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2025 Kent County Council election

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2025 Kent County Council election
← 2021 1 May 2025 2029 →
All 81 seats to Kent County Council
41 seats needed for a majority
  Blank Blank Blank
Leader Roger Gough Alister Brady Antony Hook
Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats
Last election 62 seats, 49.1% 7 seats, 20.5% 6 seats, 11.1%
Current seats 58 6 6
 
Leader Rich Lehmann Mike Baldock N/A
Party Green Swale Ind. Residents
Last election 4 seats, 13.8% 1 seat, 1.6% 1 seat, 0.5%
Current seats 5 1 0
 
Leader N/A Trevor Shonk Thomas Mallon
Party Independent Thanet Ind. Reform UK
Last election 0 seats, 1.9% 0 seats, 0.4% 0 seats, 0.4%
Current seats 2 0 3
Incumbent council control

Conservative


The 2025 Kent County Council election is due to take place on 1 May 2025 to elect members to Kent County Council in Kent, England.[1] All 81 seats will be elected. This will be on the same day as other local elections. Kent County Council asked for the election to be postponed under the devolution programme but this was rejected, so the election will go ahead as planned.[2][3]

Background

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In the 2021 election, the Conservatives won 62 seats, giving them a majority and control of the council. The Labour Party were the second biggest party with 7 seats, followed by the Liberal Democrats with 6 seats and the Greens with 1 seat.[4] Mike Baldock of the Swale Independents was elected in Swale West.[5]

Several by-elections took place between the 2021 and 2025 elections:

  Conservative   Green   Liberal Democrat   Residents   Reform UK

By-elections
Division Date Incumbent Winner Cause Ref.
Wilmington 27 January 2022 Ann Allen Av Sandhu Death [6][7]
Hythe West 2 March 2023 Andy Weatherhead Jenni Hawkins Resignation [8][9]
Sheppey 5 May 2023 Cameron Beart Mike Whiting Death [10][11]
Maidstone Central 6 July 2023 Dan Daley Chris Passmore Death [12][13]
Swanscombe and Greenhithe 21 November 2024 Peter Harman Thomas Mallon Death [14][15]

In March 2024, councillor Trevor Shonk of Ramsgate left the Conservative Party to join the Thanet Independents.[16] Later that month, councillor Mike Whiting of Sheppey was suspended from the Conservatives following a drink driving conviction and sat the rest of his term as an independent.[17]

In the 2024 general election, the Labour Party won 10 of the Kent seats from the Conservatives (Ashford, Chatham and Aylesford, Dartford, Dover and Deal, Folkestone and Hythe, Gillingham and Rainham, Gravesham, Rochester and Strood, Sittingbourne and Sheppey and East Thanet), while retaining Canterbury. The Liberal Democrats won Tunbridge Wells from the Conservatives, who retained Faversham and Mid Kent, Maidstone and Malling, Herne Bay and Sandwich, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge while winning the new Weald of Kent seat. Overall, of the Kent seats, the Labour Party won 11, the Conservative Party won 6 and the Liberal Democrats won 1.[18]

In October 2024, councillor Barry Lewis of Margate was deselected by the Labour Party for the upcoming election citing "concerning comments" and allegations of election betting, leading him to leave the party and serve the rest of his term as an independent.[19][20] In January 2025, councillor Dirk Ross of Ashford South left the Conservative Party to sit as an independent.[21]

Previous council composition

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After 2021 election Before 2025 election[22]
Party Seats Party Seats
Conservative 62 Conservative 57
Labour 7 Labour 6
Liberal Democrats 6 Liberal Democrats 6
Green 4 Green 5
Reform UK 0 Reform UK 3
Swale Ind. 1 Swale Ind. 1
Heritage 0 Heritage 1
Independent 0 Independent 2
Swanscombe & Greenhithe Residents' Association 1 Swanscombe & Greenhithe Residents' Association 0

