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MP Helen Grant joins Conservatives to celebrate their gains in the local elections


Tories confident, but gains not enough for full control


THE Conservatives edged the local elections on May 3, emerging as the biggest party with no overall control ofMaidstone Borough Council. TheToriesmade three gainswhile


All the results for


borough council Allington Dan Daley (LD) – HOLD Bearsted Mike Cuming (Con) – HOLD Boxley Bob Hinder (Con) – HOLD Bridge Jonathan Purle (Con) – CON GAIN FROMLD Coxheath & Hunton Lottie Parfitt- Reid (Con) – CONGAINFROMLD East Nikki Fissenden (LD) – HOLD Fant Paul Harper (Lab) – HOLD Harrietsham & Lenham Janetta Sams (Ind) – HOLD Headcorn Martin Round (Con) – HOLD Heath Ashleigh Kimmance (LD) – HOLD High Street Clive English (LD) – HOLD Marden & Yalding David Burton (Con) – HOLD North TonyHarwood (LD) –HOLD Park Wood Daniel Rose (Con) – HOLD Shepway North Alan Bartlett – CON GAIN FROMIND Shepway South Malcolm McKay (Lab) – LAB GAIN FROMIND South Derek Mortimer (LD) – HOLD Staplehurst John Perry (Con) – HOLD


4 Maidstone June 2018


the ruling Liberal Democrats dropped two. It still remains to be seen if the To-


ries can cobble together a coalition with independents, or if the Lib Dems can cling on, possibly with Martin Cox as a newgroup leader. That decision was being made


after Downs Mail went to press on May 19. Thiswill be followed by decisions


on committee composition andwho will chair each one. Cllr John Perry said: “I feel confi-


dentwe canput it together aswe are now by far the largest party, but I can’t take anything for granted.” The Tories picked up Bridge (Lib


Dem), Coxheath & Hunton (Lib Dem) and Shepway North (Inde- pendentMaidstone). The party now has 25 seats, com-


pared to the LibDems’ 20. The leadership must be able to


command 28 seats to form overall control of the 55-member council. Tory councillor Matt Boughton,


who helped organise the campaign, said: “This has been a very good re- sult for us. We did better than we had hoped.” Most Conservatives agreed that,


had they worked Shepway South harder, they may have been able to take that seat aswell. Paul Cooper was essentially put


up as a paper candidate andbanked on Independent Maidstone’s John Barned retaining the seat on a large personal vote. However, Labour’s


Labour’s Paul Harper held Fant


MalcolmMcKaywon the seatwith a majority of 51. Mr Barned said: “I’mnot going to


stand again. I’mnowinmy 70s and it is time to stand aside and let some of the younger ones do it. I’ll still be active in local stuffwhere I can.” Independent Maidstone’s Eddie


Powell said the doorstep feedback towards the mainstream political partieswas “extremely negative, but also extremely real”. Hisprediction of a lowturnout on


the day – just 31% - favouring the traditional parties also proved true. LiberalDemocrat councillorClive


English, who easily retook High Street ward, said that his members were “reasonably happy” with some of the results. He added: “There were one or


THE NEWCOUNCIL


The composition of Maidstone Borough Council is now: Conservative 25 Liberal Democrat 20 Labour 3 IndependentMaidstone 2 Independents 4 Independent other 1 Source:MBC


two surprises, but nothing earth- shattering.All the results can be put down to local factors.” The Lib Dems dropped Bridge


and Coxheath&Huntonwards. Cllr English suggested a hard


campaign by the Green Party’s Donna Greenan and her team may have squeezed the Lib Demvote in Bridge ward to let Tory Jonathan Purle in by a handsome 110 votes, at the expense ofDavid Pickett. He added: “In effect, there was a


pincer movement between the Greens andtheTories.Evidentlywe underestimatedthe number of votes theGreenswould get in Bridge.” In Coxheath & Hunton, Lottie


Parfitt-Reid dislodged the popular and respected BrianMortimer after a spirited campaign. Cllr English said: “It is no secret


that our councillor there,BrianMor- timer, has been very ill for awhile. “It was difficult for him to put in


the effort that was needed. He has been a very good councillor and if hewere fully fit that resultwouldn’t have happened.”


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