2023 Chelmsford City Council election

The 2023 Chelmsford City Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Chelmsford City Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England.

The Liberal Democrats retained their majority on the council.

Overview

The Liberal Democrats went into the election holding a majority of the council's seats, having taken control from the Conservatives at the previous election in 2019. At the 2023 election the Liberal Democrats increased their majority, making a net gain of two extra seats at the expense of local party the South Woodham Ferrers Council Taxpayers Association, which lost both of the seats it had held on the council.

A new record was set for the youngest person ever to serve on the council with the election of 22-year-old Liberal Democrat candidate Kieron Franks in the Great Baddow East ward.

Election result

The overall results were:

|-

Independent Network candidates are included with the independents in the summary above, but candidates who stood under that banner are recorded as such in the detailed ward results below.

Ward results

The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Chelmsford City Council following the close of nominations on 5 April 2023. The ward results were as follows, with sitting councillors standing in their previous wards marked with asterisks(*) and sitting councillors standing in different wards marked with double daggers(‡):

Bicknacre and East and West Hanningfield

Boreham and the Leighs

Broomfield and the Walthams

Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park

Chelmsford Rural West

Galleywood

Goat Hall

Great Baddow East

Great Baddow West

Little Baddow, Danbury and Sandon

Marconi

Moulsham and Central

Moulsham Lodge

Both Moulsham Lodge seats had been won by Liberal Democrats in 2019, but Robert Gisby had won one of the seats for the Conservatives in a by-election in May 2021. He stood for re-election but was defeated. Seat recorded as a Liberal Democrat hold to allow for comparison with 2019 election.

Patching Hall

Rettendon and Runwell

South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting

South Woodham Ferrers – Chetwood and Collingwood

South Woodham Ferrers – Elmwood and Woodville

Springfield North

‡Dan Clark was a sitting councillor for Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park ward before the election.

St. Andrew's

The Lawns

Trinity

‡Eleanor Sampson was a sitting councillor for Waterhouse Farm ward before the election.

Waterhouse Farm

‡Nora Walsh was a sitting councillor for Great Baddow East ward before the election.

Writtle

‡Barry Knight was a sitting councillor for Broomfield and the Walthams ward before the election.

Post-election changes

Affiliation changes

• Barry Knight (Writtle) and Mark Taylor (Bicknacre & East and West Hanningfield), both elected as Conservatives, left the party in November 2023 to sit as independents.

By-elections

Moulsham & Central

References