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2023 Breckland District Council election

The 2023 Breckland District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Breckland District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The boundaries for this election were the same as those used in 2015 and 2019.

The 2023 Breckland District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Breckland District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The boundaries for this election were the same as those used in 2015 and 2019.

Previous to this election, the Conservative Party held the council in the 2019 election with a very large majority: it lost a small number of seats in that election, with the Green and Labour parties and some Independent candidates gaining seats.

In 2023, the Conservative party again lost seats, though maintained a majority on the council with thirty of the 49 available seats. The Labour Party made the largest gains, with six additional seats from the district's largest towns of Thetford and Dereham. One additional independent was elected, the Green Party lost one of the two seats they had gained in 2019 back to the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats gained a seat for the first time in over twenty years.

As in previous elections, the number of candidates selected by each party in 2023 varied considerably. In the 2023 election cycle, considerably more non-Conservative candidates registered to stand than in other recent elections. The Conservative Party nominated 43 candidates, down from 47 at the previous election: the reduction was mostly in already opposition-held wards, for example not nominating candidates in the Labour-held wards of Thetford Burrell and Thetford Priory.

Labour nominated 39 candidates, its largest total in some years, and far more independent candidates were nominated, up to 21 from just 8 in 2019. The Liberal Democrats stood six candidates, up from just one in 2019. The Green Party nominated one fewer, down to six, and UKIP stood just one candidate, down from two in 2019. Reform UK was the only new party to stand, nominating two candidates.

2023 Breckland District Council election
Conservative	43	30	1	8	7	61.2	44.6	24,550	-13.7
Labour	39	12	6	0	6	24.4	27.9	15,346	+6.7
Independent	21	5	1	0	1	10.2	16.3	8,984	+5.2
Liberal Democrats	6	1	1	0	1	2.0	5.9	3,170	+4.8
Green	6	1	0	1	1	2.0	4.5	2,498	-2.6
Reform	2	0	0	0		0.0	0.6	313	+0.6
UKIP	1	0	0	0		0.0	0.3	153	–1.0

Note that gains/losses in the above table are taken compared to 2019: that is, excluding changes due to by-elections to allow for a more direct comparison from one election to the next. Changes in the individual ward results below, however, do take by-elections and individual ward histories into account.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}±%
	Conservative	848	47.2	−17.0
	Conservative	790	43.9	−19.6
	Liberal Democrats	626	34.8	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	504	28.0	N/A
	Labour	305	17.0	−8.1
	Labour	301	16.7	−8.3

1,812	33.05
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended both seats: both of their candidates were incumbent councillors.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	549	69.6	+4.8
	Green	137	17.4	−5.2
	Labour	103	13.1	+0.5

806	35.98
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended this seat with the incumbent candidate.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	613	53.1	+11.3
	Independent	431	37.3	N/A
	Conservative	378	32.8	−5.9
	Labour	278	24.1	+1.7
	Labour	244	21.1	+6.0

1,158	21.33
	Conservative hold
	Independent gain from Independent

The Conservatives were defending both seats. Taila Taylor, incumbent, won the seat as an independent in 2019 before switching to the Conservative Party. The other incumbent Conservative, Keith Martin, did not re-stand. Taylor was involved in 2021 in a notable row with the Town Council over bullying allegations which the council accepted were false, leading to a large financial settlement.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	685	47.2	−6.9
	Conservative	685	47.2	+2.1
	Conservative	558	38.4	−5.6
	Labour	484	33.3	+3.4
	Labour	421	29.0	N/A
	Labour	410	28.2	N/A
	Independent	409	28.2	N/A
	Reform	142	9.8	N/A

1,455	23.69
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended all three seats: Rhodri and Ashby were incumbent councillors.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	377	52.6	−21.7
	Labour	194	27.1	+1.4
	Independent	146	20.4	N/A
728
709	29.59
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended this seat. Ian Sherwood was an incumbent 2019 councillor, but for the seat of Swaffham.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	486	59.9	+5.0
	Labour	326	40.1	+27.4

