2007 Maidstone Borough Council election

Map of the results of the 2007 Maidstone council election. Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow and independent in white. Wards in grey were not contested in 2007.

The 2007 Maidstone Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Maidstone Borough Council in Kent, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Background

Before the election the Conservatives were the largest party on the council with 27 seats, compared to 20 Liberal Democrats, 4 Labour and 4 independent councillors.[3] 20 seats were up for election, with 2 of these in Bridge and South wards being by-elections after the resignation of the previous councillors.[3]

The Conservatives held the seats of Detling and Thurnham and Sutton Valence and Langley without a contest after no other candidates stood in those seats.[3] In total 64 candidates stood in the election, comprising 20 Conservatives, 16 Liberal Democrats, 11 Green party, 10 Labour, 5 independents and 2 British National Party.[3] As well as the by-elections, 2 sitting councillors did not stand in the election, Liberal Democrat John Williams from Coxheath and Hunton ward and independent Janetta Sams from Harrietsham and Lenham ward.[3]

Election result

The results saw no party win a majority on the council after the Liberal Democrats made a net gain of 1 seat from the Conservatives.[4] This reduced the Conservatives to 26 seats and was a disappointment for them as Maidstone had been one of the party's top 10 targets in the 2007 local elections.[4] Overall turnout in the election was 37.68%.[3]

Maidstone Local Election Result 2007[3][5]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 9 1 2 -1 45.0 49.2 15,968 +2.5%
  Liberal Democrats 9 2 1 +1 45.0 33.2 10,773 +2.5%
  Independent 2 0 0 0 10.0 5.4 1,762 -0.2%
  Labour 0 0 0 0 0 5.9 1,905 -5.3%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 5.3 1,722 +0.8%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 329 +1.0%

Ward results

Allington[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Cynthia Robertson 1,517 63.9 +1.3
Conservative Jeff Curwood 684 28.8 +2.6
Labour Marianna Poliszczuk 174 7.3 +1.3
Majority 833 35.1 −1.3
Turnout 2,375 42.7 +1.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Bearsted[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Allan Bradshaw 1,935 70.0 +28.7
Liberal Democrats Sheila Chittenden 510 18.5 +18.5
Green Edward Wallace 319 11.3 +6.8
Majority 1,425 51.5
Turnout 2,764 42.9 +0.4
Conservative hold Swing
Boxley[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Malcolm Greer 1,415 67.2 +1.5
Liberal Democrats John Doherty 534 25.3 +1.5
BNP Gareth Veitch 158 7.5 +7.5
Majority 881 41.8 −0.1
Turnout 2,107 32.9 +4.3
Conservative hold Swing
Bridge[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats David Pickett 746 50.5 +12.8
Conservative Martin Cluett 611 41.4 −2.0
Green Andrew Waldie 120 8.1 −2.8
Majority 135 9.1
Turnout 1,477 34.7 +1.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Coxheath and Hunton[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Colin Parr 1,239 47.8 −0.3
Conservative John Wilson 1,221 47.1 +0.4
Labour Michael Casserley 130 5.0 −0.2
Majority 18 0.7 −0.8
Turnout 2,590 47.7 +5.6
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Detling and Thurnham[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Horne unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Downswood and Otham[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent David Marchant 405 50.8 −25.5
Independent Gordon Newton 230 28.9 +28.9
Conservative Mark Hodges 162 20.3 +1.6
Majority 175 22.0 −35.6
Turnout 797 37.9 +8.9
Independent hold Swing
East[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats David Naghi 1,386 54.1 +16.5
Conservative Jamie Devlin 912 35.6 −16.0
Labour Michael Beckwith 167 6.5 −0.3
Green James Shalice 97 3.8 +3.8
Majority 474 18.5
Turnout 2,562 41.4 +2.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Fant[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Nick Schnell 773 40.2 +2.9
Conservative James Ross 454 23.6 −2.5
Green Stuart Jeffery 342 17.8 +5.1
Labour Keith Adkinson 245 12.7 −4.4
Independent Carol Vizzard 109 5.7 −1.1
Majority 319 16.6 +5.5
Turnout 1,923 33.6 +4.3
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Harrietsham and Lenham[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Tom Sams 941 45.8 +45.8
Conservative Gary Cooke 834 40.6 −16.9
Liberal Democrats Stephen Morris 230 11.2 +11.2
Green Sarah Goodwin 50 2.4 +2.4
Majority 107 5.2
Turnout 2,055 48.1 +7.0
Independent hold Swing
High Street[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Fran Wilson 758 46.8 +0.6
Conservative Paul Butcher 533 32.9 −1.3
Labour Richard Coates 182 11.2 −1.3
Green Wendy Lewis 148 9.1 +9.1
Majority 225 13.9 +1.9
Turnout 1,621 27.8 +2.8
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Leeds[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Parvin 639 84.7 +15.8
Labour Elizabeth Stevens 115 15.3 +2.3
Majority 524 69.5 +18.7
Turnout 754 40.1 −1.4
Conservative hold Swing
Loose[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ben Sherreard 413 50.4 +7.9
Liberal Democrats Hugh Laing 358 43.7 −8.2
Green Angela Wooi 48 5.9 +5.9
Majority 55 6.7
Turnout 819 44.5 +3.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Marden and Yalding[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Annabelle Blackmore 1,324 62.7 −9.7
Liberal Democrats Carol Jacques 422 20.0 −7.6
Labour Edith Davis 216 10.2 +10.2
Green Ian McDonald 151 7.1 +7.1
Majority 902 42.7 −2.2
Turnout 2,113 36.5 +1.0
Conservative hold Swing
North[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Marvyn Warner 973 54.0 −3.4
Conservative Jeff Tree 500 27.8 −0.4
Green Derek Eagle 145 8.1 +0.6
Labour Patrick Coates 106 5.9 −1.0
Independent Maureen Cleator 77 4.3 +4.3
Majority 473 26.3 −2.8
Turnout 1,801 32.0 −1.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Shepway North[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Marion Ring 989 53.8 +6.3
Labour James Carney 359 19.5 −4.3
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Samme 201 10.9 +10.9
BNP William Hitches 171 9.3 +9.3
Green Stephen Muggeridge 119 6.5 −3.1
Majority 630 34.3 +10.6
Turnout 1,839 30.0 +0.1
Conservative hold Swing
South (2)[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats John Wilson 1,234
Liberal Democrats Ian Chittenden 1,139
Conservative Keith Andrews 1,113
Conservative Alan Chell 1,102
Green Penny Kemp 183
Turnout 4,771 40.7
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing
Staplehurst[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Lusty 1,127 70.1 +3.4
Liberal Democrats Thomas Burnham 270 16.8 −3.8
Labour John Randall 211 13.1 +0.4
Majority 857 53.3 +7.2
Turnout 1,608 35.7 −0.6
Conservative hold Swing
Sutton Valence and Langley[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paulina Stockell unopposed
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "Maidstone". BBC News Online. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  2. ^ "National: Elections 2007: Town and country go to the polls". The Guardian. 4 May 2007. p. 6.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Maidstone Borough Council Election Results - Thursday 3 May 2007" (PDF). Maidstone Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Lib Dems victory in Prescott's back yard". The Press and Journal. 4 May 2007. p. 13.
  5. ^ "Results". The Times. 5 May 2007. p. 83.