Live at the local count

By Rachel Charman

13.50pm: Conservative Sally Carr takes St Luke’s from Labour with 1197. In second place was Paul Van Looy, independent, with 1164, and in third, Labour’s Mike Royston, with 1051. Lib Dem Brian Ayling took 601; the BNP’s Fenton Bowley took 300; Len Lierens of UKIP took 229; and The Green party’s Cris Ramis took 110.

13.43pm: Lib Dem Paul Collins wins the Westborough seat from the Independents with 1023 votes. Tory Melvyn Day took 1006; Independent Tania Painton took 913; Labour’s Kevin RObinson took 838; Lancelot Martin of the BNP took 218; UKIP’s Lucky Siyafa took 175; and the Green party’s Rita Wood took 129.

13.38pm: Tory Maria Caunce wins the Milton seat with 1502. Labour’s Simon Morley took 905; Lib Dem Bob Howes took 901; Independent Julian Lowes took 243; UKIP’s Wayne Mearns took 207; and the BNP’s Stanley Adie took 171. This seat was up following the death of Conservative councillor Anne Robertson earlier this year.

13.33pm: Labour’s Margaret Borton holds Victoria ward with 1304. Tory candidate Ahmad Khwaja took 1032; the BNP’s Alisdair Lewis took 341 and Green candidate Stephen Jordan took 194. Margaret Borton said that the Council will be a terrible place to work without Judy McMahon, and Mike Royston, even though Mr Royston’s ward’s result has not yet been declared. Have Labour lost St Lukes?

13.29pm: Lib Dem Barry Godwin holds Leigh with 2287. Tory James Courtenay took 1892; Labour’s Linda Cook took 605; and the BNP’s Ray Weaver took 182.

13.24pm: Tory candidate Andrew Moring holds Eastwood Park with 2,310. Lib Dem Mark Maguire came second with 1422. Labour’s Charles Willis took 530; UKIP’s Carol Cockrill took 350; Laurence Deacon of the BNP took 218; and Vernon Wilkinson, Independent, took 170.

13.19pm: Brian Kelly (Con) remains in Southchurch seat with 1762. Second was Independent Mike Wilson with 1108. Lib Dem Margaret Lewin took 630; Labour’s Denis Garne took 609; UKIP’s Bob Smith took 291; and the BNP’s Geoff Strobridge took 289.

13.14pm: Lib Dems hold Blenheim Park. Duncan Russell took 1949, Tory Howard Briggs took 1668, Labour’s Ami Willis got 609, UKIP’s Tino Callaghan took 390, and BNP’s Bernadette Jaggers took 264. 

13.10pm: Tory Roger Hadley holds Shoeburyness ward with 1782. Independent Margaret Chalk got 1132, Lib Dem Jane Dresner took 556, Labour’s Chris Gasper took 579, BNP’s ROger Gander 265, UKIP’s Bruce Halling 242, and Julian Espito, Green, took 73.

13.07pm: Independent candidate Alex Kaye takes Thorpe ward from the Tories, with 2,198. Verina Weaver (Con) came second with 1686,  Labour’s Matt Zarb-Cousin got 541, Lib Dem Colin Davis took 373, UKIP’s James Mills took 239,, and the BNP’s Lisa Simmonds took 158.

12.47pm: The Tories maintain the West Shoebury seat. Conservative Tony Cox took 2,142 votes; Independent Evelyn Assenheim got 730; Lib Dem Mark Cohen took 627; Labour’s Joyce Mapp took 597; UKIP’s James Moyies took 308; and the BNP’s Russell Speller took 227. Tony Cox, in his speech, congratulated UKIP’s James Moyies on running two campaigns (one for this seat, one for the Rochford and Southend East Parliamentary seat).

12.43pm: Tory Fay Evans holds Belfairs with 1,994. Liberal Democrat Bob Archell came second with 1,477; Independent Garry Sheen took 829; Teresa Messison, Labour, took 520; and the BNP’s Elliot Munro took 235.

12.37pm: Liberal Democrat Ted Lewin holds St Laurence with 1,928 votes. Tory David Garston came second with 1,706; Labour’s David Carrington took 647; and the BNP’s Keith Barrett took 403.

12.34: Holdcroft’s speech attacked candidates who “ran campaigns from the gutter,” presumably referring to the Independents who have mounted huge attacks on the Tory administration. Lib Dem candidate Christopher Bailey said that the leadership might actually be a “poisoned chalice” and that in a few years he would wish their roles were reversed.

12.21pm: Holdcroft holds West Leigh, with 2,541 votes. Liberal Democrat Christopher Bailey came in at 2,060, Greens’ Barry George at 170, Independent Christine Hills 123, Labour’s Darius Ware-Lane 377, and the BNP’s Anthony Winchester got 185.

12.22pm: Conservative Louise Burdett has taken Kursaal ward from Judy McMahon. Burdett: 1,067, McMahon: 1,043. A close call indeed! The rest of the results are: David Armstrong, BNP: 232; Richard Betson, Lib Dem: 613; Lawrence Davies, UKIP: 174; Adrian Key, English Democrats, 57; and Kash Trivedi, Independent: 399.

12.19: KURSAAL RESULTS COMING UP NOW

12.17am: In Westborough, the Labour party reckon they are in with a good chance with their candidate Kevin Robinson. The Independents in Westborough are strong, however; it’s not in the bag yet.

12.15pm: This morning’s General Election results showed a 2.8% swing from the Tories to the Lib Dems in Southend West, following Peter Welch’s high profile campaign, and the increased standing of the Lib Dems nationally. That too might spell bad news for Holdcroft, who’s seat falls within Southend West.

12.10pm: In Thorpe, Labour candidate Matt Zarb-Cousin was last night saying that it looks to be a 50-50 split between the Independent candidate Alex Kaye and the Conservative Verina Weaver. Particularly pertinent is the fact that Weaver (wife of the former mayor Roger) was a Conservative, then switched to Independent, then went running back to the Tories, branding herself as an “independently-minded Conservative” on her return. That might not have gone down too well with the voters.

12.05pm: Another closely fought battle was in Kursaal. Here, fresh young Tory face Louise Burdett has gained support, but only in certain pockets. In fact, Burdett has upset some community organisations in the ward with her championing of an anti-crime petition in the area; some residents feel that it discredits all of the work they have done themselves. Burdett’s Labour opponent and Council stalwart Judy McMahon is very well known and liked in the ward, but the deciding factor will be how Kash Trivedi, the Independent candidate for the ward, splits the vote.

12.00am: Nigel Holdcroft’s ward West Leigh will perhaps be the most interesting battle of all. The Conservative leader faces a significant challenge from both the Liberal Democrats and the Independents in the area. In the last two local elections where a Conservative leader has been up for election, they have lost their seat; first Anna Waite, and then last time Murray Foster. Holdcroft has evidently been looking edgy about the seat.

1158am: The current makeup of the Council is 25 Conservatives, 11 Liberal Democrats, seven Independents, six Labour, one non-aligned independent, and one vacant seat. One of the three seats in each ward is up for grabs today.

11.57am: Things are moving quickly here back at Garons Park, seeing as the local votes were all verified last night. There are a few bleary eyes but everyone is still buzzing. The wards to watch out for today are Thorpe, Westborough, West Leigh and Kursaal.

Tags: Local Elections 2010, Southend