# 2022 Exeter City Council election

The 2022 Exeter City Council election took place on 5 May 2022 to elect members to Exeter City Council in Devon, England. This was the same day as other local elections in the United Kingdom. 17 of the 39 seats were up for election, one councillor in each of the 13 wards, and 4 by-elections. These wards were last contested in 2018.

## Council composition

The Labour Party have a majority of 17 on the council. The Conservatives are the main opposition with 6 councillors. The Liberal Democrat, Green and Independent Councillors formed a "Progressive Group" following the 2019 elections.
In these elections, 10 wards up for election currently have a Labour councillor (Alphington; Exwick; Heavitree; Mincinglake & Whipton; Newtown & St Leonards; Pennsylvania; Pinhoe; Priory; St Davids; and St Thomas), 2 have Conservative councillors (St Loyes; and Topsham) and 1 has a Liberal Democrat councillor (Duryard and St James).
In addition to these seats, four by-elections have so far been announced in the Exwick, Heavitree, Pennsylvania and Priory wards. In order to retain their overall majority on the councillor, Labour need to win at least six seats.

## Outgoing Councillors

Each ward has the following outgoing councillor:

### Alphington

* Cllr. Bob Foale (Labour): Portfolio Holder for Transformation & Environment; First elected in 2016.

### Duryard and St James

* Cllr. Kevin Mitchell (Liberal Democrat): Liberal Democrat group leader; Progressive Group leader; First elected in 2003.

### Exwick

* Cllr. Rachel Sutton (Labour): Portfolio Holder for Net Zero Exeter 2030; First elected in 2010.
* A by-election will be held due to the resignation of Cllr. Ollie Pearson.

### Heavitree

* Cllr. Greg Sheldon (Labour); First elected in 1996.
* A by-election will be held due to the resignation of Cllr. Chris Buswell.

### Mincinglake and Whipton

* Cllr. Naima Allcock (Labour); First elected in 2021.

### Newtown and St Leonards

* Cllr. Matthew Vizard (Labour); First elected in 2017.

### Pennsylvania

* Cllr. Jane Begley (Labour); First elected in 2018.
* A by-election will be held due to the death of Cllr. Ian Quance.

### Pinhoe

* Cllr. Duncan Wood (Labour); First elected in 2016.

### Priory

* Cllr. Tony Wardle (Labour); First elected in 2008.
* A by-election will be held due to the resignation of Cllr. Alys Martin.

### St Davids

* Cllr. Luke Sills (Labour); First elected in 2016.

### St Loyes

* Cllr. Peter Holland (Conservative); First elected in 2014.

### St Thomas

* Cllr. Laura Wright (Labour): Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Council Housing Development and Services; First elected in 2018.

### Topsham

* Cllr. Keith Sparkes (Conservative); First elected in 2019.

## Results summary

2022 Exeter City 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 % | +/− |
| | Labour | 12 | 2 | 73.7 | 14 | 26 | 66.7 | 19,948 | 45.8 | +1.4 |
| | Conservative | 1 | 1 | 5.3 | 4 | 5 | 12.8 | 9,743 | 22.4 | -7.7 |
| | Green | 3 | 3 | 15.8 | 2 | 5 | 12.8 | 9,434 | 21.7 | +6.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 1 | | 5.3 | 1 | 2 | 5.1 | 4,084 | 9.4 | +1.0 |
| | For Britain | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 252 | 0.6 | +0.3 |
| | Independent | 0 | | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 2.6 | 111 | 0.3 | -0.3 |

