Labour retains control of council; increases majority

Bitterne Park now has three Labour councillors following Thursday's local election - and the party has retained control of the city council with an increased majority.
• Labour retains control of Southampton council with increased majority
• Green Party takes seat in Portswood; first for the city

The Bitterne Park ward had been served since 2022 by two Conservatives and, for the first time, one Labour councillor.

Speaking to bitternepark.info shortly after the count at Southampton Guildhall on Friday, Tony Bunday, who was the first Labour ward councillor and who held his seat on Friday, said the party had worked "very hard" in the ward.

"The way the national polls had gone as well, we were hopeful of three, confident of perhaps two, but delighted to get three," he said.

Asked why he thought people had voted Labour in Bitterne Park, he said: "I've worked very hard. I live in the ward and am embedded in the ward as are the other two candidates"

"We're very committed to Bitterne Park because it's a lovely place to live."

Also elected as Bitterne Park ward councillors for the party were Labour's Amanda Barnes-Andrews and Phil Webb, above centre and right in the group photo, ousting long-standing Conservative councillors Ivan White, left in right hand picture, and David Fuller. White had been a ward councillor since 2004, when he beat a Lib Dem candidate by 108 votes. His mother also previously represented the ward, and was the city mayor in 1977/78. David Fuller had served for eight years, but was pipped at the post by Tony Bunday by 92 votes.

Writing on his Facebook page on Saturday (May 6), Fuller said: "Thank you to the 1598 people who voted for me on Thursday in the local elections. Sadly it was not enough to hold my seat on the council. I’ve had a great 8 years representing Bitterne Park and will continue looking out for our local area."

City-wide Labour took nine seats from the Conservatives, significantly increasing their majority, with Labour up to 35 seats and the Tories now at just nine. The Lib Dems now have three seats, and the Greens, for the first time, one.  For more on the overall outcome of the city council elections see our previous story.

The full results in the Bitterne Park ward were:

BARNES-ANDREWS, Amanda Jane, Labour Party - 1790 - elected
BLUEMEL, Lindsi, Green Party - 593
BUNDAY, Tony, Labour Party - 1670 - elected
CHAPMAN, Kathryn, Liberal Democrat -283
CURD, Ben, Liberal Democrat - 361
FULLER, David John, Local Conservatives - 1598
HARWOOD, Rob, Local Conservatives - 1289
KELLY, David Thomas, Independent - 177
MYERS, Nicholas Martyn, Liberal Democrat - 267
STRUTT, Dawn Marie, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - 102
WEBB, Phil, Labour Party - 1677 - elected
WHITE, Ivan William Local Conservatives - 1259

The turnout in Bitterne Park was 37.3%, with 3950 ballot papers issued from an electorate of 10581.

 You can download a list of election results for all wards as a PDF from the council's website.

Amongst more Conservative losses are long-standing outgoing councillors Ivan White and David Fuller from Bitterne Park.

— Jamie Shapiro (@JamieShapiroLDR) May 5, 2023

 

#SotonElections2023 results for Bitterne Park ward are in:

Amanda Jane Barnes-Andrews LAB
Tony Bunday LAB
Phil Webb LAB pic.twitter.com/ed4x1eQPbW

— SouthamptonCC (@SouthamptonCC) May 5, 2023

The count at Southampton Guildhall on Friday.

Photo of Labour trio outside Civic Centre: Carol Bunday