Elections to Cannock Chase District Council took place on 3 May 2012 on the same day as other local elections in England.[1] A total of 14 councillors were elected from 13 wards as a third of the council was up for election. This also included a by-election in the Hagley ward which filled a vacancy that had arisen since the previous election. There were no elections held in the Hednesford Green Heath or Rawnsley wards as those wards elect only two councillors in the other two years of the election cycle.
The Labour Party gained the council from no overall control and became the first party to win an outright majority since the election of 2002. Compared with the results of the 2008 election when these seats were last up for election, Labour almost doubled their vote share and gained many seats they had previously lost to the Conservatives along with seats in Rugeley that had always previously been held by the Liberal Democrats. Three candidates from the Liberal Party stood in the Hagley ward, including one sitting councillor who defected from the Liberal Democrats, but they were not successful. The swing from Conservative to Labour across the district was 16.7%, a record for a Cannock Chase District Council election. This was the last election in which a party gained more than 50% of the vote until the Conservatives' landslide victory in 2021.
Results
Cannock Chase District Council election, 2012
Party
Seats
Gains
Losses
Net gain/loss
Seats %
Votes %
Votes
+/−
Labour
11
8
0
8
78.6
53.6
9,202
23.4
Conservative
3
1
5
4
21.4
31.3
5,376
13.0
Liberal Democrats
0
0
4
4
0.0
8.5
1,457
11.9
Liberal
0
0
0
0
0.0
3.7
640
N/A
Independent
0
0
0
0
0.0
2.0
335
0.9
English Democrat
0
0
0
0
0.0
1.0
167
N/A
Council Composition
Prior to the election, the composition of the council was:
↓
16
13
9
2
1
Labour
Conservative
Lib Dem
Lib
Vac
After the election, the composition of the council was:
↓
24
12
5
Labour
Conservative
Lib Dem
Ward results
Vote share changes are based on the results achieved by parties in 2008 when these seats were last contested.
Brereton and Ravenhill
Brereton and Ravenhill
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Labour
Alan Dudson
611
45.4
23.2
Liberal Democrats
Ray Easton
547
40.6
15.0
Conservative
Vic Hardcastle
189
14.0
8.2
Majority
64
4.8
N/A
Turnout
1,347
26.7
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats
Swing
19.1
Cannock East
Cannock East
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Labour
Christine Mitchell
982
74.2
23.8
Conservative
Susan Snape
341
25.8
12.7
Majority
641
48.4
Turnout
1,323
24.1
Labour hold
Swing
18.3
Cannock North
Cannock North
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Labour
Gordon Alcott
992
80.9
20.9
Conservative
Phil Jones
234
19.1
N/A
Majority
758
61.8
Turnout
1,226
23.4
Labour hold
Swing
0.9
Cannock South
Cannock South
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Labour
Maureen Freeman
882
66.6
22.5
Conservative
Steve Mate
349
26.3
18.4
Liberal Democrats
Mark Green
94
7.1
4.2
Majority
533
40.3
N/A
Turnout
1,393
22.9
Labour gain from Conservative
Swing
20.5
Cannock West
Cannock West
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Conservative
Chris Anslow
1,002
58.6
16.1
Labour
Paul Witton
709
41.4
16.1
Majority
293
17.2
32.2
Turnout
1,711
30.2
Conservative hold
Swing
16.1
Etching Hill and the Heath
Etching Hill and the Heath
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Conservative
Justin Johnson
426
35.3
7.5
Labour
Charlotte Stubbs
379
31.4
19.2
Liberal Democrats
Gary Grant
310
25.7
19.3
Liberal
Diane Bennett ^
93
7.7
N/A
Majority
47
3.9
N/A
Turnout
1,208
22.9
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats
Swing
13.4
^ Diane Bennett was the sitting councillor for the Cannock West ward and previously defected from the Conservatives to the Liberal Party.
Hagley
There were two seats up for election in the Hagley ward due to the resignation of the sitting Labour councillor with the second placed candidate filling the remainder of his term.
Hagley
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Labour
Andy Lovell
387
24.7
10.1
Labour
Brian Bottomer
356
22.7
10.1
Liberal
Tony Williams ^
237
15.1
N/A
Liberal
Neil Stanley
236
15.1
N/A
Conservative
Richard Alexander
105
6.7
5.1
Conservative
Paul Blake
95
6.1
5.0
Liberal Democrats
Pat Ansell
79
5.0
20.2
Liberal Democrats
Les Grindey
72
4.6
20.1
Majority
150
9.6
Turnout
1,567
24.7
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats
Swing
Labour hold
Swing
^ The sitting councillor, Tony Williams, had previously defected from the Liberal Democrats to the Liberal Party.