By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter and Reuben Claypole
The Labour Party has secured overall control of Mansfield District Council after gaining a significant majority on the authority.
The group, led by Andy Abrahams, reached 25 councillors out of a possible 39 and also secured a significant victory in the mayoral poll.
It means the group holds 26 seats in the chamber – including the mayoral role, which Mr Abrahams secured with 9,987 votes.
Councillor Andre Camilleri, of the Conservatives, in second during the mayoral count but successfully gained election onto the council in Berry Hill.
Cllr Mick Barton (Mans Ind) finished third in the mayoral poll and saw his Mansfield Independents slump from 13 to four councillors in the chamber.
But the Conservatives recorded a record five seats at the Civic Centre and will now be the official opposition on the authority for the first ever time.
Speaking after the election victory, re-elected mayor Andy Abrahams told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m absolutely exuberant and I am surprised because I never thought I’d we could convert the work in the community into this number of seats.
“I’m over the moon.”
The former controlling Mansfield Independents – which lost the mayoral election by two votes in 2019 – struggled to retain the 13 seats it won in 2019 and lost many local counts to Labour.
It allowed the Labour Group to capitalise and take overall control of the council after a significant drop off in Mansfield Independent vote share.
Speaking on his party’s slump in the vote, former deputy mayor Cllr Barton – who was re-elected in the Maun Valley ward, said: “The vote has dropped off but I think one of the reasons is a lot of promises by the other groups to get rid of the mayor.
“[My priority] will be to hold the mayor to account and try to get him to a lot of the manifesto pledges I made and try to get some of them in.
“We want to serve the residents, that’s what we’re all about and there’s no politics.”
Among the Tory victories was Cllr Nigel Moxon, who unseated existing Mansfield Independent Cllr Bill Drewett following a recount to take control of the Ling Forest ward.
Cllr Sinead Anderson (Con), the wife of Conservative Party deputy chairman and Ashfield MP Lee Anderson, also retained a seat on the authority in Thompsons.
And Cllr Ben Brown secured a victory in the town’s new West Bank ward.
But Cllr Liz Langrick (Con) was the successful Tory candidate that saw the Conservatives surpass their two-seat tally from 2019.
Speaking after her victory, she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I can’t believe it but we have worked really hard as a team. We’ve not all been successful but it’s been a team effort.
“It’s fantastic, we’ve increased on what we had before and for us it’s massive. As Conservatives, Mansfield was always going to be an uphill battle with the national picture so it’s great to see we made some in-roads.”
Longstanding independents Cllr June Stendall and Cllr Steve Garner both also retained their seats amid a fight from the other political groups.
It means the final results in the chamber are 25 Labour councillors (plus the Labour mayor), five Conservatives, four Mansfield Independents and two unaligned independents.
Turnout for the election was 27 per cent, which was a drop from the 29.76 per cent turnout in 2019.
Below are the election results in full, with successful candidates underlined and in italics.
Mayoral
Andy Abrahams – Labour (9,987)
Mick Barton – Mansfield Independents (4,992)
Andre Camilleri – Conservatives (5,832)
Karen Seymour – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (420)
Julie Tasker-Birks-Love – Independent (536).
Bancroft
Mandy Jackson – Mansfield Independents (95)
Robert Learmonth – Conservatives (84)
Sue Swinscoe – Labour Party (286)
Denise Tooley-Okonkwo – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (12)
LAB HOLD
Berry Hill
Stephen Bodle – Mansfield Independents (231)
Andre Camilleri – Conservatives (457)
Michelle Laing – Labour Party (214)
CON GAIN from MANS IND
Brick Kiln
Faith Bekis – Conservatives (92)
Terry Clay – Labour Party (306)
Deb Hodson – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (13)
Ben Hollywood – Mansfield Independents (75)
LAB HOLD
Carr Bank
Michael Abbs – Labour Party (206)
Kelvin Peters – The Conservative Party Candidate (72)
Stuart Wallace – Mansfield Independents (175)
LAB GAIN from MANS IND
Central
Charles Anderson – Conservatives (70)
Charles Ian Hammersley – Labour Party (235)
Andy Johnson – Mansfield Independents (98)
Paul Tooley-Okonkwo – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (18)
LAB HOLD – new name for Portland ward.
Eakring
Joshua Charles – Conservatives (189)
John Metcalfe – Labour Party (257)
Stewart Rickersey – Mansfield Independents (172)
LAB GAIN from CON
Grange Farm
Leah Hartshorn – Labour Party (210)
John Roughton – Conservatives (157)
Il-Suna Sato – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (15)
June Stendall – Independent (467)
IND HOLD
Holly Forest Town
Shelly Burnett – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (11)
Bo Hitchmough – Conservatives (90)
Donna Thomas – Labour Party (165)
Martin Wright – Mansfield Independents (439)
MANS IND HOLD
Hornby
Vic Bobo – Conservatives (208)
Anne Callaghan – Labour Party (316)
Ruth Ford – Mansfield Independents (176)
LAB GAIN from MANS IND
Kings Walk
Rouchelle Evans – Labour (211)
Stephen Harvey – Independent (66)
Liz Langrick – Conservatives (218)
Kev Brown – Mansfield Independents (109)
CON gain from MANS IND.