## Results By Ward

The full list of candidates was published on 6th April. An asterisk (*) denotes an incumbent councillor seeking re-election.
Alphington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bob Foale* | 1,190 | 50.0 | +6.5 |
| | Conservative | John Harvey Benedict | 727 | 30.6 | −9.4 |
| | Green | Andrew Wallace Bell | 265 | 11.1 | −1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rod Ruffle | 197 | 8.3 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 463 | 19.4 | +15.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,379 | 37.4 | −3.9 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 7 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.0 | |
Duryard and St James :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kevin John Mitchell* | 995 | 42.7 | +10.4 |
| | Labour | Sue Temple | 791 | 34.0 | −5.8 |
| | Conservative | Harry Johnson-Hill | 333 | 14.3 | −5.9 |
| | Green | Johanna Franziska Korndorfer | 209 | 9.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 204 | 8.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,328 | 31.7 | −0.8 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 4 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +8.1 | |
Exwick (2 Seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paul Graeme Knott | 1,356 | 59.3 | +8.7 |
| | Labour | Rachel Sutton* | 1,208 | 52.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Henry Jonathan Geoffrey Clement-Jones | 422 | 18.4 | −12.9 |
| | Conservative | Kayleigh Michelle Suzanne Luscombe | 402 | 17.5 | N/A |
| | Green | Mark Shorto | 339 | 14.8 | +0.9 |
| | Green | Alex Stephan | 208 | 9.1 | N/A |
| | For Britain | Frankie Rufolo | 192 | 8.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joanne Giencke | 174 | 7.6 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Maya Skelton | 109 | 4.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 786 | 34.3 | +15.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,291 | 31.6 | −3.4 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 6 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +10.8 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Heavitree (2 Seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Catherine Rees | 1,436 | 44.7 | 6.2 |
| | Green | Carol Angela Bennett | 1,418 | 44.2 | N/A |
| | Labour | Susannah Jane Patrick | 1,211 | 37.7 | −1.3 |
| | Labour | Greg Sheldon* | 1,068 | 33.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Alfie Samuel Carlisle | 419 | 13.1 | −9.4 |
| | Conservative | Julian Maurice Gallie | 383 | 11.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philip John Brock | 156 | 4.9 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kris Mears | 98 | 3.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 207 | 6.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,210 | 47.4 | +0.7 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 10 | | |
| | Green gain from Labour | Green gain from Labour | Swing | +3.8 | |
| | Green gain from Labour | Green gain from Labour | Swing | | |
Mincinglake and Whipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Naima Jay Allcock* | 1,246 | 61.8 | +16.3 |
| | Conservative | Jack David Barwell | 445 | 22.1 | −7.2 |
| | Green | Lizzie Woodman | 209 | 10.4 | −6.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Geoffrey Payne | 116 | 5.8 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 801 | 39.7 | +5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,016 | 30.7 | −3.7 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 11 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +11.8 | |
Newtown and St Leonard's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Matthew James Vizard* | 1,323 | 46.3 | +1.6 |
| | Green | Andy Ketchin | 1,159 | 40.6 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative | Aric Samuel David Gillinsky | 269 | 9.4 | −5.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lily Rosanna James | 104 | 3.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 164 | 5.7 | +1.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,857 | 41.5 | −0.7 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 16 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.9 | |
Pennsylvania (2 Seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Josie Collette Miriam Parkhouse | 1,400 | 48.3 | −3.8 |
| | Labour | Martyn Ivor Snow | 1,310 | 45.2 | N/A |
| | Green | Jack Stanley Eade | 621 | 21.4 | New |
| | Green | Jack David Vickers | 620 | 21.4 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Samuel Peter Michael Brooks | 535 | 18.4 | −9.8 |
| | Conservative | David William Moore | 530 | 18.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Will Aczel | 360 | 12.4 | −7.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nigel David Williams | 288 | 9.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 689 | 23.8 | −0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,901 | 38.7 | −2.1 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 10 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
Pinhoe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Duncan Wood* | 1,287 | 51.5 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative | Cynthia Thompson | 887 | 35.5 | −1.1 |
| | Green | Caryl Thomas Eli Rowlinson | 183 | 7.3 | −1.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christine Anne Campion | 143 | 5.7 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 400 | 16.0 | +3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,500 | 35.9 | −4.2 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 4 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.8 | |
Priory (2 Seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Marina Yvette Asvachin | 1,212 | 52.5 | +2.4 |
| | Labour | Tony Wardle* | 1,084 | 47.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Alison Jayne Sheridan | 706 | 30.6 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative | Ben Anthony Hawkes | 701 | 30.4 | N/A |
| | Green | David Barker-Hahlo | 317 | 13.7 | +1.5 |
| | Green | Michael Anthony Kerr | 258 | 11.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philip Alexander Thomas | 225 | 9.7 | +5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 378 | 16.4 | −0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,308 | 34.9 | −2.8 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 9 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.8 | |
St David's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Green | Tess Read | 1,251 | 47.9 | +2.4 |
| | Labour | Jakir Hussain | 919 | 35.2 | −2.6 |
| | Conservative | Edward Michael John Barradell | 328 | 12.6 | −4.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Matthew Soper | 114 | 4.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 332 | 12.7 | +5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,612 | 36.5 | −1.0 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 12 | | |
| | Green gain from Labour | Green gain from Labour | Swing | +2.5 | |
St Loye's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Geoffrey Holland* | 1,191 | 49.9 | +3.3 |
| | Labour | Jane Margaret Frances Begley* | 881 | 36.8 | −1.1 |
| | Green | Ann Barbara Keen | 326 | 13.6 | +3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 310 | 12.9 | +4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,397 | 34.7 | −3.3 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 16 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.2 | |
Jane Begley was an incumbent councillor for the Pennsylvania ward.
St Thomas :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Laura Charis Adelaide Wright* | 1,049 | 38.4 | −8.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Adrian Alan Fullam | 1,005 | 36.8 | +14.7 |
| | Conservative | Ashley Carr | 311 | 11.4 | −9.1 |
| | Green | Prina Sumaria | 231 | 8.5 | New |
| | Independent | Paul David Mouland | 111 | 4.1 | −3.6 |
| | For Britain | Chris Stone | 25 | 0.9 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 44 | 1.6 | −23.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,732 | 37.4 | −3.3 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 10 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -11.6 | |
Topsham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joshua Cameron Ellis-Jones | 1,413 | 47.3 | +18.8 |
| | Conservative | Keith Andrew Sparkes* | 1,154 | 38.6 | −13.0 |
| | Green | Jonathan Robert Mills | 384 | 12.9 | +0.7 |
| | For Britain | Eric Bransden | 35 | 1.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 259 | 8.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,987 | 39.3 | −3.6 |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 12 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +15.9 | |