Do a Few Hundred SW15 Residents Control the Nation's Destiny?


A ward by ward guide to the battle for control of Wandsworth Council


If the Conservatives were to lose Wandsworth Council it would send a shockwave through Westminster and have an impact on national politics that is difficult to predict.

With some suggesting a defeat might even require the Prime Minister to consider her position, others say that a successful defence of the borough might strengthen her hand as she manages the process of leaving the EU.

This site recently looked at the wards across the borough to see how the election would need to play out for there to be a change of control. Labour have to make a net gain of 12 seats and six of those they will be targeting are in wards which include parts of the SW15 post code area. Our analysis shows that they would require a swing of over 9% to gain the final seat that they need.

Below we look in more detail at the individual wards and it quickly becomes apparent that decisions made by just a few hundred voters in the area could be critical to the outcome. One thing that can be safely predicted about this election is that the votes in some wards will be very close.

With 75% of the borough's residents voting to stay in the EU at the time of the referendum and many local wards having a significant proportion of EU citizens who can vote in this election many electors may use their vote to make a point about Brexit. However, others will make their decision based on local issues such as housing, Council Tax rates and Heathrow.

The SW15 area is covered by five local wards in the borough elections. There are some parts of SW15 in Southfields ward as well. If you click on the ward name the results from May 2014 will be displayed:

Click on the ward name to see election results from your area

East Putney Ward

East Putney would normally be regarded as a safe Conservative ward with one of the seats being held by the leader of the Council, Ravi Govindia. For him to lose his seat there would need to be a 12.6% swing to Labour which would be well above the increase in the vote share they need to take control of the borough. For Labour to take the other two seats in the ward there has to be an even bigger swing of over 16% With no UKIP candidate standing in the seat and one more Green than in 2014 it will be slightly harder for Labour to make gains in this ward.

The ward has a median age of 33 and, as at the 2011 census 13.8% of residents held passports from other EU countries.

Nominated Candidates - East Putney Ward
Name
Party
Finna Jane Ayres Labour
Sarah Jane Louise Binder Conservative
Luigi George [George] Crivelli Conservative
Jonathan Stuart Croall Green Party
Eileen Ann Flanagan Labour
Ravindra Pragji [Ravi] Govindia Conservative
Anita Claire Gray Green Party
Richard John Morris Green Party
Jose Ignacio Rodriguez Andres Liberal Democrats
Hugh Rhys Samuel Labour
John Morris Williams Liberal Democrats
Timothy Guyse Williams Liberal Democrats


East Putney Ward 2014 Result - Conservative Hold
Candidate Party Votes
MCDONNELL, Leslie Francis Conservative 2261
CRIVELLI, Luigi George Conservative 2233
GOVINDIA, Ravindra Pragji Conservative 2134
All the above elected as Councillors
FLANAGAN, Eileen Ann Labour 1050
GIBBONS, Joseph Labour 937
KNOWLES, Robert Labour 858
MORRIS, Richard John Green Party 644
MIUCCI-CASALE, Fernanda Giovanna Liberal Democrats 501
SHOCKET, Godfrey Stuart Liberal Democrats 402
WILLIAMS, John Morris Liberal Democrats 387
WELLS, Mike Byron UKIP 363
Electorate: 12,007 Ballot Papers Issued: 4,294 Turnout: 35.80%

Thamesfield Ward

Thamesfield is one of the Conservative's safest wards and the party would only have a handful of councillors left if there was a swing to Labour sufficient for them to take the three seats. The task is made more difficult by the Greens fielding three candidates and UKIP not standing this time around. One of the seats currently held in the ward was won in a by election in 2017.

It has a younger population than the national average with a median age of 33 and the 2011 census showed 11.6% of the population held passports with other EU countries which is well above the national average but less than some other wards in the borough. This suggests the Conservatives will be less vulnerable to an anti-Brexit vote than elsewhere.

