← Forest Of Dean (all cycles) · 1 May 2025 cohort
Forest Of Dean 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 8 wards in this cycle, parties received the vote totals below. The proportional column shows what each party would have won if the 8 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 | 8,312 | 33.0% | 5 | 62.5% | 3 | 37.5% | +2 |
| Green Party | 5,582 | 22.1% | 2 | 25.0% | 2 | 25.0% | 0 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | 4,474 | 17.7% | 0 | 0.0% | 2 | 25.0% | -2 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2,342 | 9.3% | 1 | 12.5% | 1 | 12.5% | 0 |
| Independent | 2,079 | 8.2% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Labour Party | 1,970 | 7.8% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Labour and Co-operative Party | 451 | 1.8% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Total | 25,210 | 100.0% | 8 | 100.0% | 8 | 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.
- Newent · 1 seat · won at 27.4% · +22.6 pts below quota
- Mitcheldean · 1 seat · won at 31.9% · +18.1 pts below quota
- Lydney · 1 seat · won at 34.4% · +15.6 pts below quota
- Coleford · 1 seat · won at 35.7% · +14.3 pts below quota
- Drybrook & Lydbrook · 1 seat · won at 36.5% · +13.5 pts below quota
- Blakeney & Bream · 1 seat · won at 40.1% · +9.9 pts below quota
- Cinderford · 1 seat · won at 43.8% · +6.2 pts below quota
- Sedbury · 1 seat · won at 45.7% · +4.3 pts below quota
Race results
Newent · single-seat
Marginal winner 27.4% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +22.6 pts below quota Valid ballots 3,359
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gill Moseley | Liberal Democrats | 920 | 27.4% | Elected |
| 2 | Angela Gaskell | Reform UK | 887 | 26.4% | |
| 3 | Clayton Williams | Conservative and Unionist Party | 696 | 20.7% | |
| 4 | Julia Denise Gooch | Independent | 534 | 15.9% | |
| 5 | Joanna Coull | Green Party | 237 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Lynda Waltho | Labour Party | 97 | 2.9% |
Mitcheldean · single-seat
Marginal winner 31.9% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +18.1 pts below quota Valid ballots 3,295
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stuart Graham | Reform UK | 1,050 | 31.9% | Elected |
| 2 | Philip Howard Joseph Burford | Independent | 850 | 25.8% | |
| 3 | Julie Kirkham | Conservative and Unionist Party | 535 | 16.2% | |
| 4 | James Michael Joyce | Liberal Democrats | 329 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Merlin Healey | Green Party | 316 | 9.6% | |
| 6 | Joanne Penelope Kaye | Labour Party | 224 | 6.8% |
Lydney · single-seat
Marginal winner 34.4% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +15.6 pts below quota Valid ballots 3,205
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Howard | Reform UK | 1,104 | 34.4% | Elected |
| 2 | Johnathan Lane | Green Party | 917 | 28.6% | |
| 3 | Alan Preest | Conservative and Unionist Party | 780 | 24.3% | |
| 4 | Daniel Richard Furmage | Labour Party | 275 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Sarah Gillie | Liberal Democrats | 134 | 4.2% |
Coleford · single-seat
Marginal winner 35.7% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +14.3 pts below quota Valid ballots 2,810
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leigh Jayne Challis | Reform UK | 1,002 | 35.7% | Elected |
| 2 | Carole Ann Allaway-Martin | Conservative and Unionist Party | 535 | 19.0% | |
| 3 | David Andrew John Wheeler | Green Party | 440 | 15.7% | |
| 4 | Ian Richard Whitburn | Independent | 314 | 11.2% | |
| 5 | Ruth Hampson Kyne | Labour Party | 264 | 9.4% | |
| 6 | Chloe Rees | Liberal Democrats | 260 | 9.3% |
Drybrook & Lydbrook · single-seat
Marginal winner 36.5% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +13.5 pts below quota Valid ballots 2,982
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piers Camp | Reform UK | 1,088 | 36.5% | Elected |
| 2 | Terry Hale | Conservative and Unionist Party | 555 | 18.6% | |
| 3 | Di Martin | Labour and Co-operative Party | 451 | 15.1% | |
| 4 | Stephen James Yeates | Green Party | 388 | 13.0% | |
| 5 | Thom Forester | Independent | 381 | 12.8% | |
| 6 | Susan Warren | Liberal Democrats | 127 | 4.3% |
Blakeney & Bream · single-seat
Marginal winner 40.1% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +9.9 pts below quota Valid ballots 3,745
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beki Hoyland | Green Party | 1,501 | 40.1% | Elected |
| 2 | Simon Edward Charles Wendland | Reform UK | 1,177 | 31.4% | |
| 3 | Richard Scott Thomas | Conservative and Unionist Party | 611 | 16.3% | |
| 4 | Jacob Edward Sanders | Labour Party | 274 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Peter Andrew James Taylor | Liberal Democrats | 191 | 5.1% |
Cinderford · single-seat
Marginal winner 43.8% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +6.2 pts below quota Valid ballots 2,466
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ray Donaghue | Reform UK | 1,081 | 43.8% | Elected |
| 2 | Graham Leslie Morgan | Labour Party | 679 | 27.5% | |
| 3 | Alison Bruce | Green Party | 281 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Jonathan Edward Beeston | Conservative and Unionist Party | 270 | 10.9% | |
| 5 | Stewart John Bean | Liberal Democrats | 159 | 6.4% |
Sedbury · single-seat
Marginal winner 45.7% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +4.3 pts below quota Valid ballots 3,288
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris McFarling | Green Party | 1,502 | 45.7% | Elected |
| 2 | Gill Higgs | Reform UK | 923 | 28.1% | |
| 3 | Graham Stanley Drew | Conservative and Unionist Party | 492 | 15.0% | |
| 4 | Thomas Michael Allan | Liberal Democrats | 222 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Andrew Richard Hewlett | Labour Party | 157 | 4.8% |