# 1996 Colchester Borough Council election

Elections to Colchester Borough Council took place on 2 May 1996. They were held on the same day as other local elections across the United Kingdom.
At the election, the Liberal Democrats maintained their majority on the council. The Labour Party made a net gain of 4 seats to displace the Conservatives as the official opposition. This is the first time since the 1984 election that the Labour Party has held the official opposition.

## Summary

1996 Colchester 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 | 50.0 | 22 | 32 | 53.3 | 15,202 | 39.9 | +2.1 |
| | Labour | 5 | 4 | 25.0 | 11 | 16 | 26.7 | 13,001 | 34.2 | –1.9 |
| | Conservative | 4 | 3 | 20.0 | 7 | 11 | 18.3 | 8,577 | 22.5 | –2.8 |
| | Tiptree Residents | 1 | | 5.0 | 0 | 1 | 1.7 | 1,085 | 2.9 | N/A |
| | Ind. Conservative | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 174 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 22 | 0.1 | N/A |

## Ward results
### Berechurch

Berechurch :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | John William Stevens* | 1,231 | 50.1 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | O. Bishop | 1,047 | 42.6 | −1.7 |
| | Conservative | N. Peckston | 180 | 7.3 | ±0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 184 | 7.5 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,458 | 43.2 | +1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,700 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 1.7 | |

### Castle

Castle :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | William Spyvee* | 1,076 | 45.6 | +10.4 |
| | Labour | J. Thomas | 895 | 37.9 | −8.4 |
| | Conservative | J. Lucas | 366 | 15.5 | −0.2 |
| | Natural Law | J. Basker | 22 | 0.9 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 181 | 7.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,359 | 41.6 | −2.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,679 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 9.4 | |
No Green candidate as previous (2.0%).

### Dedham

Dedham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | G. Williams* | 531 | 57.9 | +3.7 |
| | Conservative | W. Scattergood | 318 | 34.7 | −8.5 |
| | Labour | Dave Harris | 68 | 7.4 | +4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 213 | 23.2 | +12.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 917 | 59.4 | −1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,550 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 6.1 | |

### East Donyland

East Donyland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tina Cooke | 402 | 48.4 | +10.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Barry Woodward | 245 | 29.5 | +13.6 |
| | Conservative | V. Watson | 149 | 17.9 | −26.7 |
| | Ind. Conservative | D. Newman | 35 | 4.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 157 | 18.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 831 | 47.8 | −10.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,738 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 1.7 | |

### Fordham

Fordham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Cannon* | 365 | 48.4 | −10.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | R. Tyrrell | 231 | 30.6 | +1.9 |
| | Labour | J. Coombes | 145 | 19.2 | +6.4 |
| | Ind. Conservative | K. Roberts | 13 | 1.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 134 | 17.8 | −12.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 754 | 51.7 | −2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,465 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 6.0 | |

### Harbour

Harbour :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Edna Fowler* | 1,219 | 53.0 | +18.6 |
| | Labour | S. Webb | 906 | 39.4 | −16.4 |
| | Conservative | Mike Coyne | 176 | 7.6 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 313 | 13.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,301 | 37.8 | −2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,088 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 17.5 | |
No Green candidate as previous (1.4%).

### Lexden

Lexden :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sonia Lewis* | 1,098 | 48.3 | +8.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | B. Trusler | 935 | 41.2 | −6.9 |
| | Labour | P. Creasy | 210 | 9.2 | −3.1 |
| | Ind. Conservative | I. Juliff | 29 | 1.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 163 | 7.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,272 | 52.5 | +1.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,337 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 7.8 | |

### Marks Tey

Marks Tey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Gower* | 312 | 34.7 | −16.5 |
| | Labour | T. Rogers | 285 | 31.7 | +14.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | G. Ambridge | 275 | 30.6 | −0.7 |
| | Ind. Conservative | G. Francis | 27 | 3.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 27 | 3.0 | −16.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 899 | 44.3 | +1.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,028 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 15.4 | |

### Mile End

Mile End :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lucy Wood | 1,089 | 37.0 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative | P. Borges* | 900 | 30.5 | −0.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | G. Folkard | 887 | 30.1 | −0.7 |
| | Ind. Conservative | D. Pallett | 70 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 189 | 6.4 | +1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,946 | 33.2 | −2.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,875 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 1.0 | |

### New Town

New Town :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jenny Stevens* | 1,178 | 62.7 | +3.8 |
| | Labour | C. Tighe | 576 | 30.6 | −2.8 |
| | Conservative | J. Girdlestone | 126 | 6.7 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 602 | 32.0 | +6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,880 | 36.8 | −4.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,112 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 5.2 | |
No Green candidate as previous (2.5%).

