# Abbey, Lincoln

Abbey is one of eleven electoral districts within the City of Lincoln Council. As of 2023, the Liberal Democrats hold all three seats in the ward having first taken a seat in the 2021 local elections being the first time a non-Labour Party candidate had won a seat in the ward since 1979. The ward is split between two Lincolnshire County Council divisions, St Giles in the north and Park in the south who respectively have elected a Conservative and Labour county councillor.

## Geography

The ward encompasses a large part of the east of Lincoln, stretching from Danesgate near the centre of town, up part of Lindum Hill, along Monks, Greetwell and Wragby Road, ending at the Carlton Centre bordering West Lindsey. It contains the County Hospital, Lincoln Prison, Greetwell Hollow Nature Reserve, the Usher Art Gallery and the Museum as well as the City of Lincoln Arboretum and the ruins of an abbey on Monks Road. Furthermore, there are two primary and secondary education schools in the ward; Monks Abbey School and Lincoln Carlton Academy as well as Lincoln College on the west end of Monks Road.
Abbey ward contains several areas of high deprivation, with an area in the south of the ward covering Cannon and Croft Street ranking in the top 5% in the UK for economic deprivation with 25.7% of children in poverty.
Approximately 9.4% of 16–18 year olds not in education, employment or training, the second highest in the city and the ward has the highest unemployment rate of all electoral wards in the city, at 10.8%.

## Demographics

At the 2021 census, the ward profile population was 11,310. Of the findings, the ethnicity and religious composition of the ward was:
Abbey: Ethnicity: 2021 Census :
| Ethnic group | Population | % |
| White | 9,766 | 86.4% |
| Asian or Asian British | 638 | 5.6% |
| Black or Black British | 317 | 2.8% |
| Mixed | 305 | 2.7% |
| Other Ethnic Group | 192 | 1.7% |
| Arab | 86 | 0.8% |
| Total | 11,310 | 100% |
The religious composition of the ward at the 2021 Census was recorded as:
Abbey: Religion: 2021 Census :
| Religious | Population | % |
| Irreligious | 5,032 | 48.3% |
| Christian | 4,598 | 44.1% |
| Muslim | 455 | 4.4% |
| Other religion | 132 | 1.3% |
| Hindu | 114 | 1.1% |
| Buddhist | 57 | 0.5% |
| Sikh | 18 | 0.3% |
| Jewish | 10 | 0.2% |
| Total | 11,310 | 100% |

## Councillors

Abbey is represented in Westminster by Hamish Falconer MP for Lincoln.
The ward is represented on the City of Lincoln Council by three councillors: Clare Smalley, Martin Christopher and Natasha Chapman. Each of the three were elected in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 local elections respectively, with the latter two defeating incumbent Labour Councillors.
| Election | Councillor |
| 2016 | K. Brothwell (Labour Party) F. Smith (Labour Party) P. West (Labour Party) |
| 2018 | B. Bilton (Labour Party) |
| 2019 | J. Loffhagen (Labour Party) |
| 2021 | C. Smalley (Liberal Democrat) |
| 2022 | M. Christopher (Liberal Democrat) |
| 2023 | N. Chapman (Liberal Democrat) |

## Electoral history
### 2020s

2023 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Natasha Chapman | 1,028 | 56.4 | 6.3 |
| | Labour | Jane Loffhagen | 493 | 27.0 | 1.1 |
| | Conservative | Roger Hansard | 154 | 8.4 | 0.8 |
| | Green | Seamus Murray | 92 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| | Reform UK | Benjamin Jackson | 57 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 535 | 29.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,824 | 29.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | 2.6 | |
2022 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Christopher | 1,220 | 62.7 | 13.1 |
| | Labour | Bill Bilton | 546 | 28.1 | 0.1 |
| | Conservative | Roger Hansard | 180 | 9.2 | 6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 674 | 34.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,946 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | 6.5 | |
2021 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Clare Smalley | 974 | 49.6 | 24.8 |
| | Labour | Val Moore | 549 | 28.0 | 22.7 |
| | Conservative | Roger Hansard | 305 | 15.5 | 2.0 |
| | Green | Kenneth Yates | 99 | 5.0 | 6.1 |
| | Reform UK | Donald Penman | 36 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 425 | 21.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,963 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | 23.8 | |

### 2010s

2019 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Jane Loffhagen | 679 | 42 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Clare Smalley | 478 | 29 |
| | Conservative | Adam Clegg | 260 | 16 |
| | Green | Edward Francis | 214 | 13 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 201 | 13 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28.27 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
2018 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Bill Bilton | 850 | 52.0 |
| | Conservative | Richard Butroid | 348 | 21.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Clare Smalley | 311 | 19.0 |
| | Green | Edward Evelyn Francis | 126 | 7.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 502 | 30.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28% | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
2016 City of Lincoln Council election (3) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Kathleen Brothwell | 877 | 19.3% |
| | Labour | Fay Smith | 833 | 18.3% |
| | Labour | Peter West | 790 | 17.4% |
| | Conservative | Graham Bratby | 381 | 8.4% |
| | Conservative | Douglas Collison | 303 | 6.7% |
| | Conservative | Caleb Harris | 286 | 6.3% |
| | UKIP | Chris Butler | 271 | 6.0% |
| | Green | Kenneth Yates | 247 | 5.4% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Clare Smalley | 191 | 4.2% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Brown | 188 | 4.1% |
| | TUSC | Nick Parker | 64 | 1.4% |
| | TUSC | Gavyn Graham | 61 | 1.3% |
| | TUSC | Jac Green | 54 | 1.2% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,546 | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
2015 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Fay Smith | 1,730 | 42.9% |
| | Conservative | Yaroslav Pustarnakov | 1,034 | 25.7% |
| | UKIP | Chris Butler | 568 | 14.1% |
| | Green | James Bird | 417 | 10.3% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Aarron Smith | 207 | 5.1% |
| | TUSC | Danny Wilkinson | 74 | 1.8% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,030 | 55.9% |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
2014 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Peter West | 744 | 43.2% |
| | UKIP | Chris Butler | 385 | 22.3% |
| | Conservative | Christopher Reid | 364 | 21.1% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Heather Cullen | 138 | 8.0% |
| | TUSC | Nick Parker | 93 | 5.4% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 359 | 20.9% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,724 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
2012 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Kath Brothwell | 892 | 57.3% |
| | Conservative | Laura Goodliffe | 386 | 24.8% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Natasha Chapman | 141 | 9.1% |
| | TUSC | Gavyn Graham | 139 | 8.9% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 506 | 32.5% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,558 | 23.4% |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
2011 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Fay Smith | 1,052 | 48.3% |
| | Conservative | Barry Reeves | 619 | 28.4% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Charly Harding-Price | 236 | 10.8% |
| | UKIP | Pat Nurse | 151 | 6.9% |
| | TUSC | Richard Steven Banks | 120 | 5.5% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 433 | 19.9% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,178 | 31.16% |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
2010 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Peter West | 1,438 | 37.0% |
| | Conservative | James Clarkson | 1,155 | 29.7% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Matthew Holden | 1,018 | 26.2% |
| | UKIP | Pat Nurse | 207 | 5.3% |
| | TUSC | Richard Banks | 71 | 1.8% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 283 | 7.3% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,889 | 55.5% |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |

### 2000s

2008 City of Lincoln Council election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Kath Brothwell | 657 | 40.0% |
| | Conservative | Cordelia McCartney | 625 | 38.1% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Heather Cullen | 259 | 15.8% |
| | UKIP | Carol Pearson | 101 | 6.2% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 32 | 1.9% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,642 | 25.2% |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |