Results of the Local Elections held on May 7th, 2026
Our hung council just got even hunger!
This could be the maddest set of results after the maddest election count in Basildon history, which did not finish until nearly 5:30 a.m. It was daylight when I left and I had to be back for 9:30 for the counting of the County votes (which were done separately from the Borough votes). The headline of the night was, of course, the massive gains made by Reform UK, up from one seat to eleven. The Labour Party sustained catastrophic losses, losing all four seats that they were defending to Reform. The Smithites lost both their seats, and the Windies lost one too - all to Reform. For the Conservatives, it was a mixed night. We did not retain all the seats we were defending - losing Castledon & Crouch to Reform - but we did hold all three Billericay seats with comfortable majorities, and on some of the highest turnouts I have ever seen at a local government election. Our results elsewhere, however, in Basildon, Pitsea, Laindon, and Wickford, were sobering and demonstrate that we still have a mountain to climb if we are to regain trust across the rest of the Borough.
The final scores were us and Labour level pegging on 12 each, Reform on 11, the Smithites on 4, and Windies on 3. The magic number for an overall majority is 22, so I have never known a council quite this hopelessly hung. The Council remains in No Overall Control but, with the combined strength of Labour and Smithites now reduced from 23 to 16, they are well short. The horse-trading will now begin, but it seems all but certain that Gavin Callaghan's tenure is at an end. By the time they called only the second result (Fryerns, their safest seat), Labour clearly saw the writing was on the wall and Councillor Callaghan and his wife led almost the entire Labour Group out of the hall (props to former councillor Terry Webb and candidate Ryan McDonald for sticking it out to the end and taking their licks). The rest did not return.
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The detailed breakdown of results is as follows:
BILLERICAY EAST WARD – Con HOLD
MORDECAI, Martyn (Con) – 2,341 (45%) *Elected
MARTIN, Denise (Ref) - 1,662 (32%)
GOSHAWK, Stewart (Grn) - 773 (15%)
BUNYAN, Peter (Lab) – 249 (5%)
CLARK, Laura (Lib) – 184 (4%)
Turnout: 55% (+21.8)
I am, of course, delighted that my ward colleague, Martyn Mordecai, has been re-elected with a stonking majority of 679 over Reform on what was the biggest turnout of the night. Mart was only elected in 2024 but has already proven to be a hard-working and conscientious councillor. Reform, however, put in a very respectable showing. In total, the Conservative vote share here was 13 points down on 2024 when the Conservatives secured 58% of the vote. Reform did not field a candidate last year, but have displaced the Greens, whose vote share was down 14 points. Labour and the Liberals were not really in this race.
LAWRENCE, Daniel (Con) - 2,536 (51%) *Elected
KOLLABATHULA, Krupa (Ref) - 1,436 (29%)
MAY, Chris (Lib) - 410 (8%)
BLACKMORE, Kevin (Grn) - 334 (7%)
HILTON, Tracey (Lab) – 285 (6%)
Turnout: 53% (+21.1)
Former Tory Deputy Mayor Danny Lawrence has secured re-election for the fifth time, with a majority of 1,100 over Reform (the single largest majority of the night). The Conservative share of the vote was 11 points down on 2024. Reform did not field a candidate then but have displaced the Lib-Dems, whose vote share is down 21 points. Labour and the Greens duked it out for last place, with the latter displacing the former.
BURSTEAD WARD – Con HOLD
BLAKE, Kevin (Con) – 2,654 (45%) *Elected
BRUCE, Phil (Ref) - 2,173 (37%)
McGARRY, Daniel (Grn) - 408 (7%)
BANKS, Leslie (Lab) – 391 (7%)
LANCASTER, Peter (Lib) – 252 (4%)
Turnout: 53% (+23.5)
In one of the more tense results, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group Kevin Blake was re-elected to Basildon Council, on which he has now served for 30 years, with a majority of 481 over Reform. The other parties trailed far behind but the Greens narrowly overtook Labour to take third place. Although Kev has won the seat relatively comfortably, at times during the count the vote did appear close and, certainly by Billericay standards, would be considered a modest majority. The Conservative vote share is down 17 points.
