Politics of Lincolnshire
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Lincolnshireis aceremonial countyinEngland,United Kingdom.The ceremonial county is a combination of the non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire and two unitary authority areas in the north. The non-metropolitan county is governed by theLincolnshire County Council,which isConservativecontrolled, and further divided into seven district councils.[1]
Two further districts -North East LincolnshireandNorth Lincolnshire- are unitary authorities because they were previously districts of the controversialHumberside countyfrom 1974.[2]In 1996, Humberside was abolished along with its county council.[3]However some services in those districts are still shared with theEast Riding of Yorkshireceremonial county, rather than the rest Lincolnshire.[4]
Lincolnshire is represented by 11Members of Parliament(MPs). As of the2019 general election,all 11 constituencies are represented by theConservative Party.
UK Parliament
[edit]Lincolnshire is represented by 11Members of Parliament(MPs). As of the2019 general election,all 11 constituencies are represented by theConservative Party.
| 2019 general election: Lincolnshire | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrat | Green | Others | Turnout | |
| 348,325(66.0%)
|
120,808(22.9%)
|
35,049(6.6%)
|
10,564(2.0%)
|
13,271(2.5%)
|
528,006 9,266
| |
| Overall numbers of seats as of 2019 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Labour | Liberal
Democrat |
Green | Others | |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Parliamentary constituencies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Constituency | District | MP | Party |
| Boston and Skegness | Boston,East Lindsey | Matt Warman | Conservative |
| Brigg and Goole | North Lincolnshire(plus part inEast Riding of Yorkshire) | Andrew Percy | Conservative |
| Cleethorpes | North East Lincolnshire,North Lincolnshire | Martin Vickers | Conservative |
| Gainsborough | West Lindsey,East Lindsey | Edward Leigh | Conservative |
| Grantham and Stamford | South Kesteven | Gareth Davies | Conservative |
| Great Grimsby | North East Lincolnshire | Lia Nici | Conservative |
| Lincoln | Lincoln,North Kesteven | Karl McCartney | Conservative |
| Louth and Horncastle | East Lindsey | Victoria Atkins | Conservative |
| Scunthorpe | North Lincolnshire | Holly Mumby-Croft | Conservative |
| Sleaford and North Hykeham | North Kesteven, South Kesteven | Caroline Johnson | Conservative |
| South Holland and The Deepings | South Holland,South Kesteven | John Henry Hayes | Conservative |
Local government
[edit]Non-metropolitan county
[edit]
TheConservativescontrol the county council, with 54 of the 70 seats.North LincolnshireandNorth East Lincolnshireareunitary authoritiesand do not form part of thenon-metropolitan countyof Lincolnshire.
2009 County Council elections
[edit]The Conservative Party comfortably controlled the County Council after the2009 local election,in which they increased their majority to 43 seats. TheLabour Partylost a total of 15 seats including seven in Lincoln, whilst theLiberal Democratslost three. TheLincolnshire Independentsgained a total of four seats, although one of their number moved to the Conservative group during 2010, increasing the number of Conservative seats to 61. The collective group of the Lincolnshire Independents, theBoston Bypass Partyand otherindependentcouncillors formed the opposition for the four-year term.
2013 County Council elections
[edit]In the2013 County Council election,the Conservatives lost their overall majority and formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and independents. TheUK Independence Partymade significant gains from the Conservatives, particularly around the town ofBoston,due to opposition to Eastern European immigration.[5]
UKIP were initially the main opposition party with 16 councillors, but six members broke away to form a separate group, UKIP Lincolnshire.[6]
2017 County Council elections
[edit]The2017 Lincolnshire County Council electiontook place on 4 May 2017 and saw a local landslide victory for the Conservatives, who won 58 out of the 70 seats. UKIP was left without a single seat. Labour lost four seats, reducing their number of seats to six, the Liberal Democrats were reduced to one seat, and the Lincolnshire Independents were also reduced to a single seat after losing eight seats. Four other independents were elected.[7]
2021 County Council elections
[edit]The2021 Lincolnshire County Council electiontook place on 6 May 2021. It saw another landslide victory for the Conservatives, with them winning 54 seats. Independents won five seats, Labour lost two, bringing their total down to four, and the Liberal Democrats gained two inWest Lindsey,raising their total to three. The newly formedSouth Holland Independentswon three seats, whilst the Lincolnshire Independents held their sole representative on the council.[8]
National referendums
[edit]1975 EC membership referendum
[edit]The1975 EC membership referendumwas the first major referendum to be held in the county, and saw one of the largest majority votes in favour of continued membership of the thenEuropean Communities(which would later become theEuropean Union) within non-metropolitan Lincolnshire and alsoHumberside,which then included northern parts of historic Lincolnshire. The referendum was held on 5 June 1975 with votes within the county being centrally counted under the provisions of theReferendum Act 1975where voters were asked to decide on the question “Do you think that the United Kingdom should stay in the European Community (the Common Market)?” by voting for either “Yes” or “No”. The result was declared on the following day.
