St Columb Minor and Colan (electoral division)
| St Columb Minor and Colan | |
|---|---|
| ward Cornwall Council | |
 Boundary of St Columb Minor and Colan in Cornwall from 2021. | |
| County | Cornwall |
| Current ward | |
| Created | 2021 |
| Councillor | Vacant |
| Number of councillors | One |
St Columb Minor and Colan is an electoral division of Cornwall in the United Kingdom which returns one member to sit on Cornwall Council. It was created at the 2021 local elections. At the 2025 election it was won by Christine Parsonage, a member of Reform UK, who subsequently left Reform UK before resigning as a councillor.[1]
Extent
The division includes the villages of St Columb Minor, Colan and Quintrell Downs, as well as the hamlets of Whipsiderry, Lane, Mountjoy, Trebarber. The division also includes most of the hamlets of Tregurrian and White Cross, which are shared with St Columb Major, St Mawgan and St Wenn and St Dennis and St Enoder respectively.[2][3]
Councillors
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | John Fitter | Independent | |
| 2025 | Christine Parsonage | Reform UK | |
| December 2025 by-election | Heinz Glanville | ||
Election results
2021 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | John Fitter | 662 | 51.1 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Mark Formosa | 622 | 48.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 40 | 3.1 | N/A | ||
| Rejected ballots | 11 | 0.8 | |||
| Turnout | 1,295 | ||||
| Independent win (new seat) | |||||
2025 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Christine Parsonage | 507 | 35.8 | New | |
| Independent | John Fitter | 414 | 29.3 | −21.8 | |
| Conservative | Mark Formosa | 238 | 16.8 | −31.2 | |
| Labour | Nicola Tettmar | 120 | 8.5 | New | |
| Liberal Democrats | Pauline Avery | 118 | 8.3 | New | |
| Independent | Nigel May | 15 | 1.1 | New | |
| Majority | 93 | 6.6 | +3.5 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 3 | 0.2 | -0.6 | ||
| Turnout | 1415 | 30.2 | |||
| Registered electors | 4,686 | ||||
| Reform gain from Independent | |||||
Parsonage, who lives in Torpoint, 40 miles (64 km) from her division, was a paper candidate for Reform UK and did not expect to be elected.[6] This led to criticism from independent councillors about her ability to represent the division; Parsonage said that living outside of the division "means I don't have any conflict of interest, so I can speak unencumbered".[7] In August 2025, Newquay Town Council, which covers part of the division, wrote to Parsonage asking her to attend town council meetings due to members' concerns about her "continued absence".[8] Parsonage responded that due to her work as a nurse, she could not attend town council meetings in Newquay but highlighted that she attended Cornwall Council meetings and answered correspondence.[8] In September 2025, it was reported that Parsonage had taken a leave of absence in order to "concentrate on her wellbeing".[9] She resigned in October 2025 due to health reasons, triggering a by-election.[10]
2025 by-election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Heinz Glanville | 408 | 31.7 | −4.1 | |
| Independent | John Fitter | 325 | 25.2 | −4.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Geoff Brown | 296 | 23.0 | +14.7 | |
| Green | Frances Williamson | 173 | 13.43 | New | |
| Conservative | Mark Formosa | 73 | 5.7 | −11.1 | |
| Labour | Stuart Hinde | 9 | 0.7 | −7.8 | |
| Independent | Nigel May | 3 | 0.2 | −0.9 | |
| Majority | 83 | 6.4 | −0.2 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 0 | 0.0 | -0.2 | ||
| Turnout | 1288 | 27.7 | −2.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 4,658 | ||||
| Reform hold | |||||
BBC News said the by-election had been "tightly fought".[12] Glanville said his priorities would be opposing a park and rail site at Quintrell Downs and campaigning for housing for young people. Fitter, a former councillor for the division, said he would probably retire from politics after his defeat. Leigh Frost, the Liberal Democrat leader of Cornwall Council, highlighted his party's increase in vote share in response to the result.[12]
References
- ^ "Christine Parsonage". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Cornwall Council Interactive Map". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "New electoral arrangements for Cornwall Council - Final recommendations" (PDF). Cornwall Council. Local Government Boundary Commission for England. December 2018. p. 40. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Election results for St Columb Minor and Colan - Cornwall Council elections - Thursday, 6th May, 2021". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Election results for St Columb Minor and Colan - Cornwall Council elections - Thursday, 1st May, 2025". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Warren Wilkins (7 August 2025). "Reform UK councillor admits she was a paper candidate and did not expect to get elected". Newquay Voice. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Lee Trewhela (21 May 2025). "Reform UK members in Cornwall defend living miles from the areas they represent". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ a b Lee Trewhela (18 August 2025). "Continually absent Reform UK councillor in Cornwall is asked to attend meetings". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Lee Trewhela (17 September 2025). "Cornwall Reform councillor has leave of absence after criticism". Falmouth Packet. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ^ Lee Trewhela (31 October 2025). "Controversial former Reform UK councillor resigns from Cornwall Council". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ^ "Declaration of result of poll - St Columb Minor & Colan, 18 December 2025" (PDF). Cornwall Council. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- ^ a b Seb Noble (19 December 2025). "Reform holds on to seat in by-election". BBC News. Retrieved 20 December 2025.