The 2023 Lewes District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Lewes District Council in East Sussex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections in England.
Prior to the election the council was under no overall control, being run by a "co-operative alliance" comprising the Liberal Democrat, Green and Labour groups and one independent councillor, with the Liberal Democrat and Green leaders taking turns to be leader of the council in alternate years. The Conservatives, with 18 councillors, were the largest individual party and formed the council's opposition.
The election saw the Conservatives lose all their seats. The Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour all made significant gains, with the Greens becoming the largest party. Following the election the Greens and Labour formed an alliance to run the council, with the Liberal Democrats taking the scrutiny roles as the opposition.
Summary
Election result
Ward results
The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Lewes District Council following the close of nominations on 5 April 2023. The results for each ward were:
Chailey, Barcombe & Hamsey
Ditchling & Westmeston
East Saltdean & Telscombe Cliffs
Kingston
Lewes Bridge
Lewes Castle
Lewes Priory
Newhaven North
Newhaven South
Newick
Ouse Valley & Ringmer
Peacehaven East
Peacehaven North
Peacehaven West
Plumpton, Streat, East Chiltington & St John (Without)
Seaford Central
Seaford East
Seaford North
Seaford South
Seaford West
Wivelsfield
Changes 2023–2027 Imogen Makepeace, elected for the Greens, left the party to sit as an independent in April 2024. Ciarron Clarkson, elected for Labour, left the party to sit as an independent in June 2024.
By-elections
Wivelsfield
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Green councillor William Coupland after he suffered a stroke.
Newhaven North
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Sean Macleod, who had first been elected to the council for Ouse Valley & Ringmer in 2019 before winning the Newhaven North seat in 2023. Macleod said he had recently been appointed to a new job that would leave him unable to give the role of councillor the attention it deserved.
Newhaven South
This double vacancy was triggered by the resignations of two of the ward's three Liberal Democrat councillors: James MacCleary, who had been elected as MP for Lewes in July 2024, and Christoph von Kurthy.
Notes
References