The 2023 East Cambridgeshire District Council election took place on 4 May, 2023, to elect all 28 members of East Cambridgeshire District Council in Cambridgeshire, England. The Conservative Party retained control of the Council.

Overview

Prior to the election the council was under Conservative control. At the previous election in 2019 the Conservatives had won 15 seats and the Liberal Democrats had won 13 seats. A by-election and changes of allegiance between 2019 and 2022 meant that going into the election the Conservative held 16 seats and the Liberal Democrats 9 seats, with an independent group comprising two former Liberal Democrats. There was also one vacant seat.[2]

Following the results, the council remained under Conservative control; the overall result in seat numbers was the same as that of 2019, with the Conservatives taking 15 seats and the Liberal Democrats 13 seats.[3]

2023 East Cambridgeshire District Council election
Party Seats Change
Conservative Party 15 Steady
Liberal Democrats 13 Steady

In November 2024, Cllr Lay who represents Woodditton resigned from the Conservatives to join the newly formed Liberal Democrat and Independent Group.[4] This put the Council on a tie 14-14 for councillors, but the Conservatives continued to run the Council on the casting vote of the chair. Cllr Denney who was elected as a Lib Dem in the Stretham by-election joined the Conservatives in June 2026 (having been in the 'Conservative and Independent group' for the previous two months). As a result, the Council returned to majority Conservative control.[5]

Ward results

The results for each ward were:[6][7]

Bottisham

Bottisham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Charlotte Cane* 888 49.0 +2.5
Liberal Democrats John Trapp* 831 45.8 +2.5
Conservative Ruth Betson 625 34.5 +1.0
Conservative Toby Huffer 562 31.0 +1.5
Labour Steven O'Dell 260 14.3 +1.3
Labour Mike Swift 196 10.8 −6.5
Green Mark Slade 159 8.8 −1.2
Majority
Turnout 1,813 40.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

At the General Election on 4 July 2024, Councillor Cane was elected as MP of Ely and East Cambridgeshire. As of June 2026, she continues as a councillor on top of her parliamentary duties. One of a very small number of MPs who have chosen to continue in both roles.

Burwell

Burwell
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Brown* 827 48.4 +4.8
Conservative Lavinia Edwards* 817 47.8 +9.3
Liberal Democrats Catherine Wrench 468 27.4 ±0.0
Labour Liz Swift 424 24.8 +10.2
Liberal Democrats James Forsyth 411 24.0 +3.0
Labour Geraldine Tait 379 22.2 +9.3
Majority
Turnout 1,710 34.8
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

Downham

Downham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anna Bailey* 598 57.4 +5.9
Liberal Democrats Martha Zantides 333 32.0 −4.7
Labour Lois Appleyard 110 10.6 N/A
Majority
Turnout 1,041 42.6
Conservative hold Swing

Ely East

Ely East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Mary Wade 942 52.2 +8.5
Liberal Democrats Kathrin Holtzmann 855 47.5 +8.7
Conservative Rachel Butler 665 36.9 −3.8
Conservative Sana Sheikh 510 28.3 −7.7
Labour Caoimhe Ni Dhonaill 270 15.0 +6.4
Labour Daniel Rudderham 261 14.5 +6.0
Majority
Turnout 1,801 40.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing

Ely North

Ely North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Alison Whelan* 883 57.9 +8.2
Liberal Democrats Chika Akinwale 841 55.1 +9.6
Conservative Richard Hobbs 434 28.5 −6.0
Conservative Tom Boucher 430 28.2 −6.2
Labour Clem Butler 205 13.4
Labour Frank Danes 176 11.5 −3.5
Majority
Turnout 1,525 39.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Ely West

Ely West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Christine Whelan* 1,405 44.0 −0.9
Liberal Democrats Christine Colbert 1,324 41.5 −5.1
Liberal Democrats Robert Pitt 1,272 39.9 −4.2
Labour Rebecca Denness 848 26.6 +13.6
Conservative David Ambrose Smith 831 26.1 −3.9
Conservative Roderick Mair 809 25.4 −3.9
Conservative Lawrence Whitworth 747 23.4 +0.1
Labour Mark Hucker 718 22.5 +12.4
Labour Adam Wilson 599 18.8 +8.8
Green Pip Gardner 401 12.6 −4.6
No Description Sue Austen* 282 8.8 −37.8
Majority
Turnout 3,190 44.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Seats recorded as Liberal Democrat holds for comparison with 2019, but two of the three councillors in this ward had subsequently left the party and formed an independent group in 2020. One of them, Sue Austen, stood for re-election as an independent but was unsuccessful.

