Maidstone Council election, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Maidstone 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
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
were the largest party on the council with 27 seats, compared to 20 Liberal Democrats, 4 Labour
and 4 independent
councillor
s. 20 seats were up for election, with 2 of these in Bridge and South wards
being by-election
s after the resignation of the previous councillors.
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. 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
. 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.
. Overall turnout
in the election was 37.68%.
Maidstone (borough)
Maidstone is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its administrative centre is Maidstone which is also the County town of Kent...
Borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
Council in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control
No overall control
Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament...
.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
26 - Liberal Democrat 21
- LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
4 - IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
4
Background
Before the election the ConservativesConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
were the largest party on the council with 27 seats, compared to 20 Liberal Democrats, 4 Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and 4 independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s. 20 seats were up for election, with 2 of these in Bridge and South wards
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
being by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
s after the resignation of the previous councillors.
The Conservatives held the seats of Detling
Detling
Detling is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Maidstone in Kent, England. The parish is located on the slope of the North Downs, north east of Maidstone, and on the Pilgrims' Way....
and Thurnham
Thurnham, Kent
Thurnham is a village and civil parish which lies at the foot of the North Downs north east of Maidstone in the Borough of Maidstone and ceremonial county of Kent in England. It has a population of 1,085....
and Sutton Valence
Sutton Valence
Sutton Valence is a village some five miles SE of Maidstone, Kent, England on the Greensand Ridge overlooking the Vale of Kent and Weald. One of the main landmarks in the village is , of which only the ruins of the 12th century keep remain, under the ownership of English Heritage, open any...
and Langley
Langley, Kent
Langley is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the A274 road leading south from Maidstone to Headcorn .-History:...
without a contest after no other candidates stood in those seats. In total 64 candidates stood in the election, comprising 20 Conservatives, 16 Liberal Democrats, 11 Green party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
, 10 Labour, 5 independents and 2 British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
. As well as the by-elections, 2 sitting councillors did not stand in the election, Liberal Democrat John Williams from Coxheath
Coxheath
Coxheath is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Maidstone, Kent, England. The parish is approximately south of Maidstone. It is mainly centred along Heath Road which links the villages of Yalding and Boughton Monchelsea to the west and east, respectively.A replica beacon pole and the...
and Hunton
Hunton, Kent
-External links:...
ward and independent Janetta Sams from Harrietsham
Harrietsham
Harrietsham is a rural village and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, it has a population of around 1,504. The parish is located on the slope of the North Downs, east of Maidstone...
and Lenham
Lenham
Lenham is a market village in Kent situated on the southern edge of the North Downs, halfway between Maidstone and Ashford. The picturesque square in the village has two public houses , a couple of restaurants, and a tea-room....
ward.
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. 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 electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2007
The 2007 UK local government elections were held on 3 May 2007. These elections took place in most of England and all of Scotland. There were no local government elections in Wales though the Welsh Assembly had a general election on the same day. There were no local government elections in Northern...
. Overall turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
in the election was 37.68%.