| Election Name: | 2013 Kent County Council election |
| Country: | Kent |
| Type: | Parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Party Colour: | yes |
| Previous Election: | 2009 Kent County Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2009 |
| Next Election: | 2017 United Kingdom local elections |
| Next Year: | 2017 |
| Seats For Election: | All 84 seats to Kent County Council |
| Majority Seats: | 43 |
| Election Date: | 2 May 2013 |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Seats1: | 44 |
| Seat Change1: | 27 |
| Party2: | UKIP |
| Seats2: | 17 |
| Seat Change2: | 16 |
| Party4: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Seats4: | 13 |
| Seat Change4: | 10 |
| Party5: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Seats5: | 7 |
| Seat Change5: | 0 |
| Map Size: | 400px |
| Council control | |
| Posttitle: | Council control after election |
| Before Election: | Conservative |
| After Election: | Conservative |
The Kent County Council election, 2013 was an election to all 84 seats on Kent County Council held on Thursday 2 May as part of the 2013 United Kingdom local elections. 84 councillors were elected from 72 electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. The electoral divisions were the same as those used at the previous election in 2009. No elections were held in Medway, which is a unitary authority outside the area covered by the County Council. The election saw the Conservative Party narrowly retain overall control of the council.[1]
All locally registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) who were aged 18 or over on Thursday 2 May 2013 were entitled to vote in the local elections. Those who were temporarily away from their ordinary address (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) were also entitled to vote in the local elections,[2] although those who had moved abroad and registered as overseas electors cannot vote in the local elections. It is possible to register to vote at more than one address (such as a university student who had a term-time address and lives at home during holidays) at the discretion of the local Electoral Register Office, but it remains an offence to vote more than once in the same local government election.[3]
The Conservative Party retained overall control of the council, winning 44 of the 84 seats on the council. This was a reduction of 30 seats from the party's 2009 performance, where the local party held all but 10 of the 84 seats.
UKIP came second in terms of councillors with 17 seats (including one defection from the Conservatives prior to the election), the party is now the council's official opposition with Roger Latchford as their leader. UKIP capitalised on their strong national opinion poll performances and Parliamentary by-election results, winning their first representation on the council.[4] Labour Party candidates made substantial gains, rising from 3 to 13 seats and finishing in third place in the election. Despite local Liberal Democrats winning the same number of seats as in 2009, they are no longer the official opposition, having slipped to become the fourth-largest party in the Maidstone County Hall chamber.
The Green Party won their first seat on the council, for the Hythe division.
The Swanscombe and Greenhithe division was held by the incumbent independent councillor, who gained the seat in 2009.
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Prior to the election the composition of the council was:
| 74 | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| Conservative | LD | Lab | R |
After the election the composition of the council was:
| 45 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 1 | |
| Conservative | UKIP | Labour | LD | G | R |
Kent is divided into 12 regions: Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Gravesham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Folkestone and Hythe, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling, and Tunbridge Wells.
There are seven single-member constituencies within the borough of Ashford. Below are the results:[5]
There are five single-member and two multi-member constituencies within the City of Canterbury, which elect a total of nine councilors to Kent County Council. Below are the results:[6]
There are six single-member constituencies within the borough of Dartford. Below are the results:[7]
There are three single-member and two multi-member constituencies within the District of Dover, which elect a total of seven councillors to Kent County Council. Below are the results:[8]
There is a single-member and two multi-member constituencies within the Borough of Gravesham, which elect a total of five councillors to Kent County Council. Below are the results:[9]
There are seven single-member and one multi-member constituencies within the Borough of Maidstone, which elect a total of nine councillors to Kent County Council. Below are the results:[10]
There are seven single-member constituencies within the District of Sevenoaks which elect to Kent County Council. Below are the results:[11]
There are six single-member constituencies within the District of Shepway, that elect councillors to Kent County Council. The results are:[12]
There are six single-member constituencies and one multi-member constituencies within the Borough of Swale, which elect a total of eight councillors to Kent County Council. Below are the results:[13]
There are two single-member and three multi-member constituencies within the District of Thanet, which elect a total of eight councillors to Kent County Council. Below are the results:[14]
There are five single-member constituencies and one multi-member constituency within the District of Tonbridge and Malling, which elect a total of seven councillors to Kent County Council. Below are the results:[15]
There are six single-member constituencies within the Borough of Tunbridge Wells. Below are the results:[16]