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News | Elections


downsmail.co.uk


The Liberal Democrat group is celebrating keeping hold of power, despite losses at the polls


LibDems hang on to power with support fromLabour


THE Conservatives have failed in their attempt to wrest back control of Maidstone Borough Council, despite being the largest party at the town hall. The Liberal Democrats resume as


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 East June 2018


the ruling party after elections on May 3 in a coalitionwith theLabour Party and assorted independents. MartinCox is the newleaderwith


indie FayGooch as deputy. Although the Tories are numeri-


cally superior, with 25 seats com- pared to the Lib Dems’ 20, they could only achieve the support of the two-strong Independent Maid- stone group. Two members were unavailable for the vote onMay 19. Even with all the members in


place, the votewouldhave been tied at 27-27, with the Lib Dem mayor given the casting vote. Lib Dem councillor Clive English


said: “Itwas slightlymore comfort- able for us because two Tories weren’t present. “In any case, it would have gone


to the casting vote and we’d have taken it that way. But it just goes to showthat the Tories find it difficult to negotiatewith other parties.” Defeated Tory group leader John


Perry said: “We got stitched up by an inevitable coalition.Wewere two members down, for totally under- standable reasons beyond their con- trol. “Naturally, I amdisappointed, be-


causewe had justwon an election.” Cllr Perry said theMay 2019 elec-


tion campaign “begins immedi- ately”. OnMay 3, the Tories made three


gains while the ruling Liberal De- mocrats dropped two. The Tories picked up Bridge (Lib Dem), Cox-


Cllrs Fay Gooch andMartin Cox


heath & Hunton (Lib Dem) and Shepway North (Independent Maidstone). Most Conservatives agreed that, had theyworked Shep- way 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 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”.His prediction


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


of a low turnout on the day – just 31%– favouring the traditional par- ties also proved true. Cllr English, who easily retook


HighStreetward, saidthathismem- berswere “reasonably happy”with some of the results. He added: “There were one or two surprises, but nothing earth- shattering.All the results can be put down to local fac- tors.” The Lib Dems dropped Bridge


andCoxheath&Huntonwards.Cllr English suggested a hard campaign by the Green Party’s Donna Greenan and her team may have squeezed the Lib Dem vote 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.


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