BILLERICAY NORTH DIVISION – Con HOLD
MARTIN, Denise (Ref) - 2,611 (30%)
GOSHAWK, Stewart (Grn) - 873 (10%)
MAY, Chris (Lib) - 540 (6%)
BUNYAN, Peter (Lab) – 456 (5%)
Turnout: 54%
Former Tory Leader, Phil Turner, won the Billericay North Division with a whopping majority of 1,549 over Reform, and thus he enters 'the belly of the beast' (as a long-time critic of Essex County Council). Reform put in a strong showing but, ultimately, Billericay North voted resoundingly to keep faith with the Conservative Party, for which we are enormously appreciative. The other three parties were not really even in this fight.
BRUCE, Phil (Ref) - 3,097 (37%)
BANKS, Leslie (Lab) – 673 (8%)
McGARRY, Daniel (Grn) - 638 (8%)
LANCASTER, Peter (Lib) - 322 (4%)
McDONALD, Elaine (TUSC) - 22 (0%)
Turnout: 50%
I am, of course, elated beyond words to have been elected the new Essex County Councillor for the Burstead Division (covering southern Billericay and northeast Laindon), with a majority of 484 over Reform. This is the culmination of 13 years of trying to get elected to Essex County Council, since I first stood in the old Pitsea Division back in 2013. Mine was the penultimate resulted called at a count that went on for about 15 hours. At times, the result has looked maddeningly close. Phil Bruce was nipping at my heels the whole way through, but ultimately I was returned in what was one of only two county seats the Conservatives won - the other being my colleague Phil Turner in Billericay North. I am, nonetheless, looking forward to my first day at County Hall on Monday, albeit tinged with disappointment that, having finally got elected to County just in time before it is abolished, I join just as the Conservatives lose power after 25 unbroken years! Indeed, Phil and I are part of a new County Conservative Group numbering just 13 county councillors. But we shall have an important role to play in holding the new Reform Administration to account, and Phil and I shall be banging the drum for Billericay.
HOCKTON, Zoe (Ref) - 2,329 (50%) *Elected
COTTRELL, Mark (Con) – 1,123 (24%)
MOTT, Stewart (Lib) – 654 (14%)
BLACKETT, Stewart (Lab) – 240 (5%)
GIDDENS, Maximillian (Grn) - 217 (5%)
BATEMAN, Christopher (BDem) – 49 (1%)
Turnout: 50% (+21.9)
In a very sad blow, my friend Mark Cottrell failed to retain the seat vacated by retiring Tory councillor Stuart Allen. The seat was instead picked up by Zoe Hockton of Reform, with a stonking majority of 1,206 over Mark. This was a bitterly disappointing result in a seat we where we won all three seats in 2024. The Conservative vote share was down 22 points. Mark fought a valiant campaign has sadly been swept away by the Reform tide. The other parties all trailed far behind and all seem to have leeched votes to Reform.
CASTLEDON & CROUCH DIVISION – Ref GAIN from ConTurnout: 46%
The new Councillor Hockton also took the Castledon & Crouch county seat, unseating Malcolm Buckley, who had represented the previous Wickford Crouch seat for 13 years. She won a solid majority of 1,485 over Malcolm. The other parties all trailed very far behind. To his considerable credit, Malcolm attended the County Count on the Friday morning, even though the results from the Borough Count the night before had made it clear that he would not be winning this seat. This is in stark contrast to the Labour Group, not one of whom attended the County Count.
FRYERNS WARD – Ref GAIN from Lab
BROWN, Eileen (Ref) - 1,594 (44%) *Elected
GEORGE, Chelsea (Lab) – 1,185 (33%)
BLAKE, Ann (Con) – 356 (10%)
SERINA, Rainbow (Grn) - 303 (8%)
HOWARD, Vivien (Lib) – 78 (2%)
BREEDON, Simon (Ind) - 38 (1%)
DONNE, Eleanor (TUSC) - 33 (1%)
Turnout: 34% (+15.3)
In what turned out to be the definitive result of the night, Labour lost this, their safest seat on the Council, to Reform. Chelsea George was defending the seat following the retirement of Labour stalwart former Mayor Allan Davies but lost to Reform's Eileen Brown, who took the seat with a majority of 409. Labour's vote plummeted a massive 43% from 2024, when they won all three seats with ease. Even allowing for the odd vote being leeched to the Greens, it is clear that Labour's vote deserted them in favour of Reform. This was only the second result declared on the night, after St. Martin's, and it was at this point that Gavin & Emma Callaghan led almost the entire Labour Group out of the hall. They did not return.
LAINDON PARK WARD – Ref GAIN from Lab
GARDNER, Darren (Ref) - 1,679 (46%) *Elected
MILNE, Wayne (Lab) – 806 (22%)
HENRY, Jeff (Con) – 693 (19%)
WHITEHEAD, Jessica (Grn) - 278 (8%)
McCARTHY, Stephen (Lib) – 116 (3%)
MURRAY, Dave (TUSC) - 39 (1%)
Turnout: 37%
Somewhat dispiritingly, former Tory councillor for Laindon, Jeff Henry, came a very distant third in his old seat. Labour were defending, but lost the seat to Reform's Darren Gardner, in the first of his two victories (he also won the Gloucester Park county seat). Councillor Gardner enjoys a very comfortable majority of 873 over Labour's Wayne Milne. Our share of the vote has dropped in Laindon by 20 points, which is not very encouraging. Following the loss of his borough seat in 2024 and having also lost his county seat today, Jeff is sadly no longer a Laindon councillor at all.
GARDNER, Darren (Ref) - 2,038 (41%) *Elected
CALLAGHAN, Emma (Lab) – 1,686 (34%)
ADESHILE, Yetunde (Con) – 646 (13%)
FOWLER, Chloe (Grn) - 449 (9%)
CHANDLER, Mike (Lib) – 115 (2%)
DONNE, Eleanor (TUSC) - 46 (1%)
Turnout: 35%
In what I shall freely admit was not an entirely disappointing result for me personally, the deeply egregious Cllr. Emma Callaghan failed in her bid to return to County Hall for the Gloucester Park Division, losing to Councillor Gardner, who beat her with a majority of 325. As I am off to County Hall myself, the knowledge that I shall not have to see Mrs Callaghan's smug, self-satisfied, smirking face in the chamber is a gratifying one. I would, of course, much rather have been accompanied by my friend Yetunde, but Councillor Gardner seems a reasonably avuncular sort of chap.
KOLLABATHULA, Krupa (Ref) - 2,295 (44%) *Elected
BROWN, Adele (Lab) – 1,344 (26%)
HENRY, Jeff (Con) – 839 (16%)
WHITEHEAD, Jessica (Grn) - 459 (9%)
McCARTHY, Stephen (Lib) – 181 (4%)
MURRAY, Dave (TUSC) - 45 (1%)
Turnout: 34%
Sadly, Jeff Henry failed to win the Laindon Town Division, bringing to an end his 9-year stint at County Hall, coming a very distant third. The seat was picked up by Reform's Krupa Kollabathula - who, curiously, also stood unsuccessfully in Billericay for a borough seat. Councillor Kollabathula won Laindon Town with a whacking great majority of 951 over Cllr. Adele Brown, a sitting borough councillor for Fryerns and a former county councillor for the old Laindon Park & Fryerns Division, who is currently Deputy Leader of the Labour Group. This will have been a particularly humiliating defeat for Labour - in an election packed with humiliating defeats for them!
LEWIS, Damion (Ref) - 1,720 (35%) *Elected
BROWN, Walter (Ind) - 1,579 (32%)
ALLEN, Chris (Con) – 584 (12%)
BUTTON, Brian (Lab) – 567 (12%)
MURRAY, Ian (Grn) - 338 (7%)
NICE, Stephen (Lib) – 93 (2%)
X, None Of The Above (Ind) - 36 (1%)
Turnout: 45% (+14.7)
In a stunning political upset, the seemingly unstoppable hegemony of Cllr. Kerry Smith was broken in Langdon Hills when one of his flunkeys, Walter Brown, was stunningly ejected from his previously safe seat (the second that night). Reform's Damion Lewis won the seat with a relatively slender 141 majority. Depressingly, despite Langdon Hills having once been a safe Tory seat, our own former Langdon Hills councillor, the really brilliant Chris Allen, only came a very distant third.
