The new make of Folkestone & Hythe District Council is as follows – 13 Conservative, six Labour, six Green, two Ukip, two Lib Dem and one Independent.
Results by party, out of 30 seats:
Conservative: 13 (-10)
Green: 6 (+6)
Labour: 6 (+6)
Lib Dem: 2 (+2)
UKIP: 2 (-2)
Ind: 1 (-1)
Foundation Party: (-1)
As a % of the total votes cast across the district:
Conservative: 35.64%
Green: 25.21%
Labour: 18.81 %
Lib Dem: 12.06%
Others: 8.28%
Congratulations and thanks go out to all the count staff.
Hythe as everyone suspected has gone Green, all three Tory Candidates lost their seats. So it is goodbye to Alan Ewart-James, Malcolm Dearden and David Owen who between them have lost close to £45,000 annually and hello to Lesley Barbara Whybrow, Jim Martin and Georgina Treloar of the Green Party.
Sandgate and West Folkestone ward lost both Conservative Rory Love and Jan Holben and gained two Liberal Democrats Gary Fuller and Tim Prater with 844 and 962 votes respectively.
Hythe Rural – where Tory Paul Peacock and Michael Lyons, who both lost their seats to the two Green candidates who were elected, Douglas Wade and John Wing with 978, and 868 votes respectively.
New Romney ward results – Where Tory Russell Tillson lost his vote and Susie Govett was not up for re-election. Tory Patricia Rolfe and independent David Wimble are elected, with 624 and 1,032 votes respectively.
East Folkestone results – Labour take all three seats. Michelle Dorrell, Connor McConville and Jackie Meade elected with 639, 558 and 623 votes respectively.
Conservative gain in Walland and Denge Marsh – Clive Goddard re-elected with 858 votes, and Tony Hills takes former Ukip Cllr Len Laws seat with 836 votes.
Folkestone Central Ward Full results: Dan Brook, Cons 726 (elected); Laura Davison, Lab, 782 (elected), David Horton, Lab 656; Sally Matthews, Lib Dem 481; Tom McNiece, LibDem 473; David Monk, Cons 675 (elected); Dick Pascoe Cons 635; Oliver Robinson, Lib Dems 422; Bryan Rylands Ind 357; Belinda Walker Lab, 614. So Dick Pascoe a former Tory Cllr has lost his £18,000 a year.
North Downs East ward results are in and it’s a Conservative hold. David Godfrey, Philip Martin and Stuart Peall all re-elected, with 1,274, 1,181 and 1,213 votes respectively.
Romney Marsh ward results: Ukip hold their seat and gain one from Conservatives. Ian Meyers and Terry Mullard are elected with 851 and 810 votes respectively.
The Green Party have their first councillor, in Cheriton ward. Rebecca Shoob was elected with 846 votes. Conservatives John Collier and Peter Gane were also elected with 793 and 854 votes respectively.
Results for North Downs West ward are in and it’s a Conservative hold for Susan Carey and Jenny Hollingsbee, elected with 945 votes and 847 votes respectively.
Results for Folkestone Harbour ward: Labour gain from Ukip and Conservative. Ray Field (pictured) elected with 395 votes, Nicola Keen with 402.
Ann Berry has held her seat for Broadmead ward – Conservative hold. She had 582 votes, Labour 220 and Lib Deb 178.
Now to take control of the Council the six Labour, six Green, two Ukip, two Lib Dem and one Independent will probably need to form a coalition of some description. Wimble as the independent will work with the Tories we suspect.
A more detailed analysis will unfold over the next few days.
The local Conservatives have got what they richly deserved. It was not just a Brexit backlash but, also reflection on their sub-standard performance whilst in office. Their predilection for cronyism, secrecy and dubious planning decisions has caught up with them.
Now it is up to the opposition parties to work together and form an administration. They need to put the needs of the district and its residents first. One way they can do this is to embrace openness in the way in which decisions are reached. They should also begin investigations into the dubious dealings of the previous administration and publish the results.
One final point to make is that this result would not have been possible were it not for the work of the ShepwayVox Team. They have shone a light into some very dark corners in the district – particularly planning issues. They have stepped in to fill a void created by the precipitous decline of the local newspapers by exposing stories and issues that would never have come into the public domain. For this we should all be grateful.
Nice try Bryan. But PB above is right you know. Perhaps you and the SV Team are just not meant to be politicians. You all do a damn fine job of holding the Council and its Cllrs to account, and I for one hope you will continue to do so in this new era.
Over the last four years the Shepwayvox Team have agitated, annoyed and exposed the wrong doing of our Council and elected Cllrs. They have been a major contributor to the change that has happened by shaping the political environment in and across our district. I personally wish to thank them as a newly elected Cllr, without them I do not believe the change that has happened, would have happened.
Thank you, but it is much bigger than us. All those who shared information along the way have helped as well. We are grateful to them and you for your kind words.
I’ll second what the above newly elected Cllr says. Without the Shepwayvox Team, I as a newly elected Labour Cllr to the District chamber do not believe the wave of change which has happened across our district would have happened. Thank you for all your efforts over the last long four years.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Romney Marsh Ward results ?
Amended the post and are now up on the page, apologies for the oversight but Public Face was having some well earned kip.
Thank you 🙂
Sorry to see Bryan not get in. But surprise surprise Ann Berry keeps her seat. The old ***.
The local Conservatives have got what they richly deserved. It was not just a Brexit backlash but, also reflection on their sub-standard performance whilst in office. Their predilection for cronyism, secrecy and dubious planning decisions has caught up with them.
Now it is up to the opposition parties to work together and form an administration. They need to put the needs of the district and its residents first. One way they can do this is to embrace openness in the way in which decisions are reached. They should also begin investigations into the dubious dealings of the previous administration and publish the results.
One final point to make is that this result would not have been possible were it not for the work of the ShepwayVox Team. They have shone a light into some very dark corners in the district – particularly planning issues. They have stepped in to fill a void created by the precipitous decline of the local newspapers by exposing stories and issues that would never have come into the public domain. For this we should all be grateful.
We the Shepwayvox Team thank for your kind comments.
Nice try Bryan. But PB above is right you know. Perhaps you and the SV Team are just not meant to be politicians. You all do a damn fine job of holding the Council and its Cllrs to account, and I for one hope you will continue to do so in this new era.
Mr Wimble: loose cannon or good egg? Pretty loose and good in parts maybe?
Nice try Bryan. Hang on in there, you are doing a really excellent job
Over the last four years the Shepwayvox Team have agitated, annoyed and exposed the wrong doing of our Council and elected Cllrs. They have been a major contributor to the change that has happened by shaping the political environment in and across our district. I personally wish to thank them as a newly elected Cllr, without them I do not believe the change that has happened, would have happened.
Thank you, but it is much bigger than us. All those who shared information along the way have helped as well. We are grateful to them and you for your kind words.
I’ll second what the above newly elected Cllr says. Without the Shepwayvox Team, I as a newly elected Labour Cllr to the District chamber do not believe the wave of change which has happened across our district would have happened. Thank you for all your efforts over the last long four years.