Thurrock Council election, 2007

The 2007 Thurrock Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Thurrock Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.[1]

The Conservatives, Labour and British National Party (BNP) contested all 16 wards which were up for election. In total 55 candidates stood in the election including 6 Liberal Democrats, 3 from the United Kingdom Independence Party, 2 independents and 1 candidate from the Independent Working Class Association. Anti-social behaviour, recycling and cleanliness were seen as major issues by the parties,[2] on a council which was seen as a top Labour target.[3]

The British National Party put up candidates in every ward, for the first time.[4] However, they secured no seats despite claiming that they were picking up votes from right wing Conservative supporters disaffected with David Cameron, particularly in middle class areas.[5] In the West Thurrock and South Stifford ward, Ken Daly stood for the BNP in protest at the treatment of his son's killer.[6]

The results of the election saw the Conservatives lose their overall majority on the council after losing 3 seats and only gaining one. The Labour party made a net gain of two seats, while the BNP came second in 6 seats after a strong rise in votes.[7] Overall turnout was 31% and after the election the balance of power on the council was held by 3 independents.[8]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Election results

Thurrock Local Election Result 2007[9][10]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/-
  Labour 8 3 1 +2 50.0 34.1 9,920 -1.8%
  Conservative 7 1 3 -2 43.8 30.7 8,934 -10.6%
  Independent 1 0 0 0 6.3 4.2 1,226 +2.3%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0 24.6 7,149 +12.6%
  Liberal Democrat 0 0 0 0 0 4.0 1,187 -3.1%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 1.7 507 +1.7%
  Independent Working Class 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 144 +0.5%

