2007 Maidstone Borough Council election explained

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]

Notes and References

  1. News: Maidstone. BBC News Online. 7 March 2011.
  2. News: National: Elections 2007: Town and country go to the polls. 4 May 2007. The Guardian. 6.
  3. Web site: Maidstone Borough Council Election Results - Thursday 3 May 2007. Maidstone Borough Council. 7 March 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111002104852/http://www.maidstone.gov.uk/pdf/070503resultsheet_after.pdf. 2 October 2011. dead. dmy-all.
  4. News: Lib Dems victory in Prescott's back yard. 4 May 2007. The Press and Journal. 13.