Norwich City Council elections 2019: Spotlight on Mile Cross, Nelson and Sewell

A boundary review means all 39 seats on Norwich City Council are up for grabs on May 2. DAN GRIMMER looks at Mile Cross, Nelson and Sewell.

Denise Carlo, Green Party candidate for Nelson ward. (Image: Archant)

It was not that long ago the Green Party harboured genuine hopes of taking control of Norwich City Council.

Following the September 2010 election, triggered by the government overturning the decision to grant Norwich unitary status, the Greens held 14 seats, just two less than Labour.

In an election a year later, the Greens seized Thorpe Hamlet from the Lib Dems to take their number to what, to date, has been a peak of 15 seats.

But that was their final gain and 2015, 2016 and 2018 has seen losses. There are now just five Green councillors, with Labour having swelled to 31.

Emma Hampton, Labour candidate for Nelson. Pic: Labour Party. (Image: Labour Party)

Green group leader Denise Carlo will be determined to maintain the Nelson seat she has held since 2011, when she took 54.8pc of the vote.

Last year, Labour gained Nelson from the Greens, with Labour's Emma Hampton seeing off Green Paul Neale by 184 votes.

Mr Neale is standing again, with Nannette Youssef the other Green candidate. Labour's Hugo Malik will be looking to retain his seat, while Gary McGuinness is hoping to make it a hat-trick of Labour councillors.

The Conservatives are fielding a pair of Broadland District councillors - Jo Copplestone and Danny Buck, with Richard Gill their other candidate. The Liberal Democrats have a single Nelson candidate in Alex Bell.

In Mile Cross, Labour's Vaughan Thomas has an extra reason to want to keep his seat - he is due to be Lord Mayor next civic year. His wife Vivien and Jacob Huntley are aiming to retain Labour's dominance of the ward.

Former Mancroft Green city councillor Adrian Holmes is among their opponents, along with Conservative John Fisher, a former city councillor who is also a councillor at County Hall and at Broadland. Mile Cross is the only ward where UKIP are fielding a candidate - Peter Pyke.

Labour currently hold all three seats in Sewell. Matthew Packer had a comfortable 1,221 majority last time and Julie Brociek-Coulton will be keen to retain her seat. However, Labour's Ed Coleshill is not seeking re-election, so Laura McCartney-Gray is hoping to keep the division red.

Former city councillor Simeon Jackson is among Green candidates and Andrew Wiltshire, a former leader of the Conservative group at City Hall, is also a candidate.

Who is standing?

Mile Cross

• Susan Curran (G)

• John Fisher (C)

• Adrian Holmes (G)

• * Jacob Huntley (L)

• Carl Lamb (C)

• Guy Owen (C)

• Alistair Pitty (LD)

• Peter Pyke (UKIP)

• Carol Taylor (LD)

• Adrian Taylor (LD)

• * Vaughan Thomas (L)

• * Vivien Thomas (L)

Nelson

• Connor Bell (LD)

• Danny Buck (C)

• * Denise Carlo (G)

• Jo Copplestone (C)

• Richard Gill (C)

• * Emma Hampton (L)

• * Hugo Malik (L)

• Gary McGuinness (L)

• Paul Neale (G)

• Nannette Youssef (G)

Sewell

• Helen Arundell (LD)

• Gillian Ashenden (C)

• * Julie Brociek-Coulton (L)

• Gary Champion (G)

• Aaron Fickling (G)

• Simeon Jackson (G)

• Charley Le Grice (C)

• Laura McCartney-Gray (L)

• David Munday (LD)

• * Matthew Packer (L)

• Richard Smith (LD)

• Andrew Wiltshire (C)

* Denotes sitting councillor

The political make-up at City Hall is currently Labour (31), Greens (5), Lib Dems (3).