Local Conservatives are celebrating this morning after a night of successful results in the elections for Rochford District Council. The Conservatives made 4 gains on the night and now have 25 seats on the 39 member council, giving them a majority of 11 over all other parties.
This year’s elections were given an added spice as most of the opposition parties had clubbed together to form an electoral pact, known as “United for Democracy”, by which they sought to take overall control of the council. However, local residents were clearly unconvinced and the Tories won 11 out of the 13 seats which were contested last night.
In particular, the Conservatives made gains in Sweyne Park and Grange in Rayleigh (from the Liberal Democrats); Hockley (from the Rochford Residents); Hawkwell East (from the Rochford Residents) and Foulness and The Wakerings (from the so-called “Friends of Rochford”, formerly UKIP).
Speaking about the Tories near clean sweep, Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford, Mark Francois said:
“I would like to congratulate all of our councillors, electoral agents and activists on their extremely hard work, which led to the very impressive results. I am proud of all of them. Conservative controlled Rochford Council is one of the few debt-free councils in the country, with an award winning recycling system and good quality public services. It is very pleasing to see all their hard work rewarded with the support of the electorate at the ballot box. I am sure that all of our councillors will continue to do their best to serve our local residents in the future.”