Fordham & Isleham

Fordham & Isleham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Julia Huffer* 858 58.3 +4.5
Conservative Kelli Pettitt 764 51.9 +5.0
Liberal Democrats Connor Docwra 396 26.9 +4.7
Liberal Democrats Rupert Moss-Eccardt 302 20.5 +7.1
Labour Simon Cull 262 17.8 +8.3
Labour Mark Pithers 222 15.1 +5.9
Majority
Turnout 1,472 28.7
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

Haddenham

Haddenham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Gareth Wilson* 496 47.6 −3.3
Conservative Steve Cheetham 431 41.4 +6.6
Labour Lydia Hill 114 11.0 +4.5
Majority
Turnout 1,041 39.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Littleport

Littleport
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Christine Ambrose-Smith* 781 48.2
Conservative Martin Goodearl 729 45.0
Conservative David Miller 652 40.2
Labour Adam Cooley 523 32.3
Labour Chris Dorrington 507 31.3
Labour Hilary Noculak 489 30.2
Liberal Democrats Janet Porter 289 17.8
Liberal Democrats Rachel Winters 283 17.5
Liberal Democrats Stephen Newton 274 16.9
Majority
Turnout 1,621 22.4
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

Soham North

Soham North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Goldsack* 601 45.8 +3.2
Conservative Keith Horgan 412 31.4 −6.1
Independent Josh Schumann 396 30.2 N/A
Liberal Democrats Alec Jones* 387 29.5 −15.5
Liberal Democrats Sarah Marsh 363 27.7 −20.6
Labour Kim Brady 150 11.4 +1.4
Labour Chris Horne 130 9.9 +1.3
Majority
Turnout 1,312 26.9
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing

Both seats are recorded as Conservative gains from Liberal Democrats to allow comparison with the 2019 result, but Mark Goldsack had earlier won his seat for the Conservatives in a by-election in 2021.

Soham South

Lucius Vellacott was 18 on the date of his election, making him the youngest District Councillor in the United Kingdom at the time.[8]

Soham South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Bovingdon* 591 50.3 +2.2
Conservative Lucius Vellacott 517 44.0 −2.2
Liberal Democrats Elizabeth Blaney 351 29.9 −3.6
Liberal Democrats Kieran Park 296 25.2 −6.6
Labour Jane Harris 252 21.4 +3.0
Labour Louis Needs 205 17.4 +3.8
Majority 166
Turnout 1,175 25.6
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing

Stretham

Stretham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Caroline Shepherd 1,063 42.2 +6.5
Conservative Bill Hunt* 1,019 40.5 −7.0
Liberal Democrats Pauline Wilson 909 36.1 +2.9
Conservative William Thurston 821 32.6 −13.2
No Description Doug Stuart 542 21.5 N/A
Labour Molly Butler 253 10.0 −7.6
Labour Sarah Perkins 208 8.3 −2.8
Majority
Turnout 2,518 46.2
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing

Cllr Shepherd resigned in late March 2025[9] triggering a by-election that took place in May 2025 and was held by the Lib Dems.

Sutton

Sutton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Lorna Dupre* 1,233 74.8 +4.9
Liberal Democrats Mark Inskip* 1,003 60.9 +7.0
Conservative Sarah Bradley 435 26.4 −4.9
Labour Jack Allum 123 7.5 N/A
Labour Dominic Myers 97 5.9 N/A
Majority
Turnout 1,648 37.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Woodditton

Woodditton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Sharp* 918 56.5 +3.8
Conservative James Lay 842 51.8 +0.8
Liberal Democrats Helen Barker 404 24.9 +5.8
Liberal Democrats Lindsey Moss-Eccardt 329 20.2 +2.2
Labour Sarah Fraser 283 17.4 +5.5
Labour Jacqueline Lacey-Eresh 225 13.8 +3.1
UKIP Richard Fullerton 85 5.2 −9.2
Majority
Turnout 1,625 32.6
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing


In November 2024, James Lay resigned from the Conservative Party to sit as an Independent although part of the, then newly established, Liberal Democrat and Independent group on the Council.[10]

By-elections

Ely West

Triggered by resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Robert Pitt.

Ely West by-election, 18 April 2024
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Ross Trent 1,125 47.9 10.6
Conservative David Ambrose Smith 760 32.3 +10.3
Labour Adam Wilson 466 19.8 −2.7
Majority 365 15.6 N/A
Turnout 2,374 33.3 −10.7
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +0.1

Stretham

Triggered by resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Caroline Shepherd.

Stretham By-Election 1 May 2025[11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Lee Denney 820 36.8 −5.4
Conservative William Ralph Furness 655 29.4 −3.2
Reform Ryan Coogan 526 23.6 N/A
Green David Woricker 131 5.9 N/A
Labour Mark Hucker 95 4.3 −5.7
Majority 165 7.4
Turnout 2,230 39.18
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

In April 2026, Cllr Denney left the Liberal Democrats and joined the Conservative and Independent Group on the Council[13] In June 2026, Cllr Denney joined the Conservatives.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Including one vacant seat at Ely East last held by Matthew Downey who was elected as a Liberal Democrat in 2019 but was removed from the party and subsequently disqualified from the council in March 2023 for non-attendance.[1]
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_East_Cambridgeshire_District_Council_election