Kingsway Forest Town
Robert Corden – Conservatives (234)
Angie Jackson – Labour Party (301)
Gio Loperfido – Mansfield Independents (151)
LAB HOLD
Lindhurst
Tom Birchall – Mansfield Independents (78)
Neil Smith – Conservatives (127)
Rich Mitchell-Tempest – Labour Party (281)
LAB GAIN from MANS IND
Ling Forest
Andrea Dickens – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (7)
Bill Drewett – Mansfield Independents (215)
Nigel Moxon – Conservatives (223)
Zoe Lawrence-Newton – Labour Party (181)
CON GAIN from MANS IND
Manor
Paul Lawrence – Conservatives (212)
Jayne Riddin – Mansfield Independents (138)
Craig Whitby – Labour Party (368)
LAB HOLD
Market Warsop
Debra Barlow – Independent (172)
Joe Johnson – Mansfield Independents (50)
Jack Stephenson – Labour Party (222)
Rita Townsend – Conservatives (55)
Ruth Truswell – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (6)
LAB GAIN from IND
Maun Valley Forest Town
Mick Barton – Mansfield Independents (425)
Shane Draper – Labour Party (207)
Karen Seymour – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (12)
Keith Townsend – Conservatives (137)
MANS IND HOLD
Meden
Denise Answer – Mansfield Independents (101)
Grant Bembridge – Conservatives (166)
Andy Wetton – Labour Party (433)
LAB HOLD
Mill Lane
Caroline Ellis – Labour Party (287)
Shirley Peters – Conservatives (135)
Andrea Russell – Mansfield Independents (189)
LAB GAIN new ward.
Netherfield
Timothy Bower – Conservatives (116)
David Hughes – Labour Party (298)
Philip Shields – Independent (135)
LAB GAIN from IND
Newlands Forest Town
Pippa Clements – Conservatives (108)
Andrew Shooter – Labour Party (158)
Sid Walker – Mansfield Independents (210)
MANS IND HOLD
Oak Tree
Gemma Canlin – Mansfield Independents (105)
Paul Henshaw – Labour Party (186)
Nick Marks – Conservatives (149)
Milo Tooley-Okonkwo – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (3)
LAB GAIN from MANS IND
Oakham
Robert Elliman – Conservatives (309)
Stephen North – Labour Party (357)
Craig Sims – Mansfield Independents (136)
LAB GAIN from CON
Park Hall
Jacob Denness – Labour Party (299)
Dean Ellis – Mansfield Independents (204)
Alice Kurylo – Conservatives (212)
LAB HOLD
Penniment
Adam Brailsford – Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (17)
Stuart Richardson – Labour Party (313)
Michael Shilladay – Conservatives (87)
David Smith – Mansfield Independents (253)
LAB HOLD
Pleasley
Chris Clarke – Green Party (53)
Sharron Hartshorn – Labour Party (200)
Jak Shuttleworth – Conservatives (82)
Brian Wheatcroft – Mansfield Independents (74)
LAB HOLD
Racecourse
Steve Garner – Independent (405)
Rob Kinton – Labour Party (196)
Vicki Wright – Mansfield Independents (102)
IND HOLD
Rock Hill
Shaun Anthoney – Mansfield Independents (57)
Mark Garner – Independent (163)
Diana McKenzie – Labour Party (212)
Julie Robinson – Conservatives (57)
LAB win (new ward name)
Rufford
Barry Answer – Mansfield Independents (266)
Garry Cole – Labour Party (264)
Gareth Corden – Conservatives (130)
Shaun Thornton – Green Party (26)
MANS IND HOLD (used to be the Abbott ward)
Sherwood
Alan Bell – Labour and Co-operative Party (279)
Emma Camina – Conservatives (114)
Teresa Hanstock – Mansfield Independents (193)
LAB WIN
Southwell
Elliott Brown – Conservatives (105)
Charlotte Inkle – Labour Party (265)
Craig Vernon – Mansfield Independents (84)
LAB HOLD – used to be Ransom Wood ward
Thompsons
Sinead Anne Anderson – Conservatives (348)
Dennis Robinson – Labour Party (253)
Roger Sutcliffe – Mansfield Independents (327)
CON GAIN (new ward name)
Vale
Jane Beachus – Labour Party (303)
Wendy Cook – Mansfield Independents (146)
Gill Maharjan – Green Party (19)
Michelle Swain – Conservatives (83)
LAB win
Wainwright
Lynn Henshaw – Labour Party (280)
Ian Sheppard – Mansfield Independents (115)
Beverley Smith – Conservatives (99)
LAB WIN (new ward name)
Warsop Carrs
Ben Bonser – Mansfield Independents (57)
Andy Burgin – Labour Party (491)
Robyn Hendley – Green Party (21)
Barbara Henson – Conservatives (110)
LAB HOLD
West Bank
Ben Brown – Conservatives (240)
Faz Choudhury – Mansfield Independents (178)
Sally Higgins – Labour Party (208)
Tony Jones – Reform UK (28)
CON GAIN (new ward name)
Yeoman Hill
Stuart Butler – Mansfield Independents (110)
John Coxhead – Labour Party (339)
Andy Tyler – Conservatives (126)
LAB HOLD.
