2018 Watford Borough Council election

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Map of the results

The 2018 Watford Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2018 to elect members of Watford Borough Council in England.[1] This was the same day as other local elections.

Watford was one of the boroughs subject to a trial of voter ID restrictions[2] requiring the production of polling cards.[3]

Since the election of the full council in 2016, there had been three by-elections, but the balance of the council remained the same, as they were won by the defending party, in the case of Leggatts Ward by Labour and in the cases of Oxhey and Park by the Lib Dems.

Results summary

Watford Borough Council election, 2018
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Liberal Democrats 9 1 0 Increase 1 76.92 43.6 11,957 +1.2
  Labour 3 0 1 Decrease 1 23.1 33.7 9,244 +5.0
  Conservative 0 0 0 Steady 0 20.9 5,737 -9.9
  Green 0 0 0 Steady 0 1.0 278 -4.6
  UKIP 0 0 0 Steady 0 0.8 225 -1.5

Ward results

An asterisk * indicates an incumbent seeking re-election.

Callowland

Callowland[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Ian Stotesbury 1,044 45.6 Increase12.8
Labour Ahsan Khan* 832 36.4 Increase2.8
Conservative Anthony Parker 276 12.1 Increase1.4
Green Alison Wiesner 137 6.0 Decrease7.4
Majority 212 9.2
Turnout 2,289 40.5
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing Increase5.0

No UKIP candidate as previous (-9.6%)

Central

Central[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Aga Dychton* 930 40.7 Decrease0.9
Labour Ani Meehan 912 40.0 Increase6.5
Conservative Dennis Wharton 300 13.1 Increase3.0
Green David Underdown 141 6.2 Decrease1.0
Majority 18 0.7
Turnout 2,283 37.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing Increase3.7

Holywell

Holywell[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Matt Turmaine* 1,402 65.61
Liberal Democrats Syed Kazmi 436 20.40
Conservative Yasmin Goldsmith 299 13.99
Majority 966 45.21
Turnout 2137 33.38
Labour hold Swing

Leggatts

Leggatts[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bilqees Mauthoor* 1,121 50.61
Liberal Democrats Joe Inniss 719 32.46
Conservative David Ealey 375 16.93
Majority 402 18.15
Turnout 2215 39.01
Labour hold Swing

Meriden

Meriden[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Antony Barton 779 43.57
Labour Co-op John Dowdle 560 31.32
Conservative Linda Topping 449 25.11
Majority 219 12.25
Turnout 1788 31.35
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Nascot

Nascot[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Jane Alexandra Johnson* 1,505 53.41
Conservative Binita Mehta-Parmar 725 25.73
Labour Edward John Tunnah 509 18.06
UKIP David Penn 79 2.80
Majority 780 27.68
Turnout 2818 43.08
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Oxhey

Oxhey[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Maggie Parker 1,432 58.83
Conservative Joseph Gornicki 570 23.42
Labour Sue Sleeman 432 17.75
Majority 862 35.41
Turnout 2434 46.00
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Park

Park[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Peter Kloss 1,588 51.77
Conservative David Fallon 889 28.99
Labour Nabila Ahmed 541 17.64
UKIP Peter Blogg 49 1.60
Majority 699 22.78
Turnout 3067 48.63
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Stanborough

Stanborough[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Keith Crout* 1,242 62.82
Conservative Lola Adedoyin 385 19.47
Labour Asma Suleman 350 17.70
Majority 857 43.35
Turnout 1977 35.24
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Tudor

Tudor[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephen Johnson* 951 44.65
Labour Diana Ivory 615 28.87
Conservative Darren Harrisona 564 26.48
Majority 336 15.78
Turnout 2130 40.44
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
  • a Darren Harrison was suspended by the Conservative Party after having alleged links to the EDL and other far-right groups. He remained on the ballot as a Conservative candidate.[5][6]

Vicarage

Vicarage[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Nasreen Shah* 1,488 62.13
Liberal Democrats Tahair Azam 505 21.09
Conservative Michelle Sherman 402 16.78
Majority 983 41.04
Turnout 2395 43.08
Labour hold Swing

Woodside

Woodside[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Glen Saffery* 826 43.29
Conservative Sarah Hayes 503 26.36
Labour Seamus Williams 482 25.26
UKIP Ian Green 97 5.08
Majority 323 16.93
Turnout 1908 33.51
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Mayoral election

2018 Watford mayoral election
3 May 2018 (2018-05-03)
Turnout27,289
  First party Second party Third party
 
Candidate Peter Taylor Jagtar Dhindsa George Jabbour
Party Liberal Democrats Labour Conservative
First round 13,279
(48.7%)		 9,223
(33.8%)		 4,787
(17.5%)
Final round 15,931
(61.6%)		 9,951
(38.4%)		 Eliminated
Mayor before election

Dorothy Thornhill
Liberal Democrat

 Elected Mayor

Peter Taylor
Liberal Democrat

In 2015, incumbent Liberal Democrat mayor Dorothy Thornhill announced that she would not be running for re-election in 2018 and would instead take her seat in the House of Lords.[7] Peter Taylor, a councillor for Oxhey, was selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate to replace Thornhill in July 2017.[8] That same month, the Conservative Party selected George Jabbour as their candidate.[9] In October 2017, the Labour Party selected Vicarage councillor Jagtar Dhindsa as their candidate.[10]

2018 Watford mayoral election[11][12]
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Liberal Democrats Peter Taylor 13,279 48.7% 2,652 15,931 61.6%
​​
Labour Jagtar Dhindsa 9,223 33.8% 728 9,951 38.4%
​​
Conservative George Jabbour 4,787 17.5%
​​
Turnout 27,289
Liberal Democrats hold

References

  1. "Watford Borough Ward Elections 2018". watford.gov.uk. Watford Borough Council. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  2. Press Association (28 April 2018). "Polling station voter ID plans are deeply flawed, say critics". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  3. Walker, Peter; Weaver, Matthew (3 May 2018). "Anger and confusion as voters turned away during ID trial". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  4. "2018 Watford Borough Ward results". Watford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  5. Bates, Liz (20 April 2018). "Tory council candidate suspended over alleged links to far-right groups". Politics Home.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. Perkins, Anne (21 April 2018). "Tory suspended over alleged links to EDL and white supremacists". The Guardian.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. Knowles, Michael (3 September 2015). "Watford MP 'assumed' Mayor Dorothy Thornhill would step down as Mayor after being appointed as front-bench spokesman for Lib Dems". Watford Observer. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  8. Pack, Mark (26 July 2017). "Watford Lib Dems select Peter Taylor as new Mayor candidate". Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  9. Russell, Rachel (30 August 2017). "Conservative candidate in Watford mayoral race George Jabbour has lost four elections over past two years". Watford Observer. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  10. Lennon, Matthew (27 October 2017). "The battle for Watford: Labour selects candidate for next year's mayoral election". Watford Observer. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  11. "Vote 2018: Watford mayoral election result". BBC News. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  12. Russell, Rachel (4 May 2018). "Liberal Democrat Peter Taylor is the new mayor of Watford". Watford Observer. Retrieved 13 April 2026.