Maidstone Council election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Maidstone Council election took place on 6 May 2010 to elect members of Maidstone
Borough
Council in Kent
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
lost seats, meaning there were 4 independents on the council after the election. Overall turnout
in the election was 66%.
The Liberal Democrats gained 3 seats from the Conservatives in the wards
of Bridge, East and South, including defeating the cabinet member for leisure and Conservative deputy leader, Brian Moss, in Bridge. However the Conservatives took a seat back from the Liberal Democrats in Park Wood
and the Conservatives also gained 2 seats from independents. The Conservatives gains from independents came in Bearsted
and Shepway
South, with the independent group leader, Pat Marshall, losing in Bearsted.
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 Conservative party
Conservative 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...
stayed in overall control of the council.
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...
28 - Liberal Democrat 23
- 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
Election result
The results saw the Conservatives hold control of the council after winning half of the seats being elected. This meant the Conservatives remained on 28 seats, while the Liberal Democrats gained 2 to hold 23 seats. Meanwhile 2 independentsIndependent (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...
lost seats, meaning there were 4 independents on the council after the election. 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 66%.
The Liberal Democrats gained 3 seats from the Conservatives in the 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:...
of Bridge, East and South, including defeating the cabinet member for leisure and Conservative deputy leader, Brian Moss, in Bridge. However the Conservatives took a seat back from the Liberal Democrats in Park Wood
Park Wood, Maidstone
Park Wood is a mixture of private housing and a former council estate on the south east extremity of Maidstone in Kent, England. The former council properties are now managed by Golding Homes. In 2006, a large part of Park Wood was redevoloped, and various new housing estates have been built in the...
and the Conservatives also gained 2 seats from independents. The Conservatives gains from independents came in Bearsted
Bearsted
Bearsted is an ancient village and civil parish in mid-Kent, three miles to the east of Maidstone. The original village site was on the north bank of the River Len, a tributary of the River Medway, and at the foot of the North Downs....
and Shepway
Shepway, Maidstone
Shepway is a suburb to the south-east of Maidstone in Kent, England. It lies to the south of Mote Park, to the east of Loose Road and Sutton Road and west of Willington Street. The land was formerly farmland and orchards...
South, with the independent group leader, Pat Marshall, losing in Bearsted.