by Anonymous
Read the Preview to the May Elections here.
This year, thirteen out of Norwich’s thirty-nine council seats will be up for election on May 3rd in thirteen different wards across the city. The big four parties (Conservatives, Greens, Labour and Lib Dems) are expected to be contesting every seat, possibly alongside some independent candidates.
The four different parties will have four very different set of objectives and aims, with hopes of defences and gains mixed in with aspirations of breakthrough success for some here in Norwich. With the release of nominated persons on Monday April 9th, here’s a breakdown of Wards N – Z with predicted outcomes to keep you all abreast of what’s to come in this Fine City. You can find A-M here.
Nelson – GREEN PARTY
With two out of the three city council seats still held by the Green Party and a strong presence in the ward (judging from the number of garden posters each year!), this is one of the better opportunities the Greens have to cling on this year. The momentum, however, is very much against them. Contests here between the Greens and Labour have been particularly close in the last two years, but with Labour gaining a seat in 2016 and the County Council seat last year, it is difficult to predict anything but another Labour victory here. Nelson ward is probably considered the most ‘progressive’ in Norwich with a very low Conservative and UKIP presence here, meaning the Liberal Democrats come in at a respectable but trailing third place with no threat to the Green/Labour duopoly. Likely Outcome: LAB Gain from GRN
- DURRANT Reece Stanley – The Conservative Party
- FAIRBAIRN David Angus – Liberal Democrats
- HAMPTON Emma Louise – Labour Party
- NEALE Paul Vincent – The Green Party
Sewell – LABOUR
A ward full of support for the Labour party in recent elections, and with the Greens focussing resources on defences elsewhere – it’s hard to claim that Labour have any real challengers here. The Greens will be hoping for a return to their peak of support in 2012 where they came closest to breaking the labour monopoly over the ward. Although the Conservatives came second in the County Council elections last year, they were still a very long way off first place and will not worry Labour here at all. Likely Outcome: LAB Hold
- HARDMAN Neil Robert – Liberal Democrats
- JACKSON Tessa Ann – The Conservative Party
- OUZERDINE Cami – The Green Party
- PACKER Matthew Robert – Labour Party
Thorpe Hamlet – GREEN PARTY
The Green Party had been dominant here after taking over all three seats from the Liberal Democrats around the turn of the decade – until recently. A resurgent Labour party has meant that the Greens lost their County Councillor in the ward last year, losing to Labour by the smallest of margins. The Greens still hold three City Council seats here, beating Labour by just 31 votes in 2016. Despite a strong Conservative vote in the ward, the party realistically have no chance of competing with the two largest parties in Norwich. Having held on before at City Council level, this is the best chance of a Green hold this year, and they will be concentrating their efforts on doing do. Labour however, will see it as a golden opportunity to gain another seat. Likely Outcome: GRN Hold (but probably too close to call!)
- DEAN Gordon Richard – Liberal Democrats
- GRAHAME Lesley Juliet – The Green Party
- JACKSON-DENNIS Alex George James – The Conservative Party
- STEWART Cavan – Labour Party
Town Close – GREEN PARTY
Another hotly contested seat currently held by the Green Party that Labour look set to take. Labour gained one of the Town Close city council seats in 2016 from the Greens and comfortably held onto their County Council seat last year, beating the Greens into third place. Labour will undoubtedly be very confident of a gain here. One of the most politically engaged wards in the city with a strong turnout every election, both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats tend to focus some efforts here and gain a respectable number of votes from the non-‘Golden Triangle’ part of the ward, although neither hold much hope of coming remotely close to Labour this particular year. Likely Outcome: LAB Gain from GRN
- CAISTOR Nick – The Green Party
- CHACKSFIELD Mary Josephine – The Conservative Party
- SCHMIDTOVA Silvia – Liberal Democrats
- STUTLEY Ian Clifford – Labour Party
University – LABOUR
A ward in which Labour hold all three seats and have done for almost ten years. The voters here tend to return Labour candidates with massive margins of victory, and a large, generally Labour-backing student contingent as well as a well-known ward team ensure there is no real challenge to their rule here. The Greens would be considered the most viable challengers in University ward since the collapse in Lib Dem support in the late 2000s, but no party has truly come close to Labour’s levels of support here recently. Likely Outcome: LAB Hold
- AHMOD Syed Zulkarnine – The Conservative Party
- BELL Connor – Liberal Democrats
- FULTON-MCALISTER Matthew – Labour and Co-operative Party
- STEPHENSON Claire Louise – The Green Party
Wensum – GREEN PARTY
The last Green seat left in Wensum ward is up for election this year, and it looks unlikely that they will be able to defend it. Labour had always come close here even during the height of Green Party electoral success, and having gained two seats from the Greens at City Council level here and comfortably gaining the seat at County Council level last year, they will be confident of turning the ward completely red this time around. It is an area with very low Lib Dem or Conservative support, and Labour will not be facing a battle on more than one front here. Likely Outcome: LAB Gain from GRN
- FULTON-MCALISTER Erin Victoria – Labour Party
- HOLLOWAY Thomas Edward – The Green Party
- SHEPPARD Thomas Simon – The Conservative Party
- THOMAS David – Liberal Democrats
As with all elections, nothing will be decided of course until polls close on May 3rd at 10pm. Stand by for more pre-election analysis…
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