Nominated Candidates - Thamesfield
Name
Party
Paul Hans Benton Liberal Democrats
Richard Francis Carter Green Party
Stephen Gibbons Labour Party
James John Keep Liberal Democrats
Christopher Edwin [Chris] Locke Labour Party
John Locker Conservative Party Candidate
Diana Mary [Di] McCann Green Party
Ryan Jonathan Mercer Liberal Democrats
Ann Pasola Green Party
Michael John Ryder Conservative Party Candidate
Rosemary Torrington Conservative Party Candidate
Sally Anne Warren Labour Party


Thamesfield Ward - Election Result 2014 - Conservative Hold
Candidate Party Votes
TORRINGTON, Rosemary Clare Conservative 2579
RYDER, Michael John Conservative 2466
MADDAN, James Patrick Ray Conservative 2437
All the above elected as Councillors
GRIMSHAW, Janet Labour 953
GIBBONS, Stephen Labour 880
CARTER, Richard Francis Green Party 846
LOCKE, Christopher Edwin Labour 790
COMPSON, Henry John Liberal Democrats 554
JOHNSON, Peter Liberal Democrats 479
ZHANG, Nick Cun-Yu Liberal Democrats 399
PAYNE, William Richard Sulby UKIP 298
Electorate: 12,056 Ballot Papers Issued: 4523 Turnout: 37.52%

West Putney

West Putney is another super safe Conservative ward which would require a swing of 18.8% for Labour to take all three seats. If that swing was uniform across the borough the Conservatives would be left with just three councillors. Labour's task is made even more difficult by an extra Green party candidate this time out and no representative of UKIP and that the seat is being contested by the three incumbents. They will be hoping that the 13.6% of residents with EU passports from other countries and the lower than national average mean age will mean that there is potential for a strong anti-Brexit vote in the ward.

Nominated Candidates - West Putney
Name
Party
Helen Maria Compson Liberal Democrats
Jane Cooper Conservative
Sharon Ruth Davis Liberal Democrats
Charles Edward Gillbe Liberal Democrats
Yasin Inan Labour
Emma Josephine Killick Green Party
Ian Peter Lewer Conservative
James Alexander [Jim] McKinney Labour
Susan Olech Labour
Jennifer Pang Green Party
Christopher Edward Poole Green Party
Stephanie Jayne [Steffi] Sutters Conservative


West Putney Ward Election Result 2014 - Conservative Hold
Candidate Party Votes
COOPER, Jane Conservative 2429
LEWER, Ian Peter Conservative 2237
SUTTERS, Stephanie Jayne Conservative 2221
All the above elected as Councillors
AYRES, Finna Jane Labour 1066
ROY, Donald James Labour 827
STEVENS, Anthony Nigel Labour 814
GERMANIS, Alexandros Green Party 490
POOLE, Christopher Edward Green Party 486
COTTIS, Eileen Elizabeth Liberal Democrats 449
HODGES, Anthony Whitehead UK Independence Party (UKIP) 396
SADDLER, Jamie Robert Liberal Democrats 387
WILLIAMS, Robert Ian Liberal Democrats 297
Electorate: 11,447 Ballot Papers Issued: 4,304 Turnout: 38.5%

Roehampton and Putney Heath

Labour gained the two seats in this ward they didn't hold in 2014 and, if national polling provides a reliable indicator they should manage to hold onto all three this time around.

Nominated Candidates - Roehampton and Putney Heath
Name
Party
Jeremy Noel Ambache Labour
Hugh Palmer Brown Liberal Democrats
Marianne Claire Halliday [Claire] Gilbert Labour
Kyle Knight Conservative
Dan Francis Lynch Conservative
Mohammad Masood Conservative
Fergal Joseph McEntee Green
Susan Elizabeth [Sue] McKinney Labour
Helen Margaret Speedy Liberal Democrats
Benjamin Gresham [Ben] Speedy Liberal Democrats

Roehampton and Putney Heath Ward Election Result 2014. Labour gain two seats
Candidate Party Votes
MCKINNEY, Susan Elizabeth Labour 1964
CARPENTER, Peter Jon Labour 1870
AMBACHE, Jeremy Noel Labour 1865
All the above elected as Councillors
ANTHONY, Peter Edwin John Conservative 1423
MCGANN, Martin Terence Conservative 1300
NICKELS, Jennifer Sarah Conservative 1285
TURNER, Daura-Edwina UKIP 394
HUMPHREYS, Graham Peter Green Party 379
PETROS, Katia Emilie Liberal Democrats 168
FENWICK, Toby John Liberal Democrats 159
SANDERS, Moira Ross Liberal Democrats 115
Electorate: 11,034 Ballot Papers Issued: 3863 Turnout: 36.9%