821	31.13
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended this seat with their incumbent councillor.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	828	46.7	−6.0
	Conservative	744	42.0	−9.9
	Conservative	701	39.5	−7.9
	Green	688	38.8	−14.1
	Independent	569	32.1	N/A
	Labour	555	31.3	N/A
	Labour	475	26.8	N/A

1,785	30.02
	Conservative gain from Green
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Green party councillor Philip Morton got the most votes here in 2019 but failed to defend the seat: Linda Monument and Alison Webb defended the other two seats for the Conservatives, with the third Conservative 2018 candidate, William Richmond, also re-standing and this time being successfully elected.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	572	49.7	+12.7
	Labour	555	48.3	+4.5
	Conservative	518	45.0	−5.4
	Conservative	512	44.5	−7.3
1,163	25.62

	Labour gain from Conservative
	Labour gain from Conservative

The Conservatives were the defending party in both seats: Duigan was an incumbent councillor.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	665	67.0	+22.1
	Labour	574	57.8	+20.0
	Conservative	305	30.7	−8.8
	Conservative	263	26.5	N/A

1,003	23.17
	Labour hold
	Labour gain from Conservative

In 2019 Labour and the Conservatives each won a seat here. The Labour incumbent, Harry Clarke, re-stood: the Conservative incumbent Kay Grey did not.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	469	66.1	−4.6
	Conservative	455	64.1	+3.4
	Labour	217	30.6	+4.7
	Labour	193	27.2	N/A

727	29.23
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

The Conservative Party defended both seats with incumbent councillors: this is the seat of their council leader, Sam Chapman-Allen.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	479	53.5	−14.2
	Labour	416	46.5	+14.2

909	35.27
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended this ward with their incumbent councillor.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	498	64.2	−7.3
	Labour	278	35.8	+7.3

791	29.50
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended this ward with their incumbent councillor.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	316	41.1	N/A
	Conservative	297	38.7	−32.6
	Labour	155	20.2	−8.5

777	34.29
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative

Robert Hambidge was the incumbent Conservative councillor in the seat. The Conservative elected in 2019, Trevor Carter, resigned in 2021. Hambidge won the resulting by-election with a small majority over the Liberal Democrat candidate, Ian Minto (who ran in All Saints & Wayland ward in this election).

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	378	51.8	−21.7
	Liberal Democrats	213	29.2	N/A
	Labour	139	19.0	−7.5

735	35.10
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended this seat with their incumbent councillor.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	958	65.0	+15.4
	Conservative	607	41.2	−6.0
	Labour	421	28.6	N/A
	Conservative	389	26.4	−15.6

1,482	34.70
	Independent hold
	Conservative hold

This ward is being defended by incumbent independent councillor Roger Atterwill, and incumbent Conservative Richard Duffield. Atterwill is the leader of the Independent Group on the council.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	680	47.1	−5.2
	Conservative	633	43.8	−10.7
	Labour	620	42.9	+13.2
	Green	580	40.1	N/A

1467	32.48
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Both Conservative councillors are incumbent: Plummer won the seat formerly held by Conservative Ian Martin, who resigned due to ill health, in a 2022 by-election.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	455	61.5	−13.1
	Labour	285	38.5	+13.1

748	32.88
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended this seat with their incumbent councillor.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	397	50.9	−10.5
	Labour	383	49.1	+10.5

786	35.87
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended this seat with their incumbent councillor.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	674	61.6	+9.6
	Green	523	47.8	−4.5
	Conservative	407	37.2	−9.6

1,107	26.45
	Conservative hold
	Green hold

The Green Party gained a seat here in 2019, coming first in the poll. Their candidate in 2023 is new. Helen Crane defends the other seat for the Conservatives.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	549	43.8	−18.9
	Conservative	502	40.1	−16.2
	Labour	438	35.0	−0.4
	Labour	353	28.2	N/A
	Green	271	21.6	N/A
	Reform	171	13.7	N/A

