Flashback: Stoughton Recount Completes Borough Council Results

Published on: 12 May, 2025
Updated on: 12 May, 2025

Flashback looks at Dragon NEWS stories of a decade ago.

Ten years ago this week the Guildford Borough Council elections were completed. Despite hopes for a better result for opposition parties the Conservatives, under Stephen Mansbridge, retained a large majority.

First published on The Guildford Dragon NEWS on May 12, 2015.

The local election result for Stoughton, delayed until Monday by a recount, produced two further retained seats for the Lib Dems and one gain for the Conservatives.

Cllrs Pauline Searle and Gillian Harwood, both Liberal Democrats, were re-elected and David Quelch, Conservative, won the third seat, from the Lib Dems, to become a councillor for the first time.

Votes were relatively evenly dispersed between the Tory and Lib Dem candidates. The Independent Tony Ferris attracted a creditable 1,111 votes and then behind him trailed the Labour and UKIP candidates.

Mr Ferris said: “I thank all those who voted for me. I hope that the idea of Independent local people, not party politics, will continue to grow. We need expertise in local government – not politics.”

Cllr Searle, who at one stage during the count was fearful that she might lose out, said: “I am just very pleased to still be there. I am very passionate about representing Stoughton.

Pauline Searle watching the vote count anxiously.

“I have worked hard for my constituents and I hope it is reflected in the vote. I am very disappointed for the ones that have lost on a political basis because some voters appear to have voted on national issues.”

The Stoughton result means that Conservative gains in the borough overall, are small, just two extra seats. The opposition is now made up of three parties: a weakened Lib Dem party with 9 seats: plus newbies the Guildford Greenbelt Group (GGG) with 3; and Labour managing to hang on to a single seat in Stoke.

Observers will be watching to see how the arrival of the GGG group affects the debates and inter party relationships. It may be that they will find more in common with certain factions of the Conservative group than others in the opposition.

The final composition of the council is:

Conservative: 35 (+2)
Liberal Democrats: 9 (-4)
Guildford Greenbelt Group: 3 (+3)
Labour: 1 (-1)

The overall turnout for the whole borough was 69.29%. [The GBC election coincided with a general election].

For the full results on the [2015] Guildford Borough Council website click here.