LEE CHAPEL NORTH WARD – Ref GAIN from Lab
KATTADY, Jose (Ref) - 1,420 (43%) *Elected
WEBB, Terry (Lab) – 1,075 (33%)
BLACKMORE, Emma (Grn) - 334 (10%)
SHUKLA, Deepak (Con) – 315 (10%)
CHANDLER, Mike (Lib) – 112 (3%)
McDONALD, Elaine (TUSC) - 29 (1%)
Turnout: 33% (+15.1)
Reform's Jose Kattady took this traditionally safe Labour seat out from under Labour's Terry Webb with a majority of 345. Mr. Webb had previously been a Labour councillor for Lee Chapel North but was until recently a sitting councillor for Laindon Park. He moved back to this, his home seat, following the retirement of the despicable Aidan McGurran (thus denying me the pleasure of seeing the thug booted out), but has been caught in the Reform riptide. I am sorry for it, as Terry was a decent enough sort - though he did vote to cancel the election, so has got his comeuppance. Very much to his credit, Mr. Webb was the only Labour councillor to remain at the count after the Callaghan's staged their truculent walk-out, along with Pitsea candidate Ryan McDonald. Terry Webb stayed behind to face the music like a man. He was a far better class of politician than the unscrupulous spiv he and his group allowed to lead them. Sadly, long-time Tory candidate Deepak Shukla saw our share of the vote here halve.
NETHERMAYNE WARD – Ref GAIN from Ind
LOWTHER, Wayne (Ref) - 1,290 (39%) *Elected
MURPHY, Eddie (Ind) – 750 (23%)
BENN, Elsa (Lab) – 629 (19%)
HORNSBY, Matthew (Grn) - 321 (10%)
ADESHILE, Yetunde (Con) – 265 (8%)
HUGGINS, Chris (TUSC) - 52 (2%)
Turnout: 33% (+11.1)
In a seat we have regarding as a foregone conclusion for the past 14 years, Smithite stooge Eddie Murphy lost his seat in Cllr. Kerry Smith's own backyard. Nethermayne has been Councillor Smith's personal fiefdom for over a decade, but no more. Mr. Murphy lost his seat to Reform's Wayne Lowther with a majority of 540, meaning it was not even close. The Smithite vote share was down a staggering 49 points! Given that Councillor Smith did, ultimately, retain his own county seat, one can only conclude that Nethermayne's notoriously 'protesty' voters decided that, as they had two votes, they were safe to vote for Kerry for County but could opt for Reform for Borough. This, along with the loss of Walter Brown in Langdon Hills and nominally Ben Westwick in Pitsea South-East, has reduced the Smithites from 7 to 4. His days of being able to prop up Labour and his pal Callaghan are now over. I only pray that the rest of the Smithite weeds are similarly rooted out, I just wish it had been us that had been able to do it. Our own vote share was down 6 points on 2024.
SMITH, Kerry (Ind) – 2,516 (38%) *Elected
PALMER, Nick (Ref) - 2,017 (31%)
ALLEN, Chris (Con) – 671 (10%)
BUTTON, Brian (Lab) – 655 (10%)
ENGLAND, Sam (Grn) - 531 (8%)
NICE, Steve (Lib) – 106 (2%)
HUGGINS, Chris (TUSC) - 53 (1%)
X, None Of The Above (Ind) - 36 (1%)
Turnout: 43%
Despite his colossal losses in his Langdon Hills and Nethermayne seats, Councillor Smith retained his own Westley Heights county seat with a majority of 499. Still, a very far cry from his heyday and he emerges from this contest a bruised and weakened figure. Indeed, I am told that when he saw the postal votes opened on the Thursday evening, he was so convinced that he had lost that he did not even turn up on Friday morning to hear the County result. Someone must have told him things were looking up, as he suddenly appeared just before the result was declared. Westley Heights was the final result to be declared, immediate after my own victory in the Burstead Division, and I will confess, Dear Reader, not seeing Smith lose his seat did rather p*ss on my chips. The King of the Rock Salt will be returning to County Hall, but, unfortunately for him, 'Burlington Bertie' will be there too.