### Prettygate

Prettygate :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Hunt | 1,164 | 48.3 | −1.0 |
| | Labour | F. Somerville | 629 | 26.1 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | Ron Levy | 615 | 25.5 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 535 | 22.2 | −0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,408 | 40.6 | −1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,904 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 0.3 | |

### Shrub End

Shrub End :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Cawley* | 687 | 49.8 | +7.4 |
| | Labour | A. Frost | 529 | 38.4 | −8.4 |
| | Conservative | R. Bunn | 163 | 11.8 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 158 | 11.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,379 | 28.7 | −0.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,806 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 7.9 | |

### St. Andrew's

St. Andrew's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Newman | 776 | 61.0 | −6.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Gray | 388 | 30.5 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative | D. Smith | 109 | 8.6 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 388 | 30.5 | −9.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,273 | 23.6 | −7.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,397 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 4.9 | |

### St. Anne's

St. Anne's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mary Frank | 1,124 | 50.7 | +6.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | J. Fellows* | 937 | 42.2 | −6.8 |
| | Conservative | M. Miller | 157 | 7.1 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 187 | 8.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,218 | 40.1 | −0.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,534 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | 6.5 | |

### St. John's

St. John's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ray Gamble* | 1,324 | 59.8 | +9.5 |
| | Conservative | N. Taylor | 538 | 24.3 | −1.3 |
| | Labour | John Cooke | 353 | 15.9 | −8.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 786 | 35.5 | +10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,215 | 38.9 | −0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,697 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 5.4 | |

### St. Mary's

St. Mary's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | J. Kirchner | 983 | 45.8 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative | R. Pawsey | 718 | 33.4 | +1.2 |
| | Labour | K. Hindle | 447 | 20.8 | −3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 265 | 12.3 | +1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,148 | 43.2 | +0.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,047 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 0.8 | |

### Stanway

Stanway :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Colin Sykes* | 1,100 | 53.9 | +0.3 |
| | Labour | Julie Young | 535 | 26.2 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative | J. Orpen-Smellie | 405 | 19.9 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 565 | 27.7 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,040 | 34.4 | −1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,936 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 0.7 | |

### Tiptree

Tiptree :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tiptree Residents | Tony Webb* | 1,085 | 48.2 | N/A |
| | Labour | Mike Dale | 947 | 42.0 | +0.1 |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Blundell | 221 | 9.8 | −28.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 138 | 6.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,253 | 36.8 | −2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,122 | | |
| | Tiptree Residents hold | Tiptree Residents hold | Swing | N/A | |

### West Mersea

West Mersea :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Jowers* | 1,089 | 54.9 | −6.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | M. Hargreaves | 458 | 23.1 | +8.5 |
| | Labour | Alan Mogridge | 436 | 22.0 | −2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 631 | 31.8 | −4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,983 | 35.5 | +1.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,634 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 7.3 | |

### Wivenhoe

Wivenhoe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tom Prosser* | 1,235 | 58.8 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | P. Osbourne | 583 | 27.8 | −3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | P. Gentry | 282 | 13.4 | +4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 652 | 31.0 | +5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,100 | 34.1 | −4.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,127 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 2.9 | |
No Green candidate as previous (4.1%).

## By-elections
### Dedham

Dedham: 4 September 1997 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | | 374 | 45.8 | +11.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | | 352 | 43.1 | −14.8 |
| | Labour | | 91 | 11.1 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22 | 2.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 817 | 51.9 | −7.5 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | 13.0 | |