2022 Watford Borough Council election

The 2022 Watford Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022.[1] One third (12) of the 36 members of Watford Borough Council were elected. The elections took place alongside elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom, and an election for the Mayor of Watford.

2022 Watford Borough Council election
← 2021 5 May 2022 2023 →

12 of the 36 seats on Watford Borough Council
 
Party Liberal Democrats Labour Conservative
Last election 26 seats, 44.0% 4 seats, 28.6% 0 seats, 26.6%

Map showing the results of the 2022 Watford Borough Council election. Liberal Democrats in amber, Labour in red.

The Liberal Democrats went into the election controlling the council, holding 24 of the 36 seats. They also held the mayorship, after Peter Taylor was elected in 2018.[2]

Electoral process

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Watford Borough Council is elected in thirds, with a third of all seats up for election every year for three years, with an election to Hertfordshire County Council instead in the fourth year.[3] The election took place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term. The seats up for election in 2022 are those last contested in the 2018 election.

Results summary

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2022 Watford Borough Council election[4]
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Liberal Democrats 10   1 83.3 17 27 75.0 12,163 51.3
  Labour 2   1 16.7 7 9 25.0 6,624 27.9
  Conservative 0   0 0.0 0 0 0.0 4,642 19.6
  Independent 0   0 0.0 0 0 0.0 142 0.6
  TUSC 0   0 0.0 0 0 0.0 103 0.4
  Reform UK 0   0 0.0 0 0 0.0 37 0.2

Candidates

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Candidates seeking re-election are marked with an asterisk (*).

Callowland

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Callowland[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Ian Stotesbury* 1,082 53.6   8.0
Labour Terry Butler 729 36.1   0.3
Conservative Matthew Geary 209 10.3   1.7
Majority 353 17.5   8.2
Turnout 2,020 35.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing   4.1

Central

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Central[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Aga Dychton* 1,151 55.4   13.6
Labour Mohammed Wadud Hakim 553 26.6   12.7
Conservative Hrithik Dattani 233 11.2   1.7
Independent Dennis Wharton 142 6.8 New
Majority 598 28.8   26.3
Turnout 2,079 30.7
Liberal Democrats hold Swing   13.1

Holywell

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Holywell[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Matt Turmaine* 949 53.2   12.4
Conservative Sanjaya Pant 426 23.9   9.9
Liberal Democrats Penelope Hill 360 20.2   0.2
TUSC Mark O'Conner 49 2.7 New
Majority 523 29.3 N/A
Turnout 1,784 27.4
Labour Co-op hold Swing   11.1

Leggatts

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Leggatts[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Shafiq Ahmed 952 44.3   11.8
Labour Seamus Williams 790 36.7   13.9
Conservative Jennie Raperport 355 16.5   0.4
TUSC Derek Foster 54 2.5 New
Majority 162 7.5 N/A
Turnout 2,151 37.9
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing   12.8

Meriden

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Meriden[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Pattinson 800 53.8   10.2
Labour Helena Farrington 361 24.3   7.1
Conservative Prashanth Elangovan 327 22.0   3.1
Majority 439 29.5   17.3
Turnout 1,488 26.31
Liberal Democrats hold Swing   8.6

Nascot

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Nascot[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Tom Osborn 1,555 59.6   6.2
Conservative Ravi Kura 629 24.1   1.6
Labour Edward Tunnah 424 16.3   1.8
Majority 926 35.5   7.8
Turnout 2,608 39.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing   3.9

Oxhey

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Oxhey[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Kennedy Rodrigues 1,382 65.8   6.9
Conservative William Hickey 360 17.1   6.3
Labour Sue Sleeman 322 15.3   2.4
Reform UK Neal Webber 37 1.8 New
Majority 1,022 48.6   13.2
Turnout 2,101 38.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing   6.6

Park

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Park[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Kloss* 1,616 61.1   9.3
Conservative Linda Topping 573 21.7   7.3
Labour Sue Butler 457 17.3   0.4
Majority 1,043 39.4   16.6
Turnout 2,646 41.7
Liberal Democrats hold Swing   8.3

Stanborough

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Stanborough[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Lenny Nembhard 909 50.8   12.0
Conservative Peter Williams 530 29.6   10.2
Labour Betty Muspratt 349 19.5   1.8
Majority 379 21.2   22.2
Turnout 1,788 31.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing   11.1

Tudor

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Tudor[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Johnson* 917 50.2   5.6
Labour Diana Ivory 467 25.6   3.3
Conservative Carly Bishop 442 24.2   2.3
Majority 450 24.6   8.9
Turnout 1,826 35.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing   4.4

Vicarage

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Vicarage[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Nasreen Shah* 837 50.4   11.7
Liberal Democrats Dan Thurlow 637 38.4   17.3
Conservative Octavian Chirila Filip 186 11.2   5.6
Majority 200 12.0   29.0
Turnout 1,660 28.9
Labour hold Swing   14.5

Woodside

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Woodside[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Glen Saffery* 802 51.2   8.1
Labour Malcolm Bush 386 24.7   0.5
Conservative Matthew Cawthorne 372 23.8   2.5
Majority 416 26.7 N/A
Turnout 1,560 27.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing   4.3

Mayoral election

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The Conservative Party announced Binita Mehta-Parmar as their mayoral candidate in August 2021. Mehta-Parmar was formerly the Conservative group leader on Watford Borough Council.[17] Incumbent mayor Peter Taylor was unanimously reselected by the Liberal Democrats as their candidate in September 2021. He stated that his priorities would be "to create more jobs, make the town greener and support those most in need."[18] The Labour Party selected Asif Khan as their candidate in November 2021. Khan is a councillor on Watford Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council. He stated that he would focus on development in Watford, and was opposed to the number of high-rise buildings under construction.[19]

2022 Watford Borough mayoral election[20][21]
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Liberal Democrats Peter Taylor 12,895 54.8%
Labour Asif Khan 6,234 26.5%
Conservative Binita Mehta-Parmar 4,404 18.7%

References

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  1. ^ Patel, Dimple. "Elections in Watford". www.watford.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Vote 2018: Watford mayoral election result". BBC News. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Election Timetable in England" (PDF). gov.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  4. ^ "2022 - Watford Borough Election results". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  5. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Callowland Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  6. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Central Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  7. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Holywell Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  8. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Leggatts Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  9. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Meriden Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  10. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Nascot Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  11. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Oxhey Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  12. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Park Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  13. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Stanborough Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  14. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Tudor Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  15. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Vicarage Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  16. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of Councillor for the Woodside Ward – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  17. ^ Louis, Nathan (13 August 2021). "Watford Conservatives announce 2022 mayoral candidate". Watford Observer. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  18. ^ Cowen, James (17 September 2021). "Liberal Democrats announce candidate for Mayor of Watford". Watford Observer. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  19. ^ Louis, Nathan (23 November 2021). "Asif Khan selected as Labour candidate for Watford mayor". Watford Observer. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  20. ^ Nolan, Donna (5 April 2022). "Election of a Mayor for the Borough of Watford – Statement of Persons Nominated". Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Watford Mayor Election 2022 Candidates and Results". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2022.