NOBLE, Jeff (Ref) - 1,468 (48%) *Elected
REID, Pat (Lab) – 893 (29%)
TERSON, Stuart (Con) – 384 (12%)
SAVAGE, Michelle (Grn) - 223 (7%)
HOWARD, Martin (Lib) – 85 (3%)
SURRIDGE, Sine (TUSC) - 22 (1%)
Turnout: 33% (+11)
Labour's Pat Reid lost her seat to Reform's Jeff Noble, who won the seat with a 575 majority over Mrs Reid. Councillor Noble - a serious-looking character, who I thought bore an uncanny resemblance to the late London gangster Bobby Cummines - whacked Labour's previous vote share to the tune of 29 points. A bit like her erstwhile colleague Terry Webb, Pat is a decent and well-respected councillor, who has fallen victim to the poor leadership of Sir Keir Starmer and Gavin Callaghan. But, ultimately, Mrs Reid, like Mr. Webb, supported Councillor Callaghan and voted to cancel this election. Labour did not want people to vote for them in this election, so they haven't! Regrettably, former Tory councillor Stuart Terson came a very distant third here, with the Tory vote share 25 points down on 2024.
PITSEA SOUTH-EAST – Ref GAIN from Lab
ABRAHALL, David (Ref) - 1,738 (47%) *Elected
McDONALD, Ryan (Lab) – 847 (23%)
RIMMER, Craig (Con) – 709 (19%)
WILLIS, Steven (Grn) - 271 (7%)
SPOWART, Steven (Lib) – 86 (2%)
HUGGINS, Jack (TUSC) - 34 (1%)
Turnout: 37% (+12.9)
In a result that closely mirrored the result in Pitsea North-West, Ryan McDonald was unsuccessful in defending this seat, vacated by former Labour councillor Ben Westwick (who sat latterly as a nominally non-aligned Smithite), losing to David Abrahall, currently standing for Reform but himself formerly a Labour and then Tory councillor, who previously represented this seat until he was defeated in 2014. Now, 12 years later, he is back but for Reform and with a majority of 891. The Labour vote share has collapsed here by 24 points. Sadly, my friend Craig Rimmer, who also represented the seat until 2024, trailed a distant third. The Tory vote share is also down by 22 points.
ST. MARTIN'S – Ref HOLD
JOURNET, Sam (Ref) - 1,280 (41%) *Elected
ATKINSON, Elizabeth (Lab) – 1,133 (36%)
ROY, Deepak (Con) – 351 (11%)
MATTHEWMAN, Ellie (Grn) - 316 (10%)
BUXTON, Andrew (TUSC) - 53 (2%)
Turnout: 33% (+12.7)
In the first result declared on the night - and what turned out to be the first nail in Gavin Callaghan's coffin, putative Reform Group Leader Sam Journet was re-elected with a majority of 147 over Labour's Liz Atkinson. Although Councillor Journet was appreciably elated, that is a reduced majority on what he received over Ms Atkinson in his 2025 by-election and Reform's share of the vote was down more than 3 points. But a win is a win. The result did appear tantalisingly close. Councillor Callaghan arrived at the count late and spent his entire time there standing in front of the St. Martin's table with his arms crossed, looking extremely pensive. This is his own ward, so the result will have been the first bitter disappoint in an evening full of them. After this one, he only stayed for one more result (Fryerns) and then he and almost the entire Labour Group trudged out of the hall.
TRUMAN, Sue (Ref) - 2,452 (47%) *Elected
REID, Pat (Lab) – 1,382 (27%)
TERSON, Stuart (Con) – 734 (19%)
SAVAGE, Michelle (Grn) - 440 (8%)
SPOWART, Steven (Lib) – 135 (3%)
HUGGINS, Chris (TUSC) - 58 (1%)
Turnout: 34%
Former sitting Labour county councillor Pat Reid failed to win the new Pitsea Division, losing to Reform's Sue Truman, who won with a stonking majority of 1,070. Mrs Reid's loss of her Pitsea North-West Ward to Reform puts an end to her time as an elected councillor. A bit like her former colleague Terry Webb, I feel sorry for Pat, but she is paying the price for voting to cancel elections and supporting Gavin Callaghan, both of which have had catastrophic consequences for Labour locally. Former Pitsea councillor Stuart Terson came a distant third.
