | Labour | Seamus Williams | 790 | 36.7 | 13.9 |
| | Conservative | Jennie Raperport | 355 | 16.5 | 0.4 |
| | TUSC | Derek Foster | 54 | 2.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 162 | 7.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,151 | 37.9 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | 12.8 | |

### Meriden

Meriden :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Pattinson | 800 | 53.8 | 10.2 |
| | Labour | Helena Farrington | 361 | 24.3 | 7.1 |
| | Conservative | Prashanth Elangovan | 327 | 22.0 | 3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 439 | 29.5 | 17.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,488 | 26.31 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 8.6 | |

### Nascot

Nascot :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tom Osborn | 1,555 | 59.6 | 6.2 |
| | Conservative | Ravi Kura | 629 | 24.1 | 1.6 |
| | Labour | Edward Tunnah | 424 | 16.3 | 1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 926 | 35.5 | 7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,608 | 39.1 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 3.9 | |

### Oxhey

Oxhey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kennedy Rodrigues | 1,382 | 65.8 | 6.9 |
| | Conservative | William Hickey | 360 | 17.1 | 6.3 |
| | Labour | Sue Sleeman | 322 | 15.3 | 2.4 |
| | Reform UK | Neal Webber | 37 | 1.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,022 | 48.6 | 13.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,101 | 38.9 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 6.6 | |

### Park

Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Kloss* | 1,616 | 61.1 | 9.3 |
| | Conservative | Linda Topping | 573 | 21.7 | 7.3 |
| | Labour | Sue Butler | 457 | 17.3 | 0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,043 | 39.4 | 16.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,646 | 41.7 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 8.3 | |

### Stanborough

Stanborough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lenny Nembhard | 909 | 50.8 | 12.0 |
| | Conservative | Peter Williams | 530 | 29.6 | 10.2 |
| | Labour | Betty Muspratt | 349 | 19.5 | 1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 379 | 21.2 | 22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,788 | 31.9 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 11.1 | |

### Tudor

Tudor :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Johnson* | 917 | 50.2 | 5.6 |
| | Labour | Diana Ivory | 467 | 25.6 | 3.3 |
| | Conservative | Carly Bishop | 442 | 24.2 | 2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 450 | 24.6 | 8.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,826 | 35.4 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 4.4 | |

### Vicarage

Vicarage :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Nasreen Shah* | 837 | 50.4 | 11.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dan Thurlow | 637 | 38.4 | 17.3 |
| | Conservative | Octavian Chirila Filip | 186 | 11.2 | 5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 200 | 12.0 | 29.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,660 | 28.9 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 14.5 | |

### Woodside

Woodside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Glen Saffery* | 802 | 51.2 | 8.1 |
| | Labour | Malcolm Bush | 386 | 24.7 | 0.5 |
| | Conservative | Matthew Cawthorne | 372 | 23.8 | 2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 416 | 26.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,560 | 27.3 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 4.3 | |

## Mayoral election

The Conservative Party announced Binita Mehta-Parmar as their mayoral candidate in August 2021. Mehta-Parmar was formerly the Conservative group leader on Watford Borough Council. Incumbent mayor Peter Taylor was unanimously reselected by the Liberal Democrats as their candidate in September 2021. He stated that his priorities would be "to create more jobs, make the town greener and support those most in need." The Labour Party selected Asif Khan as their candidate in November 2021. Khan is a councillor on Watford Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council. He stated that he would focus on development in Watford, and was opposed to the number of high-rise buildings under construction.
2022 Watford Borough mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | 1st round | 1st round | 2nd round | 2nd round | 2nd round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Total | Of round | Transfers | Total | Of round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Taylor | 12,895 | 54.8% | | | | ​​ |
| | Labour | Asif Khan | 6,234 | 26.5% | | | | ​​ |
| | Conservative | Binita Mehta-Parmar | 4,404 | 18.7% | | | | ​​ |