Ward results

Aveley & Uplands[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Cowell 671 37.0 -14.6
BNP John Cotter 562 31.0 +31.0
Labour Martin Healy 436 24.0 -3.9
Liberal Democrat John Livermore 146 8.0 -1.5
Majority 109 6.0 -17.7
Turnout 1,815 28.0 -0.8
Conservative hold Swing
Belhus[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Curtis 645 36.0 -5.5
Conservative Billy Taylor 618 34.5 +6.0
BNP David Strickson 407 22.7 -7.3
Liberal Democrat John Biddall 121 6.8 +6.8
Majority 27 1.5 -10.0
Turnout 1,791 27.1 +0.5
Labour hold Swing
Chadwell St. Mary[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Anthony Fish 973 43.3 +4.8
BNP Bryn Robinson 738 32.8 +8.0
Conservative Lee Dove 395 17.6 -9.3
Liberal Democrat Arthur Bowles 141 6.3 -3.5
Majority 235 10.5 -1.1
Turnout 2,247 31.0 -2.6
Labour hold Swing
Chafford & North Stifford[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Neil Rockliffe 564 36.5
Liberal Democrat Earnshaw Palmer 447 28.9
Labour Grant Smith 233 15.1
BNP Donna Stickson 228 14.8
UKIP Alan Broad 73 4.7
Majority 117 7.6
Turnout 1,545 28.7 +0.7
Conservative hold Swing
Corringham & Fobbing[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anne Cheale 734 41.5
Labour John Cecil 565 32.0
BNP Warren Parish 469 26.5
Majority 169 9.5
Turnout 1,768 39.7 +3.6
Conservative hold Swing
East Tilbury[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent John Purkiss 957 66.3
BNP Linda Geri 350 24.2
Labour Manuel Sanwo 137 9.5
Majority 607 42.1
Turnout 1,444 30.8 -4.3
Independent hold Swing
Grays Riverside[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valerie Morris-Cook 741 43.7 +0.1
BNP Rob Maloney 436 25.7 -2.1
Conservative Priscillar Wren 352 20.7 -7.9
Liberal Democrat William Jackson 168 9.9 +9.9
Majority 305 18.0 +3.0
Turnout 1,697 23.2 -1.9
Labour hold Swing
Grays Thurrock[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Catherine Kent 1,034 48.5 +6.5
Conservative Amanda Redsell 570 26.7 -10.6
BNP Rickey Strickson 530 24.8 +7.3
Majority 464 21.8 +17.1
Turnout 2,134 33.6 -3.4
Labour hold Swing
Little Thurrock Rectory[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stuart St.Clair-Haslam 566 38.3 -30.0
Labour John-Paul Garner 430 29.1 -2.6
BNP Terry Gowen 318 21.5 +21.5
Liberal Democrat Thomas Kelly 164 11.1 +11.1
Majority 136 9.2 -27.4
Turnout 1,478 32.7 +0.6
Conservative hold Swing
Ockendon[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Barry Johnson 728 34.8 -4.2
Labour Oliver Gerrish 714 34.1 -11.1
BNP Mark Gorman 434 20.7 +20.7
UKIP Matthew Knowles 218 10.4 +10.4
Majority 14 0.7
Turnout 2,094 31.1 +0.5
Conservative hold Swing
Stanford East & Corringham Town[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roisin O'Reilly 905 37.7 -2.5
Conservative Hazel Daniels 844 35.2 -1.1
BNP Christopher Roberts 505 21.1 -2.4
Independent Working Class David Amis 144 6.0 +6.0
Majority 61 2.5 -1.4
Turnout 2,398 36.8 +0.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Stanford-Le-Hope West[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Hardiman 587 39.7
Labour Gerard Rice 409 27.7
BNP Lauren Kay 266 18.0
UKIP Clive Broad 216 14.6
Majority 178 12.0
Turnout 1,478 31.2 +1.6
Conservative hold Swing
Stifford Clays[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Diana Hale 762 41.7 +0.3
Conservative Leopoldo Milan-Vega 632 34.6 -8.6
BNP Angela Daly 435 23.8 +23.8
Majority 130 7.1
Turnout 1,829 38.3 -2.6
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
The Homesteads[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Pauline Tolson 1,077 41.3 -1.4
Labour Salvatore Benson 877 33.7 -0.9
BNP Paul Woodley 652 25.0 +25.0
Majority 200 7.6 -0.5
Turnout 2,606 39.0 +1.8
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
Tilbury Riverside & Thurrock Park[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paul Attah 383 33.9 -2.7
BNP Nicholas Geri 341 30.2 +30.2
Independent June Brown 269 23.8 -8.4
Conservative Paul Coutts 137 12.1 -19.2
Majority 42 3.7 -0.7
Turnout 1,131 25.0 -0.4
Labour hold Swing
West Thurrock & South Stifford[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Julieann Burkey 676 41.9 +5.5
BNP Kenneth Daly 478 29.6 -5.8
Conservative Georgette Polley 459 28.5 +0.3
Majority 198 12.3 +11.3
Turnout 1,613 26.6 -2.3
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

References

  1. ^ "Thurrock". BBC News Online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2007/councils/html/kg.stm. Retrieved 2009-11-26. 
  2. ^ "Election battles ahead". Echo. 2007-04-05. http://archive.echo-news.co.uk/2007/4/5/248100.html. Retrieved 2008-12-12. 
  3. ^ "Local elections: key battlegrounds". Evening Standard. 2007-04-13. p. 1. 
  4. ^ "Nowhere else to go", Ros Wynne-Jones, New Statesman, 30 April 2007.
  5. ^ "Small parties in final local push", BBC News, 2 May 2007.
  6. ^ "Lack of justice drives grieving dad to BNP", Frazer Clark, Thurrock Gazette, 21 March 2007.
  7. ^ "Tories lose overall control of Thurrock". Gazette. 2007-05-04. http://archive.gazette-news.co.uk/2007/5/4/249911.html. Retrieved 2008-12-12. 
  8. ^ "Tories lose overall control". Gazette. 2007-05-04. http://archive.gazette-news.co.uk/2007/5/4/249874.html. Retrieved 2008-12-12. 
  9. ^ a b "Results". The Times. 2007-05-05. p. 83. 
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Full results of local elections, 3rd May 2007". Thurrock Council. http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/democracy/pdf/election_20070503.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-26. 
Preceded by
Thurrock Council election, 2006
Thurrock local elections Succeeded by
Thurrock Council election, 2008