| 1975 United Kingdom European Communities(Common Market) membership referendum
Non-metropolitan Lincolnshire | |||
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 180,603 | 74.75% | |
| No | 61,011 | 25.25% | |
| Valid votes | 241,614 | 99.82% | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 445 | 0.18% | |
| Total votes | 242,059 | 100.00% | |
| Registered voters and turnout | 370,518 | 63.70% | |
| Yes:
180,603(74.7%) |
No:
61,011(25.3%) | ||
| ▲ | |||
- The result above only includes non-MetropolitanLincolnshireas parts of historic northern Lincolnshire made up part ofHumbersideat the time.
| County | Yes votes | No votes | Yes | No | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humberside | 257,826 | 122,199 | 67.8% | 32.2% | 62.4% |
2011 AV referendum
[edit]The2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendumwas the first to be held in Lincolnshire since the1975 EC membership referendumand was only the second time that the people of Lincolnshire have been asked to vote in a referendum. The referendum asked voters whether to replace the present "first-past-the-post"(simple plurality) system with the"alternative vote"(AV) method for electing MPs to theHouse of Commonsin future general elections. The proposal to introduce AV was overwhelmingly rejected by voters with all eight counting areas within Lincolnshire returning significant "no" votes.
 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum, 2011
Lincolnshire | |||
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No | 232,034 | 75.19% | |
| Yes | 76,570 | 24.81% | |
| Valid votes | 308,604 | 99.49% | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 1,593 | 0.51% | |
| Total votes | 310,197 | 100.00% | |
| Registered voters and turnout | 722,210 | 40.17% | |
| Yes:
76,570(24.8%) |
No:
232,034(75.2%) | ||
| ▲ | |||
- The result above includes all areas within historic Lincolnshire
The sevenshire-districtsand two unitary authorities in Lincolnshire were used as the voting areas.
| Counting areas | Turnout % | No votes | Yes votes | No % | Yes % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 39.58 | 13,337 | 3,958 | 77.11 | 22.89 |
| East Lindsey | 42.60 | 34,045 | 10,571 | 76.31 | 23.69 |
| Lincoln | 36.68 | 16,099 | 6,951 | 69.84 | 30.16 |
| North East Lincolnshire | 34.23 | 29,484 | 9,549 | 75.54 | 24.46 |
| North Lincolnshire | 39.57 | 36,031 | 12,542 | 74.18 | 25.82 |
| North Kesteven | 42.95 | 27,397 | 7,926 | 77.56 | 22.44 |
| South Holland | 39.83 | 20,542 | 5,603 | 78.57 | 21.43 |
| South Kesteven | 42.63 | 32,217 | 11,247 | 74.12 | 25.88 |
| West Lindsey | 43.70 | 22,882 | 8,223 | 73.56 | 26.44 |
2016 EU membership referendum
[edit]On 23 June 2016, in theEU referendum,the people of Lincolnshire voted for the second time on the issue of the UK's continued membership of what is now known as theEuropean Unionunder the provisions of theEuropean Union Referendum Act 2015where voters were asked to decide on the question “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union” by voting for either “Remain a member of the European Union” or “Leave the European Union”. Of the eleven MPs which represented the ceremonial county at the time six MPsAndrew Percy,Martin Vickers,Edward Leigh,Karl McCartney,Stephen PhillipsandJohn Hayessupported a "Leave" vote with five MPsMatt Warman,Nick Boles,Victoria Atkins,Melanie OnnandNic Dakinsupported a "Remain" vote.[9]
United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016 Lincolnshire | |||
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave the European Union | 380,556 | 65.98% | |
| Remain a member of the European Union | 196,184 | 34.02% | |
| Valid votes | 576,740 | 99.95% | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 308 | 0.05% | |
| Total votes | 595,954 | 100.00% | |
| Registered voters and turnout | 780,761 | 73.91% | |
| Leave:380,556(66%) | Remain:
196,184(34%) | ||
| ▲ | |||
- The result above includes all areas within historic Lincolnshire
The seven shire-districts and two unitary authorities in Lincolnshire were used as the voting areas.