1,253	28.73
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives held both seats with incumbent councillors.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	925	47.5	N/A
	Conservative	847	43.5	−0.3
	Independent	838	43.0	−11.9
	Conservative	835	42.9	+4.4
	Independent	832	42.7	N/A
	Conservative	781	40.1	−0.4

1,978	28.04
	Independent gain from Conservative
	Conservative hold
	Independent hold

Independent candidate David Wickerson came first here in 2019 and is defending his seat. The other two seats went to Conservative candidates who are not re-standing, though the sole unsuccessful member of the 2019 Conservative slate, Paul Darby, is standing again.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	505	55.8	+9.3
	Labour	477	52.7	N/A
	Conservative	324	35.8	−18.3
	No Description	123	13.6	N/A
	No Description	118	13.0	N/A

925	26.06
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

Labour are defending both seats here. They gained one from UKIP in 2019, and the other from the Conservatives in a 2022 by-election after the resignation of Mark Robinson, who came first here in 2019.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	546	54.3	+17.0
	Labour	470	46.7	−0.6
	Independent	293	29.1	+7.3
	Independent	258	25.6	N/A
	Independent	226	22.5	N/A

1,020	24.12
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

Both seats here were defended by the Labour Party. Chris Harvey was an incumbent councillor: this was also the seat of Breckland's Labour group leader Terry Jermy, though this election he stood instead in Thetford Priory.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	465	43.2	+6.7
	Labour	414	38.5	+4.8
	Conservative	318	29.6	−18.3
	Conservative	305	28.3	−22.4
	No Description	159	14.8	N/A
	UKIP	153	14.2	N/A
	No Description	126	11.7	N/A

1,092	24.84
	Labour gain from Conservative
	Labour gain from Conservative

The Conservatives were defending both seats with incumbent councillors.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	629	56.6	+19.1
	Labour	551	49.6	+4.8
	Independent	320	28.8	N/A
	No Description	200	18.0	N/A
	No Description	199	17.9	−18.2

1,136	22.77
	Labour hold
	Labour hold

The Labour Party defended both seats here, having gained one from UKIP in 2019. Independent candidate Mark Taylor formerly stood here for UKIP.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	946	52.5	−0.2
	Conservative	917	50.9	−1.1
	Liberal Democrats	823	45.6	+14.6
	Liberal Democrats	688	38.2	N/A

1,819	34.95
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

The Conservative party defended both seats with incumbent councillors. This was the only seat to have a Liberal Democrat candidate in the previous election.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	903	49.3	−20.3
	Conservative	798	43.6	−0.4
	Conservative	770	42.0	−7.0
	Independent	485	26.5	N/A
	Independent	466	25.4	N/A
	Labour	341	18.6	+2.9
	Labour	303	16.5	N/A
	Green	299	16.3	−12.4
	Labour	285	15.6	N/A

1,842	26.32
	Independent hold
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

The Conservatives defended two of the three seats here with incumbent candidates: the third incumbent councillor is independent Keith Gilbert, who came first in 2019 as well as doing so this year.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	313	40.5	+1.8
	Liberal Democrats	292	37.8	–3.3
	Labour	168	21.7	+1.5
21	2.7	N/A
781	33.9	–0.4
2,304
	Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats	2.6

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Reform	414	54.3	N/A
	Conservative	209	27.4	−25.2
	Labour	99	13.0	−14.1
	Green	41	5.4	N/A
205	26.9


	Reform gain from Conservative

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Reform	449	45.3	N/A
	Labour	292	29.5	−27.1
	Conservative	166	16.8	N/A
	Green	46	4.6	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	38	3.8	N/A

991	19.26
	Reform gain from Labour

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Reform	512	47.3	N/A
	Labour	289	26.7	–28.0
	Conservative	164	15.1	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	118	10.9	N/A
223	20.6	N/A
1,094	24.9	+2.1
4,390
	Reform gain from Labour

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