1981 Isle of Wight County Council election

Local elections of 1981 to the Isle of Wight County Council, a county council in south east England, were held on 7 May 1981. The whole council was up for election, with boundary changes since the last election in 1977, which increased the number of seats by one.^[1] The election resulted in a council with Liberal members holding more than half of the seats.

Election result

Isle of Wight County Council election result 1981^[1]
	Seats	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes
Liberal	27	20	62.8	50.4%	22,482
Conservative	12	11	27.9	34.0%	15,150
Independent	4	4	9.3	22.8%	10,146
Labour	0	1	0.0	4.7%	2,081
RA	0	3	0.0	1.3%	565
Independent Liberal	0		0.0	1.0%	465

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:

Party		Previous council	New council
	Liberal	7	27
	Conservatives	23	12
	Independent	8	4
	Residents	3	0
	Labour	1	0
Total		42	43
Working majority		4	11

Ward results

Arreton & Newchurch

Arreton & Newchurch
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	M. Lanfear	672	59.4	N/A
	Conservative	P. Jarrett	459	40.6	N/A
Majority			213	18.8
Turnout			1,131	51.9
	Liberal win (new seat)

Ashey

Ashey
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	G. Wilson	613	57.5	N/A
	Conservative	F. Winter	374	35.1	N/A
	Labour	L. Cuthbert	80	7.5	N/A
Majority			239	22.4
Turnout			1,067	53.6
	Liberal win (new seat)

Bembridge

Bembridge
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Rowsell	1,064	63.3	8.1
	Liberal	A. Naylor	562	33.4	N/A
	Labour	S. Sutters	56	3.3	N/A
Majority			502	29.9
Turnout			1,682	54.8
	Conservative hold		Swing

Binstead

Binstead
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Jewitt	519	52.6	N/A
	Liberal	M. Perfitt	468	47.4	N/A
Majority			51	5.2
Turnout			987	48.2
	Liberal win (new seat)

Brading

Brading
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Janusz Trzebski	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Brighstone & Shorwell

Brighstone & Shorwell
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	P. Leyton	561	50.4	N/A
	Conservative	A. Currie	504	45.3	N/A
	Labour	D. White	48	4.3	N/A
Majority			57	5.1
Turnout			1,113	63.8
	Liberal win (new seat)

Calbourne Shalfleet & Yarmouth

Calbourne Shalfleet & Yarmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Laird	746	51.0	N/A
	Liberal	J. Hancock	717	49.0	N/A
Majority			29	2.0
Turnout			1,463	53.9
	Conservative win (new seat)

Carisbrooke East

Carisbrooke East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Stephen Ross	404	71.6	*N/A*
	Conservative	P. Dobson	148	49.0	N/A
	Labour	R. Jones	12	2.1	N/A
Majority			29	2.0
Turnout			564	45.4
	Conservative win (new seat)

Carisbrooke West

Carisbrooke West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	J. Kitchington	902	93.9	N/A
	Labour	R. Stringer	59	6.1	N/A
Majority			843	87.7
Turnout			961	47.2
	Liberal win (new seat)

Chale & Niton

Chale & Niton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	P. Fradgley	682	52.6	N/A
	Liberal	D. Waddleton	575	44.4	N/A
	Labour	C. Sullivan	39	3.0	N/A
Majority			107	8.2
Turnout			1,296	58.3
	Conservative win (new seat)

Cowes Castle

Cowes Castle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	C. Carter	904	58.7	N/A
	Conservative	S. Flynn	635	41.3	58.7
Majority			269	17.4
Turnout			1,539	52.9
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Cowes Central

Cowes Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	D. Lennox	586	52.2	N/A
	Independent	N. Butchers	481	42.8	57.2
	Labour	P. Ray	56	5.0	N/A
Majority			105	9.4
Turnout			1,123	59.3
	Liberal gain from Independent		Swing

Cowes Medina

Cowes Medina
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	E. Bird	815	72.3	N/A
	Labour	S. Smith	170	15.1	33.6
	Conservative	M. Billington	142	12.6	38.7
Majority			645	57.2
Turnout			1,127	56.9
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

East Cowes

East Cowes
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	H. Moon	713	61.0	8.3
	Independent Liberal	A. Guy	456	39.0	N/A
Majority			257	22.0
Turnout			1,169	43.2
	Independent hold		Swing

Fairlee

Fairlee
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	P. Breach	698	65.4
	Conservative	R. Dixon	332	31.1	20.0
	Labour	D. Wood	38	3.6
Majority			366	34.3
Turnout			1,068	53.9
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Freshwater Afton

Freshwater Afton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	E. Le Brecht	652	51.3	N/A
	Liberal	J. Cooper	619	48.7	N/A
Majority			33	2.6
Turnout			1,271	61.3
	Conservative win (new seat)

Freshwater Norton

Freshwater Norton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Parker	484	42.4	N/A
	Liberal	A. Smith	465	40.8	N/A
	Liberal	B. Fitzsimmons	192	16.8	N/A
Majority			19	1.6
Turnout			1,141	53.6
	Conservative win (new seat)

Gatcombe & Godshill

Gatcombe & Godshill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Westmore	574	54.3	N/A
	Liberal	A. Smith	484	45.7	N/A
Majority			90	8.6
Turnout			1,058	57.4
	Conservative win (new seat)

Gurnard

Gurnard
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	S. Sutherland	525	53.0	N/A
	Conservative	M. Halpin	466	47.0	N/A
Majority			59	6.0
Turnout			991	57.4
	Liberal win (new seat)

Mount Joy

Mount Joy
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	R. Smith	747	55.8	8.7
	Conservative	E. Giles	506	37.8	15.1
	Labour	C. Wilson	85	6.4	N/A
Majority			241	18.0
Turnout			1,338	50.5
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Nettlestone & St. Helens

