Conservative candidate Liz Hurst has won the county council seat in the Birchington and Rural by-election.
The poll was called due to the death of sitting county councillor Ken Gregory last October.
Cllr Hurst is a Birchington parish councillor and also a business woman who runs a pet shop in the village.
The turn out for the election was low at just 17%.
Labour was second in the vote, UKIP trailed behind the Lib Dems and a small percentage of the poll went to Greens.
The vote was
Conservative Liz Hurst 2,534
Labour Pauline Farrance 856
Lib Dem Angie Curwen 561
UKIP Zita Wiltshire 357
Green Natasha Ransom 169
The Conservatives increased their share of the poll, compared to last year’s election, by 2% from 53% to 55%. Labour also increased its vote from 16% to 20%. The increases look to be due to a drop in UKIP support.
Labour county councillor Barry Lewis said the results showed a 2% swing to Labour from Conservative’s vote.
The district election count for Thanet Villages came next with Conservatives also taking that seat.
Results were
Conservative Reece Pugh 620
Lib Dem Angie Curwen 313
Labour Pauline Farrance 206
Green Natasha Ransom 66
Independent Sonya Smyth – 52
Turn out 23.11%
My heartiest congratulations to the two clear Conservative winners. Long my this continue. Whatever happens, the most urgent priority is Police Officers on duty in our Rural areas. The villages need support.
So why vote Tory as they are the ones cutting back funding to KCC – about 63 million in the upcoming year ? The Lib Dem’s are the opposition in KCC fighting these cut backs,
Well done to both the Conservative members. Please help us to get some police on the streets in the Villages.
Great campaign by Labour. Congratulations to all those who turned out.
Thank you to everyone who voted for me as the Liberal Democrat Candidate. Our vote share of 24% in Thanet Villages, putting us in 2nd place behind the Conservative Candidate, demonstrates there is a will for change from a significant section of the residents and i will continue campaigning on their behalf against unfair cuts affecting rural services. Angie Curwen
Well done to you both.You will enjoy your future work even if at times you run across some difficulties.
Wanna vote Tory now? RSP and Gale list 275 houses for Minster, 573 Birchington, and other sites in Manston, Sarr, St Nicholas, Manston, with smaller sites. How many will regret their Tory vote now in Birchington and the villages. And night flights as well. And still they plot to vote down the local Plan adding 3000 more homes to the total required. Hate to say it, but, told you it was always houses and airport. The irony that this report confirms TDC housing number calculation as well.
Why then mr wells did ukip did not put up a candidate in the district by election given you control the council,
If all the candidates could have been bothered to canvas or at least information drop each dwelling then perhaps the turnout might have been higher.