The 2023 South Kesteven District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect all 56 members of South Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire, England. This was on the same day as other local elections across England.
The council was under Conservative majority control prior to the election. The Conservatives remained the largest party after the election but lost their majority. Both the Conservative leader, Kelham Cooke, and deputy leader, Adam Stokes, lost their seats.
A coalition of some of the independent councillors and the Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour formed to take control of the council, narrowly beating a rival coalition of the Conservatives and some of the other independents to form an administration by one vote at the council's subsequent annual meeting on 18 May 2023. Independent councillor Richard Cleaver therefore became leader of the council, defeating the new Conservative leader, Graham Jeal.
Results summary The overall results were as follows:
Four seats were elected unopposed, all of which were taken by Conservatives.
Ward results The results for each ward were as follows, with an asterisk (*) indicating an incumbent councillor standing for re-election.
Aveland
Belmont
Dean Ward represented Grantham St Wulfram's ward prior to the election.
Belvoir
Bourne Austerby
Bourne East
Bourne West
Casewick
Castle
Deeping St James
Judy Stevens was elected as a Conservative in 2019 but stood as an independent in 2023.
Dole Wood
Glen
Grantham Arnoldfield
Grantham Barrowby Gate
Grantham Earlesfield
Grantham Harrowby
Grantham Springfield
Grantham St Vincent's
Charmaine Morgan had been elected as a Labour councillor in 2019 but left the party to sit as an independent in 2022. Seat shown as independent gain from Labour to allow comparison with 2019 result.
Grantham St Wulfram's
Isaac Newton
Lincrest
Loveden Heath
Market and West Deeping
Bob Broughton had been elected in 2019 as a Conservative but stood in 2023 as an independent.
Morton
Peascliffe and Ridgeway
Stamford All Saints
Seat change compared to 2019 election; one of the seats had been won by an independent at a by-election in 2021.
Stamford St George's
Stamford St John's
Richard Cleaver represented Stamford All Saints prior to the election.
Stamford St Mary's
Seat change compared to 2019 election; the Conservative elected in 2019, Matthew Lee, had left the party in 2022 and sat the remainder of his term as an independent. He did not stand for re-election. Jane Kingman had represented Bourne Austerby prior to the election.
Toller
Seat change compared to 2019 election; Murray Turner had won the seat at a by-election in December 2022.
Viking
Changes 2023–2027 28 February 2025: Rosemary Trollope-Bellew (Conservative, Casewick) joined Reform UK. 11 March 2025: Trollope-Bellew left Reform UK to sit as an independent, after the party said she had not been authorised to represent it. 17 July 2025: Graham Jeal (St Vincent's), Ben Green and David Bellamy (both Isaac Newton) left the Conservatives to join Reform UK, forming the council's first Reform UK group. 7 October 2025: Mark Whittington (Conservative, Grantham Barrowby Gate) left the Conservatives to join Reform UK. 28 October 2025: Whittington left Reform UK to sit as an independent, citing personal reasons related to his health.
By-elections
Grantham St Wulfram's
This by-election was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Ray Wootten.
Aveland
The by-election was held after Conservative councillor Richard Dixon-Warren resigned, citing a wish to spend more time with his family and his work with charities and local organisations.
Belmont
The by-election was held after independent councillor Philip Gadd resigned; he did not respond to a request for comment on his reasons for standing down.
Grantham St Wulfram's
References