Southwark turned a slightly deeper shade of red on Thursday night, as Labour increased their control over the council with three new councillors.
London Bridge and West Bermondsey, previously one of five Liberal Democrat wards, went to Labour after a hard-fought local campaign.
That means Southwark now has 52 Labour councillors, up from 47 coming into the election and 49 after the last election. The Liberal Democrats have eleven, down from fourteen before the vote. No other party has any councillors.
Southwark Labour group leader Kieron Williams, who held onto his seat in the Camberwell Green ward, was in buoyant mood in the aftermath of his first local election victory.
He said: “It’s been a great night for Southwark Labour and a recognition of the work we’ve done over the past four years, supporting people through Covid and delivering on our manifesto promises. We take that responsibility incredibly seriously, and we’ll be working incredibly hard to deliver even more for them over the next four years.”
Discussing the gain in London Bridge and West Bermondsey, he said: “We’ve got some fantastic candidates in London Bridge and West Bermondsey who have worked incredibly hard and who I know will keep working very hard for the residents there, and it’s fantastic to have residents choosing to support Labour.”
No other party gained a foothold in the council, meaning that Southwark remains a two-party state, although the Greens ran Labour close in Nunhead and Queen’s Road, previously an extremely safe ward. The Conservatives were unsuccessful in their push to claw back Dulwich Village on the back of the divisive low-traffic neighbourhood.
The provisional turnout was 33.9%, roughly flat on 2018. Turnout was lower across much London this year. Turnout varied from the late-twenties in wards like Faraday and Chaucer to more than 60 per cent in Dulwich Village.
The Liberal Democrats were philosophical in light of the loss of London Bridge and West Bermondsey. Leader Hamish McCallum said: “It’s always sad to lose good councillors. However, this was one of the most marginal wards on a night where Labour are making huge gains elsewhere in the capital.” But the party’s national leader Ed Davey said only a few days ago that Southwark was one of the areas where the Lib Dems would be “fighting Labour”.
As in councils across the UK, Southwark’s vote counting was an all-night affair. Candidates and party operatives gathered at Southwark’s Tooley Street headquarters to monitor the vote-counting and exchange gossip.
Former Liberal Democrat MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark Sir Simon Hughes was in attendance, although the incumbent Neil Coyle – formerly of Labour, until he had the whip suspended – was notably absent. Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood Helen Hayes was also at the count, although Camberwell and Peckham MP Harriet Harman was not.
Staff from across the council’s various departments volunteered to count the votes under the watchful eyes of candidates. Piers Corbyn, standing in Faraday ward for his anti-lockdown Let London Live party, said he was satisfied with the vote-counting.
Labour’s victory came on a good night for the party across London, taking Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet councils from the Conservatives. The Tories had controlled Wandsworth since 1978.
Your new councillors by ward
Borough and Bankside (Liberal Democrat)
Victor Chamberlain – 1,236 votes
Irina von Wiese – 1,187 votes
David Watson – 1,136 votes
Camberwell Green – (Labour)
Suzanne Abachor – 2,282 votes
Dora Dixon-Fyle – 2,281 votes
Kieron Williams – 2,090 votes
Chaucer – Labour
Helen Dennis – 1,916 votes
Laura Johnson – 1,761 votes
Joseph Vambe – 1,470 votes
Dulwich Hill (Labour)
Maggie Browning – 1,846 votes
Jon Hartley – 1,298 votes
Dulwich Village (Labour)
Richard Leeming – 1,922 votes
Margy Newens – 2,111 votes
Dulwich Wood (Labour)
Catherine Rose 1,783 votes
Andy Simmons – 1,621 votes
Faraday (Labour)
Sam Foster – 1,475 votes
Ketzia Harper – 1,450 votes
Kimberly McIntosh – 1,445 votes
Goose Green – Labour
James McAsh – 2,323 votes
Portia Mwangangye – 2,495 votes
Charlie Smith – 2,108 votes
London Bridge and West Bermondsey (Labour)
Sunil Chopra – 1,586 votes
Sam Dalton – 1,562 votes
Emily Hickson – 1,716 votes
Newington (Labour)
John Batteson – 1,955 votes
Natasha Ennin – 2,011 votes
Alice Macdonald – 2,051 votes
North Bermondsey (Liberal Democrat)
Rachel Bentley – 1,909 votes
Hamish McCallum – 1,732 votes
Emily Tester – 1,724 votes
North Walworth (Labour)
Naima Ali – 1,906 votes
Darren Merrill – 1,771 votes
Martin Seaton – 1,672 votes
Nunhead and Queen’s Road (Labour)
Gavin Edwards – 2,072 votes
Reginald Popoola – 2,040 votes
Sandra Rhule – 2,025 votes
Old Kent Road (Labour)
Evelyn Akoto – 2,283 votes
Richard Livingstone – 2,046 votes
Michael Situ – 1,959 votes
Peckham (Labour)
Leona Sabina Emmanuel – 2,148 votes
Barrie Hargrove – 2,080 votes
Cleo Soanes – 1,987 votes
Peckham Rye – (Labour)
Renata Hamvas – 1,802 votes
Victoria Mills – 1,757 votes
Rotherhithe (Labour)
Stephanie Cryan – 1,782 votes
Bethan Roberts – 1,652 votes
Kath Whittam – 1,558 votes
Rye Lane (Labour)
Jasmine Ali – 2,345 votes
Esme Dobson – 2,123 votes
Chloe Tomlinson – 2,008 votes
South Bermondsey (Labour)
Cassandra Brown – 2,069 votes
Sunny Lambe – 1,900 votes
Leo Pollak – 1,759 votes
St George’s (Liberal Democrat)
Maria Linforth-Hall – 1,034 votes
Graham Neale – 929 votes
Great reporting. Thanks.