Nettlestone & St.Helens
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	S. Rains	796	51.3	N/A
	Conservative	L. Hollis	707	45.6	N/A
	Labour	E. Kitchen	48	3.1	N/A
Majority			89	5.7
Turnout			1,551	66.5
	Liberal gain from Independent		Swing

Newport Central

Newport Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	R. Rowsell	791	63.5	8.0
	Conservative	J. Tungate	401	32.2	12.3
	Labour	L. O'Flaherty	54	4.3	N/A
Majority			390	31.3
Turnout			1,246	51.0
	Liberal hold		Swing

Northwood

Northwood
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	B. Drake	894	74.1	32.1
	Conservative	J. Powe	259	21.5	23.7
	Labour	P. Millar	53	4.4	8.4
Majority			635	52.6
Turnout			1,206	72.5
	Liberal hold		Swing

Osborne

Osborne
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	J. Augustus	869	69.7	N/A
	Labour	S. Glossop	377	30.3	21.3
Majority			108	39.4
Turnout			1,246	49.4
	Liberal gain from Labour		Swing

Pan

Pan
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	M. Barton	897	67.3	18.8
	Labour	A. Beere	261	19.6	4.4
	Conservative	A. Jenner	175	13.1	14.4
Majority			636	47.7
Turnout			1,263	56.0
	Liberal hold		Swing

Parkhurst

Parkhurst
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	B. Pratt	679	66.8	13.7
	Conservative	D. Eden	280	27.5	19.4
	Labour	A. Jenner	58	5.7	N/A
Majority			399	39.3
Turnout			1,017	40.9
	Liberal hold		Swing

Ryde North East

Ryde North East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	P. White	664	58.2	N/A
	Conservative	N. Bartholomew	412	36.1	N/A
	Labour	P. Westmore	64	5.6	N/A
Majority			252	22.1
Turnout			1,140	45.7
	Liberal gain from Independent		Swing

Ryde North West

Ryde North West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	E. Minghella	471	51.8	4.7
	Conservative	L. Sharp	438	48.2	4.7
Majority			33	3.6
Turnout			909	39.9
	Independent gain from Conservative		Swing

Ryde South East

Ryde South East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	J. Williams	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing

Ryde South West

Ryde South West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	M. Robinson	682	61.5	N/A
	Conservative	D. Harley	321	28.9	18.1
	Labour	R. Scholes	106	9.6	6.8
Majority			361	32.6
Turnout			1,109	47.1
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Sandown Lake

Sandown Lake
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	P. Harris	775	53.4	N/A
	RA	G. Buttle	565	38.9	N/A
	Labour	I. Williams	111	7.6	N/A
Majority			210	14.5
Turnout			1,451	44.4
	Liberal win (new seat)

Sandown North

Sandown North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	W. Gray	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Independent hold		Swing

Sandown South

Sandown South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	P. Davis	366	52.9	N/A
	Conservative	T. Findon	326	47.1	18.1
Majority			40	5.8
Turnout			692	48.9
	Liberal hold		Swing

Seaview & Appley

Seaview & Appley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Hersey	805	62.8	N/A
	Liberal	R. Hayes	476	37.2	N/A
Majority			329	25.6
Turnout			1,281	52.5
	Liberal win (new seat)

Shanklin Central

Shanklin Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	G. Cassidy	480	50.9	N/A
	Conservative	J. Holmes	463	49.1	N/A
Majority			17	1.8
Turnout			943	41.9
	Liberal win (new seat)

Shanklin North

Shanklin North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	H. Howe	427	60.6	21.8
	Independent	G. Orchard	245	34.8	4.3
	Labour	C. Cotton	33	4.7	N/A
Majority			182	25.8
Turnout			705	40.6
	Liberal gain from Independent		Swing

Shanklin South

Shanklin South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. Fry	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

St. Lawrence & Lowther

St. Lawrence & Lowther
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Ross	365	37.2	31.5
	Liberal	D. Orchard	349	35.5	N/A
	Independent	T. Norton	268	27.3	N/A
Majority			16	1.7
Turnout			982	63.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

St. Johns

St. Johns
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	E. Jarman	533	54.0	N/A
	Independent	B. Heath	311	31.5	N/A
	Labour	B. Waters	81	8.2	N/A
	Independent	R. Allen	62	6.3	N/A
Majority			222	22.5
Turnout			987	39.0
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Totland

Totland
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	T. Cokes	868	78.8
	Liberal	A. Brewer	233	21.2	15.9
Majority			635	57.6
Turnout			1,101	60.0
	Conservative gain from RA		Swing

Ventnor Central

Ventnor Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	P. Graham-Stewart	878	60.3	11.8
	Conservative	R. Farthing	578	39.7	2.6
Majority			300	20.6
Turnout			1,456	49.4
	Liberal hold		Swing

Wootton

Wootton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	M. Stolworthy	841	64.4	N/A
	Conservative	R. Garbett	465	35.6	N/A
Majority			376	28.8
Turnout			1,306	55.5
	Liberal win (new seat)

Wroxall & Bonchurch

Wroxall & Bonchurch
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	E. Crossley	437	52.8	15.8
	Independent	A. Wadsworth	390	47.2	15.8
Majority			47	5.6
Turnout			827	53.3
	Liberal gain from Independent		Swing

References

^ ^a ^b Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "Isle of Wight County Council Election Results 1973-1993" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 15 June 2021.

[Results-1] Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "Isle of Wight County Council Election Results 1973-1993" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 15 June 2021.

[1]

v t e Council elections on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight Council	1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1995 1998 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Medina Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 Abolished
South Wight Borough Council	1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes

v t e (1980 ←) 1981 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1982)
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Sui generis	Isles of Scilly