Rehman Chishti won the biggest majority in Medway as the Conservatives held the Council with an increased majority

SOME saw the local elections on “Super Thursday” as the biggest test of public opinion since the General Election two years ago. The mainstream media has been spinning the results for a couple of days now, so I can finally analyse the situation.

Comparisons have been made between this result and the potential result at the next General Election, so I compared the vote between Cllr Rehman Chishti and Sheila Clark, mother of Paul Clark, MP for Gillingham. As shown in the diagram, Reh achieved far greater support (2204 to 503 votes) and, overall, Reh achieved the highest majority in Medway: 1123 votes ahead of Liberal Bob Collinson.

In all fairness, the Liberals managed to achieve something that most people never thought was possible and swiped Gillingham North from the jaws of Labour, leaving twice Conservative PPC Tim Butcher floundering in 7th place. They held Gillingham South and took both seats in Watling after having previously held just one, but their total number of seats went up by just two as the Conservatives pulled off a stunning result elsewhere.

Turning Rainham blue, the Conservatives held control of Rainham Central and Rainham South, but swiped former mayor (and Councillor of 21 years) Ken Webber and Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Richard Guichard’s seats in Rainham North. The look on Ken Webber’s face on Thursday night (stroke Friday morning) was rather sickly indeed.

So from Rainham North, we welcome into the fold Councillors David Carr and Vaughan Hewett (the first Conservative I had a full conversation with other than Reh, at Reh’s christmas party) alongside Rainham Central victors Reh Chishti, Barry Kemp & Mike O’Brien.

Further election comment will follow soon. The elections page has also been updated with the results.