Thanet Independents Group candidate Trevor Shonk has won the Northwood ward seat in the Ramsgate Town Council by-election.
The seat became vacant following the sad death of Kay Dark (Labour) who had been elected last year.
The by-election polls opened yesterday (May 2) with two candidates, Trevor Shonk (TIG) and Gita Sahni (Labour). The count took place at Thanet council’s office this morning.
Gita Sahni polled 457 votes. Trevor Shonk gained 566 votes and takes the seat. Turn out was 21%.
Cllr Shonk was elected to the county council as a Ramsgate representative on a Tory ticket in 2021.
The former Ramsgate mayor had been a member of UKIP prior to joining the Conservatives.
Last November he and fellow Conservative county councillor Linda Wright were suspended from the Tories for defying a party line on housing policy.
At the time defiant Cllr Shonk said he wouldn’t “grovel” to be accepted back into the Tory fold.
Both members had sided with a Green Party motion on KCC’s policy regarding developer money put towards community improvement, known as section 106 contributions, as part of planning permissions.
The Tory group had voted to oppose the motion in advance of full council but Cllrs Wright and Shonk had decided to go against the party line.
In March this year he quit the Tory Party and joined Thanet Independent Group.
Ramsgate Town Council is now made up of 12 Labour Councillors; 2 Green Councillors; 1 Conservative Councillor and 1 TIG.