| Voting areas | Turnout % | Remain votes | Leave votes | Remain % | Leave % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 77.2% | 7,430 | 22,974 | 24.4% | 75.6% |
| East Lindsey | 74.9% | 23,515 | 56,613 | 29.3% | 70.7% |
| Lincoln | 69.3% | 18,902 | 24,992 | 43.1% | 57.0% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 67.9% | 23,797 | 55,185 | 30.1% | 69.9% |
| North Lincolnshire | 71.9% | 29,947 | 58,915 | 33.7% | 66.3% |
| North Kesteven | 78.4% | 25,570 | 42,183 | 37.7% | 62.3% |
| South Holland | 75.3% | 13,074 | 36,423 | 26.4% | 73.6% |
| South Kesteven | 78.2% | 33,047 | 49,424 | 40.1% | 60.0% |
| West Lindsey | 74.5% | 20,906 | 33,847 | 38.2% | 61.8% |
Police and Crime Commissioners
[edit]The most recent elections forPolice and Crime Commissionerswithin the Lincolnshire and Humberside police force areas took place on 2 May 2024.[10]
Lincolnshire Police
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Marc Jones | 39,639 | 36.5 | −23.2 | |
| Labour Co-op | Mike Horder | 31,931 | 29.5 | +9.5 | |
| Reform UK | Peter Escreet | 15,518 | 14.3 | +10.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Lesley Rollings | 13,380 | 12.4 | +6.4 | |
| English Democrat | David Dickason | 7,739 | 7.2 | N/A | |
| Turnout | 108,207 | 19.09 | |||
| Conservativehold | Swing | ||||
Humberside Police
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Jonathan Evison | 51,083 | 39.7 | −5.9 | |
| Labour Co-op | Simon O'Rourke | 46,846 | 36.4 | −3.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bob Morgan | 30,834 | 24.0 | +8.9 | |
| Turnout | 128,769 | 18.7 | |||
| Conservativehold | Swing | ||||
References
[edit]- ^"Lincolnshire County Council: Conservatives win 54 out of 70 seats".BBC News.7 May 2021.Retrieved10 April2022.
- ^"House of Commons Hansard Debates".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).House of Commons. 26 May 1993. col. 491. Archived fromthe originalon 30 September 2007.
- ^"Lords Hansard text".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).House of Lords. 6 March 1995. col. 68.
- ^There is still aHumberside Police,aHumberside Airport,aHumberside Fire Service,Humberside Scouts andBBC Radio Humberside.
- ^"Why did voters turn to Ukip in parts of true blue Lincolnshire?".The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 8 May 2013.Retrieved17 July2013.
- ^"What's next for 'UKIP Lincolnshire' after name change debacle..."Lincolnshire Echo.Archivedfrom the original on 18 March 2014.Retrieved18 March2014.
- ^Banks, Barnaby."Elections".Lincolnshire County Council.Retrieved11 May2024.
- ^Banks, Barnaby."Elections results 2021".Lincolnshire County Council.Retrieved11 May2024.
- ^Norton, Emily (23 February 2016)."Majority of Lincolnshire MPs and East Midlands MEPs back Brexit".The Lincolnite.Stonebow Media Ltd. Archived fromthe originalon 7 July 2018.Retrieved7 July2018.
- ^"Choose My Police and Crime Commissioner - Information from the UK Government".Choose My Police and Crime Commissioner.Retrieved11 May2024.
- ^"Notice of Election Result for the Police and Crime Commissioner 2024 Elections".City of Lincoln Council.Retrieved11 May2024.
- ^"PCC election results All Humberside Police areas".eastriding.gov.uk.Retrieved11 May2024.