VANGE DIVISION – Ref GAIN from Lab
JOURNET, Sam (Ref) - 2,070 (43%) *Elected
CALLAGHAN, Gavin (Lab) – 1,506 (31%)
HORNSBY, Matthew (Grn) - 439 (9%)
ROY, Deepak (Con) – 410 (8%)
COJOCARU, Iurie (Ind) – 300 (6%)
KURRA, Jyothi (Lib) – 70 (1%)
BUXTON, Andrew (TUSC) - 56 (1%)
Turnout: 31%
This new division was billed as a potential battle royale and it did not disappoint. Labour and Reform leaders Gavin Callaghan and Sam Journet went into a direct head-to-head in this new seat, and Councillor Journet emerged victorious with a majority of 564. This was another one that looked close as the count was taking place. At one stage, I know Councillor Journet was pretty sure Callaghan had got it, but ultimately he carried the day. I actually thought the new boundaries here might be beneficial to Labour but, in the event, the Greens performed well and he could not get it over the line. So, Councillor Journet is off to County Hall.
WICKFORD NORTH – Ref GAIN from W/Ind
SWABY, Steven (Ref) - 2,106 (45%) *Elected
MERRIN, Billy (Con) – 1,175 (25%)
HAMMOND, Trevor (W/Ind) – 545 (12%)
WRIGHT, Penny (Grn) - 360 (8%)
MORRIS, Viviane (Lab) – 252 (5%)
HOAD, Nicola (Lib) – 208 (4%)
Turnout: 45% (+18.5)
Sitting Windy councillor Trevor Hammond came third, losing to Reform's Steven Swaby, who took the seat with a comfortable majority of 931 over the Tories' Billy Merrin, who beat Mr. Hammond for second place. The other parties were not really in this contest. The Windy vote share has plummeted by 32 points. Reform's, on the other hand, has surged by 39 points, as Wickford North was the only seat where a Reform stood in 2024. Billy put in a respectable showing, but our vote share is also down 8 points.
WICKFORD PARK – Ref HOLD
PETERS, John (Ref) - 1,640 (45%) *Elected
HOOPER, Lewis (Con) – 1,155 (31%)
TWIGG, Sam (Grn) - 279 (8%)
SHARPE, Dean (Lab) – 220 (6%)
MUNDY, Sean (W/Ind) – 182 (5%)
WOODS, Mike (Lib) – 176 (5%)
SHIELDS, Sarah-Jane (Ind) - 30 (1%)
Turnout: 41% (+17.6)
Former Reformer, Sarah Shields, stood as an Independent and lost her seat, which she won in June last year, having fallen out with her erstwhile Group Leader, Sam Journet, in rather spectacular fashion, accusing him of bullying and intimidation. The Labour Group subsequently paid for and put out leaflets in her name around the Borough, attacking Councillor Journet, which I doubt did her many favours. Ultimately, she received just 30 votes, coming last out of seven candidates. The seat was nominally held for Reform with a majority of 485 over the valiant Tory, Lewis Hooper, who fought a plucky campaign here but, sadly, notwithstanding Ms Shields' less than outstanding performance as a Reform councillor, her former party increased their vote share from the by-election by more than 4 points and Councillor Peter's majority is significantly larger (Ms Shields only had a majority of 82).
WICKFORD EAST & BOWERS GIFFORD DIVISION – Ref GAIN from Con
SWABY, Steven (Ref) - 3,367 (48%) *Elected
BALL, Tony (Con) – 2,202 (31%)
TWIGG, Sam (Grn) - 602 (9%)
MORRIS, Viviane (Lab) – 462 (7%)
HOAD, Nicola (Lib) – 401 (6%)
Turnout: 45%
Sadly, former Tory Leader and sitting Essex county councillor and Cabinet Member Tony Ball failed to win re-election in the new Wickford East & Bowers Gifford Division. Like his former colleague, Malcolm Buckley, Tony attended the County Count knowing he would not win the seat because of the results of the Borough Count the night before, but he turned up anyway to bow out with a bit of dignity, unlike the Labour Party, who sent not a single representative. The seat was won by Reform's Steven Swaby, who also took Wickford North borough seat, with a majority of 1,165.
