← Dover (all cycles) · 1 May 2025 cohort
Dover 2025
Local elections held 1 May 2025.
How to read this page
Each race below shows the share of valid ballots the marginal elected candidate actually won, and compares it to the proportional quota: the share that would be needed to be guaranteed that seat under any proportional voting method (1 seats + 1). For a 1-seat ward the quota is 50%; for 2 seats, 33.3%; for 3 seats, 25%.
Where the actual winning share fell below the quota, we show the gap as points under par — the editorial indictment. Above-par results are just majority mandates and pass without comment. The voting method is the subject of every observation here. Named candidates appear as the public election record requires; the cause being audited is the voting method, not the individuals. See the methodology page for derivations.
If votes were counted by party
Across the 5 wards in this cycle, parties received the vote totals below. The proportional column shows what each party would have won if the 7 seats had been allocated to those vote totals in proportion (how, with caveats). The Δ column is the actual seat count minus the proportional seat count — positive numbers are parties First-Past-the-Post over-represented in this council, negative are parties it under-represented.
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats won | % of seats | Proportional seats | Proportional % | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK | 19,697 | 42.5% | 7 | 100.0% | 4 | 57.1% | +3 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | 8,835 | 19.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 2 | 28.6% | -2 |
| Labour Party | 8,564 | 18.5% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 14.3% | -1 |
| Green Party | 4,340 | 9.4% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Liberal Democrats | 3,686 | 8.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Labour and Co-operative Party | 721 | 1.6% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Independent | 466 | 1.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Heritage Party | 33 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Total | 46,342 | 100.0% | 7 | 100.0% | 7 | 100.0% | 0 |
Vote share vs seats won
The top bar is each party's share of votes cast in this council. Below, one square per seat, coloured by the party that won it — first the actual First-Past-the-Post result, then what a proportional method would have produced from the same vote totals. Divergence between the bar and the actual grid is the indictment of the method.
Wards in this council
Sorted with the largest gap below the quota first. Click any ward to jump to its full result.
- Sandwich · 1 seat · won at 33.5% · +16.5 pts below quota
- Dover North · 1 seat · won at 43.6% · +6.4 pts below quota
- Dover West · 1 seat · won at 48.4% · +1.6 pts below quota
- Deal & Walmer · 2 seats · won at 34.0% · above quota
- Dover Town · 2 seats · won at 46.1% · above quota
Race results
Sandwich · single-seat
Marginal winner 33.5% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +16.5 pts below quota Valid ballots 5,200
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Kenneth Evans | Reform UK | 1,742 | 33.5% | Elected |
| 2 | Sue Chandler | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,726 | 33.2% | |
| 3 | Martyn Harry Pennington | Liberal Democrats | 652 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Amy Elizabeth Price | Labour Party | 561 | 10.8% | |
| 5 | Pete Findley | Green Party | 519 | 10.0% |
Dover North · single-seat
Marginal winner 43.6% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +6.4 pts below quota Valid ballots 4,677
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridget Anne Porter | Reform UK | 2,041 | 43.6% | Elected |
| 2 | Steve Manion | Conservative and Unionist Party | 987 | 21.1% | |
| 3 | Jan Swan Gray | Labour and Co-operative Party | 721 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Sarah Waite-Gleave | Green Party | 583 | 12.5% | |
| 5 | Bob Hope | Liberal Democrats | 312 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Sylvia Jean Laidlow-Petersen | Heritage Party | 33 | 0.7% |
Dover West · single-seat
Marginal winner 48.4% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +1.6 pts below quota Valid ballots 5,124
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul John King | Reform UK | 2,482 | 48.4% | Elected |
| 2 | David Garry Beaney | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,176 | 23.0% | |
| 3 | Janet Kember | Labour Party | 685 | 13.4% | |
| 4 | Nick Shread | Green Party | 443 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Penelope Laetitia James | Liberal Democrats | 338 | 6.6% |
Deal & Walmer · 2-seat (bloc vote)
Marginal winner 34.0% Proportional quota 33.3% Difference −0.7 pts Valid ballots 9,235
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Burwash | Reform UK | 3,317 | 35.9% | Elected |
| 2 | Martin Paul | Reform UK | 3,143 | 34.0% | Elected |
| 3 | Clair Hawkins | Labour Party | 2,786 | 30.2% | |
| 4 | Christine Lilian Oliver | Green Party | 1,895 | 20.5% | |
| 5 | Trevor Antony Bond | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,845 | 20.0% | |
| 6 | Michael Joseph Nee | Labour Party | 1,781 | 19.3% | |
| 7 | Dan Friend | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,480 | 16.0% | |
| 8 | John Francis Gosling | Liberal Democrats | 873 | 9.5% | |
| 9 | Howard Arthur Evans | Liberal Democrats | 507 | 5.5% |
Dover Town · 2-seat (bloc vote)
Marginal winner 46.1% Proportional quota 33.3% Difference −12.7 pts Valid ballots 7,209
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Robert Defriend | Reform UK | 3,650 | 50.6% | Elected |
| 2 | Albert Thorp | Reform UK | 3,322 | 46.1% | Elected |
| 3 | Bekah Dawes | Labour Party | 1,403 | 19.5% | |
| 4 | Gordon Cowan | Labour Party | 1,348 | 18.7% | |
| 5 | Liz Hayes | Green Party | 900 | 12.5% | |
| 6 | Oliver Richardson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 823 | 11.4% | |
| 7 | Peter David Jull | Conservative and Unionist Party | 798 | 11.1% | |
| 8 | Ryan Matthew John Grimes | Liberal Democrats | 523 | 7.3% | |
| 9 | Adrian Anthony Walker-Smith | Liberal Democrats | 481 | 6.7% | |
| 10 | Nigel John Collor | Independent | 466 | 6.5% |