The 2023 Fenland District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Fenland District Council in Cambridgeshire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England. The Conservatives increased their majority on the council, against the national trend for local elections held on that day, giving the Conservative Party their largest numerical majority of any lower tier principal authority in the country.

Overview Prior to the election the council had been under Conservative majority control since 1999, and the leader of the council was Chris Boden, who had been in post since 2019. The independent councillors, Liberal Democrats and the Green councillor formed a single political group called the "Fenland Independent Alliance", led by independent councillor Mike Cornwell.

New ward boundaries took effect for this election, increasing the number of seats on the council from 39 to 43.

The Conservatives won 35 of the seats on the council, increasing their majority on the council from 13 to 27. The Green Party lost their only seat on the council, and the opposition group leader, Mike Cornwell, lost his seat by a single vote.

Overall results

The overall results were:

Ward results The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Fenland District Council following the close of nominations on 5 April 2023. The results by each ward were as follows, with an asterisk(*) indicating a sitting councillor standing for re-election.

Chatteris North & Manea

Chatteris South

Doddington & Wimblington

Elm & Christchurch

Leverington & Wisbech Rural

March East

John Clark was elected in 2019 as a Conservative, but had left the party to sit as an independent in February 2023.

March North

March South

March West & Benwick

Parson Drove & Wisbech St Mary

Whittlesey East & Villages

Whittlesey Lattersey

Whittlesey North West

Whittlesey South

Wisbech North

Wisbech Riverside

Nick Meekins had stood unsuccessfully for UKIP in 2015 and had been elected in 2019 as an independent, but had rejoined the Conservatives in 2021.

Wisbech South

Wisbech Walsoken & Waterlees

Changes 2023–2027

By-elections

Whittlesey South

Conservative councillor Kay Mayor, who had served since 2007, stood down in June 2024, prompting this by-election.

Whittlesey North West

The by-election was called after the resignation of Conservative councillor Elisabeth Sennitt Clough.

References