CONCLUSION:
Clearly, these elections were a tubthumping success for Reform UK, though not as colossal as was predicted. Across Essex, the Tories took a walloping and lost control of Essex County Council for the first time in 25 years. That was predicted, but I had also seen predictions that the Conservatives would retain and few as seven or even four seats. I even saw one poll that predicted the Conservatives would only win one seat - Brentwood Rural East - which would have made Lesley Wagland the only Tory councillor at County Hall. In fact, the County Conservative Group is greatly reduced, but there are 13 of us (as it happens, Lesley lost her seat).
There is, however, no sugaring the pill. It was a bad night for the Conservatives. We have lost hundreds of councillors across the country, including one seat (Castledon & Crouch) here in Basildon. The only crumb of comfort is that it was an even worse night for Labour, who have been routed up and down the land, including here, where they lost five seats, including two sitting councillors who failed to get re-elected (Pat Reid and Terry Webb). Sir Keir Starmer was already on borrowed time as Labour Leader and I reckon that clock is about to stop. As for Gavin Callaghan, we anticipate his imminent resignation as both Labour Leader and probably from the Council altogether (so expect yet another by-election in St. Martin's, and quite possibly Pitsea North-West too). All the other parties had a bad night. Kerry Smith lost two of his minions (Walter Brown and Eddie Murphy), and the Windies came third in the only seat they were defending. Reform UK, meanwhile, went from having just one councillor to eleven overnight.
More importantly, this result renders Basildon Council - already in No Overall Control - even 'hunger' than it was to start with. The Conservative and Labour groups are now equal in size at 12 councillors each, with Reform UK sitting on 11. There will, clearly, be a considerable amount of horse-trading and negotiating to be done ahead of the Council's Annual Meeting scheduled for May 21st.
The other notable feature of these elections has been the massively increased turnout. I am proud to say that the area with the highest turnout was my own Billericay East Ward at 55% (we had the highest turnout in 2024 as well but then it was only 33%). The lowest turnout was in the Vange Division (32%). These are incredibly high numbers for local elections. I attribute this to various factors including, the sheer scale of dissatisfaction with Sir Keir's government, plus the attempt by Gavin Callaghan and the Labour Government to cancel the elections. Notably, every single councillor facing re-election, who supported Callaghan's request to stop elections lost their seat. In terms of Billericay, where turnout was universally over 50%, I think it was a combination of people's motivation, particularly on the Green Belt issue, but also I believe there was a big drive to ensure Reform did not get a foothold in Billericay. In that sense, we should thank Nigel Farage for his visit to the Chequers pub! I think that focused a lot of minds.
Just enough time for some pointless stat-crunching! The single highest number of votes won by any candidate was Cllr. Phil Turner (Con, Billericay North), who received a faintly ridiculous 4,160 votes. The lowest was Elaine McDonald (TUSC, Burstead) at just 22 votes across the entire Burstead Division. She, unsurprisingly, has the lowest vote share (0%). The largest single vote share went to Cllr. Daniel Lawrence (Con, Billericay West), who personally commanded 51% of the votes cast in Billericay West. The lowest for a winning candidate was Cllr. Damion Lewis (Ref, Langdon Hills), who won the seat with 35% of the vote.
The single largest personal majority was again my colleague Councillor Turner in Billericay North, where his majority was an incredible 1,549. The lowest majority among the winning candidates belongs to Councillor Lewis in Langdon Hills, who won the seat by only 141 votes. The largest Reform majority went to Cllr. Zoe Hockton (Ref, Castledon & Crouch), whose majority in her county division was 1,485.
The Conservative Group will meet on Monday to hold our AGM and elect our Group Leader. I shall be nominating my colleague Cllr. Andy Barnes (Con, Billericay East).
We are, as always, hugely grateful to everyone who voted for us. Whatever the outcome of the forthcoming negotiations, and whatever form the new administration may take, I can assure you that Basildon Conservatives will always act in the best interests of every resident of this borough.
