# 2006 Havant Borough Council election

The 2006 Havant Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Havant Borough Council in Hampshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
* Conservative 30
* Labour 4
* Liberal Democrats 4

## Background

After the last election in 2004 the Conservatives had 27 seats, compared to 6 for Labour and 5 for the Liberal Democrats. However, in 2005 a Liberal Democrat councillor for Hart Plain, Ron Purkis, defected to the Conservatives.

## Election result

The Conservatives increased their majority on the council to hold 30 of the 38 seats on the council after getting a swing in their favour. Labour lost 2 seats in Leigh Park, with sitting councillors Ralph Cousins and Barry Gardner losing to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats respectively. Overall turnout at the election was 33.5%.
Following the election Conservative David Gillett remained as leader of the council after surviving a leadership challenge within the Conservative group from David Guest by 4 votes.
Havant local election result 2006 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 11 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 78.6 | 53.8 | 16,178 | +2.3% |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.1 | 24.1 | 7,234 | -2.4% |
| Labour | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 14.3 | 13.3 | 3,989 | -1.2% |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 | 2,187 | +1.8% |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 272 | +0.9% |
| English Democrat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | 190 | +0.6% |

## Ward results
### Barncroft

Barncroft :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Fairhurst | 465 | 44.0 | −4.1 |
| | Labour | Ralph Cousins | 284 | 26.9 | −1.8 |
| | UKIP | Stephen Harris | 164 | 15.5 | +15.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Ponsonby | 143 | 13.5 | −9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 181 | 17.1 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,056 | 24.8 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Battins

Battins :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | June Hanan | 346 | 31.9 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Raymond Cobbett | 328 | 30.2 | +12.4 |
| | Conservative | Ronald Purkis | 275 | 25.3 | −11.3 |
| | Green | Louise Palmer | 136 | 12.5 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18 | 1.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,085 | 23.1 | +1.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Bedhampton

Bedhampton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jennifer Wride | 1,321 | 46.1 | +3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Faith Ponsonby | 1,081 | 37.7 | −3.8 |
| | English Democrat | George Herbert | 190 | 6.6 | +6.6 |
| | Labour | Anne Edwards | 178 | 6.2 | −3.3 |
| | Green | Terry Mitchell | 96 | 3.3 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 240 | 8.4 | +6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,866 | 41.6 | −0.4 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |

### Bondfields

Bondfields :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Stocker | 608 | 46.2 | +21.0 |
| | Labour | Barry Gardner | 479 | 36.4 | −12.6 |
| | Conservative | Thelma Carpenter | 228 | 17.3 | −8.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 129 | 9.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,315 | 27.2 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Cowplain

Cowplain :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony Briggs | 1,359 | 60.5 | −1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Jacobs | 458 | 20.4 | −5.4 |
| | Green | Ann Gleed | 259 | 11.5 | +11.5 |
| | Labour | Kenneth Monks | 170 | 7.6 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 901 | 40.1 | +3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,246 | 31.2 | −4.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Emsworth

Emsworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Gillett | 2,071 | 59.2 | −1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Hugh Benzie | 949 | 27.1 | +3.1 |
| | Green | Mary Youle | 262 | 7.5 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | Derek Smith | 218 | 6.2 | −3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,122 | 32.1 | −4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,500 | 45.8 | −1.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Hart Plain

Hart Plain :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Cheshire | 1,089 | 48.2 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ann Bazley | 880 | 39.0 | |
| | Labour | Kim Vassallo | 170 | 7.5 | |
| | Green | Barry Gleed | 119 | 5.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 209 | 9.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,258 | 31.2 | −1.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Hayling East

Hayling East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Smith | 1,567 | 63.1 | |
| | Labour | Sheila Mealy | 344 | 13.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Margaret Causer | 337 | 13.6 | |
| | Green | Gillian Leek | 236 | 9.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,223 | 49.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,484 | 35.0 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Hayling West

Hayling West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Pearce | 1,848 | 68.1 | +4.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Janis Shawashi | 364 | 13.4 | −3.0 |
| | Labour | Colin Blunden | 260 | 9.6 | −1.9 |
| | Green | Susan Dawes | 243 | 9.0 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,484 | 54.7 | +7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,715 | 39.8 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Purbrook

Purbrook :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gwen Blackett | 1,507 | 63.5 | +14.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Marshall | 332 | 14.0 | +3.2 |
| | Labour | Nicola Potts | 283 | 11.9 | −0.5 |
| | Green | Julie Blenkharn | 250 | 10.5 | +10.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,175 | 49.5 | +28.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,372 | 33.1 | −2.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### St Faiths

St Faiths :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jacqueline Branson | 1,574 | 52.5 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jane Briggs | 789 | 26.3 | −0.1 |
| | Green | Timothy Dawes | 391 | 13.0 | +2.3 |
| | Labour | Frederick Barnes | 245 | 8.2 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 785 | 26.2 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,999 | 43.7 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Stakes

Stakes :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Olwyn Kennedy | 955 | 54.0 | +4.1 |
| | Labour | Barry Steel | 335 | 19.0 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Pook | 282 | 16.0 | −6.0 |
| | Green | Wendy Smith | 195 | 11.0 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 620 | 35.1 | +7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,767 | 24.5 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Warren Park

Warren Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Brown | 369 | 42.4 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative | Richard Galloway | 236 | 27.1 | −6.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Moore-Blunt | 158 | 18.1 | −7.8 |
| | UKIP | Brian Hines | 108 | 12.4 | +12.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 133 | 15.3 | +9.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 871 | 19.6 | +2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Waterloo

Waterloo :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Wendy Brown | 1,683 | 66.9 | +8.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Bolt | 525 | 20.9 | −1.2 |
| | Labour | Margaret Beauvoison | 308 | 12.2 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,158 | 46.0 | +9.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,516 | 33.9 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

## By-elections between 2006 and 2007
### Battins

A by-election was held in Battins ward on 2 November 2006 after the death of Conservative councillor Jane Rayner. The seat was gained for the Liberal Democrats by Faith Ponsonby with a majority of 137 votes.
Battins by-election 2 November 2006 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Faith Ponsonby | 401 | 41.9 | +11.7 |
| | Conservative | Wendy Osgood | 264 | 27.6 | +2.3 |
| | Labour | Ralph Cousins | 236 | 24.7 | −7.2 |
| | Green | Louise Palmer | 55 | 5.8 | −6.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 137 | 14.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 956 | 20.3 | −2.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Hart Plain

A by-election was held in Hart Plain ward on 30 November 2006 after Liberal Democrat councillor Tricia Pearce resigned from the council. Conservative Elaine Shimbart gained the seat from the Liberal Democrats by a majority of 246 votes.
Hart Plain by-election 30 November 2006 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Elaine Shimbart | 839 | 55.3 | +7.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Jacobs | 593 | 39.1 | +0.1 |
| | Labour | Kenneth Monks | 84 | 5.6 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 246 | 16.2 | +6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,516 | 21.8 | −9.4 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |