# 2015 South Oxfordshire District Council election

The 2015 South Oxfordshire District Council election was held on 7 May 2015 to elect members of South Oxfordshire District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.
Elections were held for all seats on the council. After the 2011 South Oxfordshire District Council election the Boundary Commission for England had revised South Oxfordshire's district ward boundaries and reduced the number of seats from 48 to 36. the 2015 elections were the first to be held for the new revised wards.
A total of 96,644 votes were cast at polling stations and 13,527 postal votes were received. This amounted to a 66.5% turnout.
The Conservative Party won 33 of the 36 new seats. The Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and Henley Residents Group each won one seat. No other party or independent candidate won any seats. The Conservative Party kept overall control of the council, with its majority increased to 30.

## Summary of results

South Oxfordshire District Council elections result 2015 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 91.67 | 50.65 | 65,861 | - |
| Labour | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 2.78 | 16.38 | 21,296 | + |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 2.78 | 13.74 | 17,865 | - |
| Henley Residents | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 2.78 | 2.59 | 3,370 | - |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.48 | 8,423 | + |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.43 | 8,361 | + |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 0 | 3.74 | 4,863 | - |
The Conservative Party's share of votes fell from 53.53% in 2011 to 50.65% in 2015. However, as a result of the new boundaries the Conservatives still won 33 seats in 2015, the same number as in 2011. And as the Boundary Commission had reduced the number of seats, this represents an increase in the share of seats from almost 69% in 2011 to nearly 92% in 2015.
The Labour Party increased its share of votes from 14.92% in 2011 to 16.70% in 2015, overtaking the Liberal Democrats as the party with the second largest number of votes in the district. But as a result of the new ward boundaries and reduced number of wards the number of Labour members on the district council was reduced from four to one.
The Liberal Democrats' share of votes fell from 15.89% in 2011 to 11.93% in 2015. Combined with the new ward boundaries and reduced number of wards, Liberal Democrat members on the district council were reduced from four to one.
In 2011 five independent candidates were elected to the district council. In 2015 four of them did not seek re-election. One, Mark Gray, was a candidate again in 2015 but was not re-elected.
The boundary revision reduced Henley-on-Thames from two wards which each elected two members in 2011, to one ward which elected three members in 2015. Henley Residents Group's share of votes in Henley fell from an average of 37.17% across the two wards in 2011 to 20.43% in the one new ward in 2015. These factors combined to reduce the number of HRG members on the district council from three to one.
In 2011 there was one UK Independence Party candidate, who contested a ward in Didcot. He won 5.09% of the votes in that ward. In 2015 there were 13 UKIP candidates in eight wards. They won an average of 10.91% of votes in the wards that they contested, and 6.48% of the total votes cast in the district, but no seats.
In 2011 there were Green Party candidates in four of the district's 29 wards. They won an average of 16.64% of votes in the wards that they contested, and 3.43% of total votes cast in South Oxfordshire District. In 2015 there were Green Party candidates in 13 of the district's 21 new wards, including three Green candidates in the one new Henley ward. They won an average of 10.21% of votes in the wards that they contested, and 6.43% of total votes cast in the district, but no seats.
The 2015 election increased the Conservative Party majority on the district council from 18 to 30. Opposition was reduced from 15 in 2011 to three in 2015.

## Ward results
### Benson and Crowmarsh

Benson and Crowmarsh 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Felix Bloomfield | 2,247 | 29.22 | |
| | Conservative | Richard Pullen | 1,770 | 23.01 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sue Cooper | 1,457 | 18.94 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | George Francis Daniel Levy | 618 | 8.04 | |
| | Green | Andrea Jane Powell | 606 | 7.88 | |
| | Labour | Jim Merritt | 513 | 6.67 | |
| | Labour | Adam Wood | 480 | 6.24 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 313 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Berinsfield

Berinsfield 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Cotton | 968 | 51.38 | |
| | Labour | Maggie Winters | 400 | 21.23 | |
| | Green | Mark Stevenson | 370 | 19.64 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jane Mary Jackson | 146 | 7.75 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 568 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Chalgrove

Chalgrove 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Graham Turner | 1,060 | 54.03 | |
| | Conservative | Ann Pritchard | 769 | 39.19 | |
| | Labour | Simon Stone | 133 | 6.78 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 291 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) | Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |

