The 2024 Southend-on-Sea City Council election was held on Thursday 2 May 2024, alongside the other local elections in the United Kingdom being held on the same day. There were 17 of the 51 members of Southend-on-Sea City Council in Essex up for election, being the usual third of the council.
The council remained under no overall control, but Labour overtook the Conservatives to become the largest party.
Background Prior to the election, the council was under no overall control, being run by a Conservative minority administration with informal support from some of the independent councillors.
The seats up for election in 2024 were last contested in 2021; because of the delay of all local elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the seats are up for election after 3 years rather than the usual 4. In that election, the Conservatives won 11 seats with 40.5%, Labour won 6 with 26.1%, independents won 1 with 13.0% and the Liberal Democrats won 1 with 11.4%.
Summary The council remained under no overall control after the election, but Labour gained four seats to become the largest party on the council. A coalition comprising Labour, the Liberal Democrats and four of the independent councillors subsequently formed to run the council, led by the Labour group leader Daniel Cowan. He was formally appointed as leader of the council at a meeting on 20 May 2024.
Council composition
After 2023 election Before 2024 election After 2024 election Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats 22 22 18 17 16 20 4 4 4 1 1 2 7 8 7 Changes 2023–2024: May 2023: Kathy Murphy leaves Labour to sit as an independent
Councillors standing down CouncillorWardFirst electedPartyDate announcedDerek JarvisWest Shoebury WardConservative25 March 2024Chris WalkerEastwood Park1997Conservative21 October 2021Steve BuckleySt Laurence2015ConservativeJohn LambWest LeighConservative Stephen GeorgeMilton1999LabourMike StaffordThorpeIndependent
Candidates by party
Election result
Ward results
Results of the City Council election were released by Southend-on-Sea City Council on 3 May 2024.
Seat changes are compared to the 2021 election and do not take into account interim changes due to by-elections or defections.
Belfairs
Blenheim Park
Chalkwell
Eastwood Park
Kursaal
Leigh
Milton
Prittlewell
Shoeburyness
Southchurch
St Laurence
St Luke's
Thorpe
Victoria
West Leigh
West Shoebury
Westborough
Post-election changes
Affiliation changes
By-elections
Kursaal
References