Changes

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  • October 2021: Ann Allen (Conservative) dies – by-election held January 2022[6]
  • January 2022: Av Sandhu (Conservative) wins by-election[7]
  • November 2022: Andy Weatherhead (Conservative) resigns – by-election held March 2023[8]
  • January 2023: Cameron Beart (Conservative) dies – by-election held May 2023[10]
  • March 2023: Jenni Hawkins (Green) gains by-election from Conservatives; Dan Daley (Liberal Democrats) dies – by-election held July 2023
  • May 2023: Mike Whiting (Conservative) wins by-election[11]
  • July 2023: Chris Passmore (Liberal Democrats) wins by-election[13]
  • March 2024: Trevor Shonk (Conservative) joins Thanet Independents;[16] Mike Whiting (Conservative) suspended by party[17]
  • August 2024: Peter Harman (Swanscombe & Greenhithe Residents' Association) dies – by-election held November 2024[14]
  • October 2024: Barry Lewis (Labour) suspended from party[19]
  • November 2024: Thomas Mallon (Reform UK) gains by-election from Residents' Association[15]
  • January 2025: Dirk Ross (Conservative) leaves party to sit as an independent[21]
  • March 2025: Trevor Shonk (Thanet Independents) and Dirk Ross (independent) join Reform UK;[23] Becki Bruneau (Conservative) joins Heritage Party[24]

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Election timetable in England". Electoral Commission. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  2. ^ Keohan, Michael; Harrison, Phil (9 January 2025). "Council to request elections delay for devolution". BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  3. ^ Keohan, Michael (5 February 2025). "Councils disappointed at not making devolution list". BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  4. ^ "Tories maintain majority in Kent County Council elections". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Election results for Swale West – 6 May 2021". Kent County Council. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b Delaney, Sean (21 October 2021). "Kent County Council chairman and Dartford councillor Ann Allen dies". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Wilmington by-election – 27 January 2022". Kent County Council. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  8. ^ a b Wright, Charlotte (21 November 2022). "Hythe Tory councillor resigns over far-right links". BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Hythe West by-election – 2 March 2023". Kent County Council. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  10. ^ a b Nurden, John (20 January 2023). "Shock death of Sheppey councillor Cameron Beart, 31". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Sheppey by-election – 5 May 2023". Kent County Council. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  12. ^ Smith, Alan (27 March 2023). "Lib Dem Dan Daley former Maidstone council leader and mayor has died". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Maidstone Central by-election – 6 July 2023". Kent County Council. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  14. ^ a b Langridge, Alex (27 August 2024). "Tributes paid to Swanscombe and Greenhithe councillor Peter Harman who died suddenly". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Swanscombe and Greenhithe by-election – 21 November 2024". Kent County Council. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  16. ^ a b Austin, Ben (9 March 2024). "Kent County Council's Trevor Shonk leaves Conservative Party to join Thanet Independents". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  17. ^ a b Finlay, Simon (26 March 2024). "Cllr Mike Whiting has been suspended from the Conservative Party after drink driving conviction". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  18. ^ Hayes, Phil (5 July 2024). "Who are Kent's new MPs in Ashford, Dartford, Dover, East Thanet, Folkestone & Hythe, Gravesham, Medway, Sittingbourne & Sheppey, Tunbridge Wells and Weald of Kent?". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  19. ^ a b Finlay, Simon (25 October 2024). "Kent County Council Labour councillor Barry Lewis' deselection is 'opportunity for Reform UK'". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  20. ^ Finlay, Simon (21 November 2024). "Labour dumps Kent county councillor Barry Lewis, who represents Margate, over 'concerning' remarks and election betting". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  21. ^ a b Boothroyd, David (31 January 2025). "A Torridge Time". LocalCouncils. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  22. ^ "County councillors". Kent County Council. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  23. ^ Boothroyd, David. "Fabian gets the Exe". Localcouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  24. ^ Finlay, Simon (14 March 2025). "Conservative county councillor launches attack on party as she defects". Kent Online. Retrieved 17 March 2025.

See also

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