Liberal Democrat candidate Stuart Beadle (pictured) retained his seat for the Reepham Ward of Broadland District Council. He received 376 votes ahead of the Conservatives’ Roy Ashman (235 votes), Sarah Morgan of the Green Party (134 votes) and Labour’s Jo Emmerson (111 votes). The turnout from the 2,132-voter electorate was 40.5%.
In the Eynesford Ward, Liberal Democrat David Thomas (386 votes) gained the seat from the Conservatives. Their candidate, Kellie Vanham (349 votes), was standing instead of Greg Peck, who has stepped down as a district councillor. The other unsuccessful candidates were Labour’s Irene MacDonald (147 votes) and the Greens’ Georgie Oatley (72 votes). The turnout from the 2,524-voter electorate was 37.9%.
For Broadland District Council, the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Greens all made gains from the Conservatives, who lost 12 seats in total, leaving them on 21 – three short of a majority – and therefore lost overall control of the council; their leader, Shaun Vincent, lost his seat to the Greens in his Plumstead ward.
The Liberal Democrats are the next largest party with 14 seats, a gain of two. The Greens won four seats – their first councillors on the council – while Labour gained six seats, giving them eight councillors.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives held on to neighbouring Breckland Council, despite losing seven seats, giving them 30 councillors on the 49-seat council. Labour gained six seats, giving them 12 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats also won a seat, along with one Green and five independents.
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