News | Local elections
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James Willis (Lib Dem); Janetta Sams (Ind); John Perry (Con); Paul Harper (Lab); and Christine Edwards-Daem, Eddie Powell, Dave Sargeant and Simon Ells, allUKIP New faces bring uncertainty
THE future of Maidstone is in the balance after voters left the council precariously hung. The formerly ruling Tories were
In other parts of the borough,
swept from power as UKIP took four of their 20 seats, while the Lib Dems took a further seat from the Conservatives in HeathWard. Of the 55 council seats, the To-
ries now have 25, Lib Dems 19, In- dependents five, UKIP four and Labour two. Labour gained its second seat on
the council – at the expense of the Lib Dems – in a fiercely fought contest in Fant ward, where only 144 votes separated the top and bottom-scoring candidates. The Independents still hold five
seats on the council after Janetta Sams won the Harrietsham and Lenham seat, which had been pre- viously held by her husband, Tom Sams.
Lib Dem support soared and the party came a close second in the Tory stronghold of Marden and Yalding where, following a re- count, they were just 43 votes be- hind Conservative candidate David Burton. In Staplehurst, likewise, they
were only 109 votes behind the winning candidate, Conservative and parish council chairman John Perry. The first seat to be declared – at 2.55am – was Shepway South, where UKIP’s Dave Sargeant set the trend for the hours that fol- lowed. Cllr Sargeant (75) has lived in Shepway for almost 30 years and has supported UKIP since 2001.
He said: “I believe the party is
right on the issue of Europe and felt we needed some representa- tion in my ward.” Later UKIP gains came for Christine Edwards-Daem (Park Wood), Eddie Powell (Harriet- sham and Lenham), and Simon Ells (Shepway North). James Willis, an active cam- paigner for the Lib Dems on issues such as Bluebell Wood and the Freshlands Play Area, reaped the support of his constituents, top- pling Conservative Brian Moss by more than double the number of votes. Cllr Willis pledged to get the proposed housing numbers down to a “sensible level that the roads can cope with,” while a resigned
Mr Moss said: “I have served on the council for 10 years and knew it would be difficult this time be- cause of the Hermitage Lane hous- ing issue. Still, I have things to do. This is the first day of a new life!” In other parts of the borough, serving mayor Cllr Clive English narrowly hung on to his seat for the Lib Dems – just 33 votes ahead of UKIP – while in Bridge, Lib Dem Cllr David Pickett scraped in just 70 votes ahead of his Tory rival. Peter Edwards-Daem, UKIP chairman for Faversham and Mid- Kent, said the party’s success was down to local policies – such as not building on greenfield sites and seeking 20mph speed limits through rural villages.
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