### Chinnor

Chinnor 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lynn Lloyd | 3,163 | 39.81 | |
| | Conservative | Ian White | 2,789 | 34.66 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Liz Barker | 827 | 10.28 | |
| | Labour | John Henry Cooper | 702 | 8.72 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pete Barker | 565 | 7.02 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,962 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Cholsey

Cholsey 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Pat Dawe | 2,151 | 24.35 | |
| | Conservative | Jane Murphy | 1,746 | 19.77 | |
| | Independent | Mark Stuart Gray | 1,323 | 14.98 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Adrian Lee Cull | 810 | 9.17 | |
| | Labour | Ginnie Herbert | 683 | 7.73 | |
| | Green | Sam Casey-Rerhaye | 567 | 6.42 | |
| | UKIP | Steve Beatty | 559 | 6.33 | |
| | Labour | Barbara Tompsett | 539 | 6.10 | |
| | UKIP | Bob Nielsen | 455 | 5.15 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 423 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Didcot North East

Didcot North East 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Tony Harbour | 1,723 | 14.77 | |
| | Conservative | Steve Connel | 1,643 | 14.08 | |
| | Conservative | Bill Service | 1,591 | 13.64 | |
| | Independent | Neville Frank Harris | 1,441 | 12.35 | |
| | Labour | Nick Hards | 1,027 | 8.80 | |
| | Labour | Alison Joy Lane | 918 | 7.87 | |
| | Labour | James Joseph Reeve | 699 | 5.99 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Les Hopper | 656 | 5.62 | |
| | UKIP | Laura Jade Bayliss | 628 | 5.38 | |
| | UKIP | Toby Gordon Pilling | 496 | 4.25 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tony Worgan | 474 | 4.06 | |
| | UKIP | David Sidney Weaver | 370 | 3.17 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 150 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Didcot South

Didcot South 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Anthony Dearlove | 1,498 | 12.87 |
| | Conservative | Anthony Nash | 1,480 | 12.72 |
| | Labour | Margaret L Davies | 1,436 | 12.34 |
| | Conservative | Charlie Robertson | 1,371 | 11.78 |
| | Labour | Eleanor Hards | 1,309 | 12.34 |
| | Labour | Bernard Douglas Cooper | 1,295 | 12.34 |
| | UKIP | Peter Ernest Elliot | 937 | 8.05 |
| | UKIP | Waine Anthony Wilkins | 836 | 7.18 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Rouane | 756 | 6.50 |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Robert Loder | 720 | 6.19 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 65 | |

### Didcot West

Didcot West 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Thompson | 1,390 | 24.75 | |
| | Conservative | Margaret Turner | 1,299 | 23.13 | |
| | Labour | Denise Ann Macdonald | 941 | 16.75 | |
| | Labour | Pamela Ann Siggers | 823 | 14.65 | |
| | UKIP | David Roberts | 604 | 10.75 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andrew Peter Jones | 560 | 9.97 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 358 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Forest Hill and Holton

Forest Hill and Holton 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Walsh | 902 | 44.00 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anne Purse | 793 | 38.68 | |
| | Labour | Paddy Bullard | 355 | 17.32 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 109 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Garsington and Horspath

Garsington and Horspath 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Gillespie | 1,212 | 58.98 | |
| | Labour | Jacob Robert Chapman | 433 | 21.07 | |
| | Green | Robin Francis Bennett | 226 | 11.00 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Stanley Mancey | 184 | 8.95 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 779 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Goring

Goring 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Kevin Bulmer | 1,264 | 56.73 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Caroline Shirley Wardle | 403 | 18.09 | |
| | Labour | Fran Wright | 316 | 14.18 | |
| | Green | James Welch Norman | 245 | 11.00 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 861 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Haseley Brook

Haseley Brook 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Harrod | 1,537 | 66.80 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sarah Elizabeth Gray | 386 | | |
| | Labour | Emma Lara Maclean | 378 | 16.43 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,151 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Henley-on-Thames