West Hill

This ward is a key battleground in the borough with Labour needing to win at least two of three three seats if they are to gain control of the Council (assuming a uniform swing). Of the three councillors who currently represent the ward, two are not standing for re-election and one, Malcolm Grimston is running as an independent. There is no UKIP candidate standing this time and two rather than one Green which may tend to split the opposition vote. Even so, it would be a huge disappointment for Labour not to take some of the seats in this ward. It has a relatively young population with a median age of 32 and one of the highest proportion of EU citizens from other countries at 17.8% according to the 2011 census.

Nominated Candidates - West Hill
Name
Party
Terence Gibbin [Terry] Brown Green
Peter Jon Carpenter Labour
Eleanor Mary Doody Liberal Democrats
Malcolm Charles Grimston Independent
Nobuco Hara Labour
Andrew Charles Hinton Liberal Democrats
Robert Daniel Hughes Conservative
Angela Mary Ireland Labour
Linda Maria Joy Liberal Democrats
Salvatore Murtas Conservative
Alison Dawne Rodwell Conservative
Penny Bianca Staniaszek Green

West Hill Ward Election Result 2014 - Conservative Hold
Candidate Party Votes
CUFF, Nicholas Richard Conservative 2138
GRIMSTON, Malcolm Charles Conservative 1880
PETERKIN, Andrew Edward Conservative 1810
All the above elected as Councillors
IRELAND, Angela Mary Labour 1420
KHAN, Basheer Ul Haq Labour 1413
GALLAGHER, Stephen John Labour 1256
SOKOLOWSKI, Tomasz Green Party 625
DEVONS, Catherine Stone Liberal Democrats 519
VAN RANDWYCK, Hugo Alexander UKIP 388
TYLER, Bernard John Croxon Liberal Democrats 331
WARD, Christopher Richard Liberal Democrats 253
Electorate: 12,161 Ballot Papers Issued: 4,549 Turnout: 37.41%

Southfields

The result in this ward is likely to have a major influence on who controls the Council after the election. Assuming a uniform swing, the capture of the second seat in this ward from the Conservatives would be the one needed for an overall majority. This would require a swing of 9.5% The three sitting councillors are running again as well as an extra Green candidate compared to last time and one from the pro-Remain party Renew. There is also a UKIP candidate in this ward but no independent as there was last time. With a median age of 33 and 12.8% of residents holding a passport from another EU country this ward is shaping up to be very closely fought.

Nominated Candidates - Southfields
Name
Party
Nicola Joanna [Nicky] Blair Renew
Sheila Mary Boswell Labour
Kim Caddy Conservative
Pappathi [Pat] Durai-Bates Liberal Democrats
Benjamin Joseph [Ben] Fletcher Green
Guy David Price Griffith Labour
Lauren Jayne Harris Green
Guy Derek Ralph Humphries Conservative
Duncan James Anton Lyons Liberal Democrats
Sam Alex Nicholas Labour
Terence Michael [Terry] Walsh Conservative
Patricia Mary Ward UKIP
Susan Jane [Sue] Wixley Liberal Democrats


Southfields Ward Election Result 2014 - Conservative Hold
Candidate Party Votes

CADDY, Kim

Conservative 2302

HUMPHRIES, Guy Derek Ralph

Conservative 2291

WALSH, Terence Michael

Conservative 2172
All the above elected as Councillors
TATTUM, Ian Stuart Labour 1394
BOOKER, Maureen Dorothy Labour 1328
MARTIN, Elizabeth Labour 1252
RICHMAN, Robert James Independent 1106
HUNTER, Connie Anne Green Party 773
GRIFFIN-BEALE, Lucy Jane Liberal Democrats 460
AHMED, Anna Maria Louise Liberal Democrats 443
BROWN, Hugh Palmer Liberal Democrats 300
Electorate: 12,752 Ballot Papers Issued: 5,057 Turnout: 39.66%

Check if you are eligible to vote in the upcoming elections. You must be registered to vote by midnight on Tuesday 17 April 2018 to cast your vote at this election.

April 13, 2018