Henley-on-Thames 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Lorraine Hillier | 2,445 | 14.82 |
| | Conservative | Joan Bland | 2,234 | 13.54 |
| | Henley Residents | Stefan John Gawrysiak | 2,139 | 12.97 |
| | Conservative | William Arthur Henry Hall | 2,050 | 12.43 |
| | Henley Residents | Simon Charles Narracott | 1,231 | 7.46 |
| | Independent | Elizabeth Hodgkin | 1,175 | 7.12 |
| | UKIP | Ken Arlett | 939 | 5.69 |
| | Independent | Jeni Wood | 730 | 4.42 |
| | Green | Elisabeth Marjorie Geake | 671 | 4.07 |
| | Green | Ian Petrie | 595 | 3.61 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Neill James Robert Hendry | 502 | 3.04 |
| | Labour | Cornelius Kavanagh | 499 | 3.02 |
| | UKIP | Chris Jones | 467 | 2.83 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David John Thomas | 451 | 2.73 |
| | Green | Richard Michael Rule | 370 | 2.24 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 89 | |

### Kidmore End and Whitchurch

Kidmore End and Whitchurch 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rob Simister | 1,073 | 48.60 | |
| | Green | Peter Dragonetti | 551 | 24.95 | |
| | Labour | Amanda Holland | 205 | 9.28 | |
| | Independent | Keith John Brooks | 194 | 8.79 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Harry Butterworth | 185 | 8.38 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 868 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Sandford and the Wittenhams

Sandford and the Wittenhams 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jon Woodley-Shead | 1,030 | 47.14 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Geoffrey Davenport Thompson | 445 | 20.37 | |
| | Labour | Will Atkinson | 367 | 16.80 | |
| | Green | David John Scott | 343 | 15.70 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 585 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Sonning Common

Sonning Common 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Paul Harrison | 2,444 | 32.98 | |
| | Conservative | Martin Akehurst | 2,432 | 32.82 | |
| | Labour | David George Winchester | 651 | 8.78 | |
| | Green | Alison Jean Smart | 519 | 7.00 | |
| | Labour | Chris Wright | 510 | 6.88 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andy Davies | 431 | 5.82 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jill Elizabeth Davies | 424 | 5.72 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 585 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Thame

Thame 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Dodds | 3,041 | 18.37 | |
| | Conservative | Nigel Champken-Woods | 2,704 | 16.34 | |
| | Conservative | Jeanette Matelot Green | 2,487 | 15.03 | |
| | Labour | Mary Honora Stiles | 1,595 | 9.64 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David William Bretherton | 1,466 | 8.86 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Bennett | 1,184 | 7.15 | |
| | UKIP | Peter William Butler | 1,129 | 6.82 | |
| | Labour | Tristram Maclean | 1,107 | 6.69 | |
| | Green | Robert Guy Hughes | 923 | 5.58 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Arthur Laver | 915 | 5.53 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 892 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Wallingford

Wallingford 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Imran Lokhon | 1,639 | 24.30 | |
| | Conservative | Elaine Hornsby | 1,608 | 23.84 | |
| | Green | Sue Roberts | 1,135 | 16.83 | |
| | Labour | Liz Neighbour | 879 | 13.03 | |
| | Labour | George William Kneeshaw | 745 | 11.05 | |
| | UKIP | Lee Mark Upcraft | 739 | 10.96 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 473 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Watlington

Watlington 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anna Badcock | 1,462 | 65.97 | |
| | Green | Tom Bindoff | 352 | 15.88 | |
| | Labour | Tony Winters | 216 | 9.75 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Catherine Mary Hughes | 186 | 8.39 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,110 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Wheatley

Wheatley 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Toby Newman | 1,003 | 45.82 | |
| | Labour | Andrew John Walkey | 508 | 23.21 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Thomas Bell | 414 | 18.91 | |
| | UKIP | Alex Ashmore | 264 | 12.06 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 595 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Woodcote and Rotherfield

Woodcote and Rotherfield 2015 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Bailey | 2,986 | 37.02 | |
| | Conservative | David Nimmo-Smith | 2,710 | 33.60 | |
| | Green | Andrew James Wallis | 888 | 11.01 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | James David Cooper | 847 | 10.50 | |
| | Labour | Veronica Treacher | 634 | 7.86 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,822 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |