County Council Elections 2025

Michael Brown (Reform)

Alastair Humphreys (Green)

Russell Joyce (Heritage)

Jeremy Kite (Conservative)*

Catherine Stafford (Labour)*

Penny Cole (Conservative)*

Maxine Fothergill (Reform)*

Claire Fox (Labour)

Laura Manston (Green)*

Lise Michaelides (Liberal Democrat)

The Conservatives in both areas are defending very large majorities in the two local divisions.  It seems they don't think Dartford Rural is at risk as their Facebook posts suggest they have directed campaigning to Ebbsfleet, West Dartford and Wilmington.  As there are no elections in London this year, they have also drafted in activists from South East London.  Their leaflets for Dartford Rural appear to be more appropriate for an election to Dartford Borough Council, as there is very little in them that are the responsibility of Kent County Council.  That might be an argument for unitary authorities, so that the confusion as to which council deals with what would end.

Labour from their Facebook posts appear to be concentrating on Ebbsfleet, Temple Hill and The Fleet estate.  Alone of the leaflets I have received for Dartford Rural, they seem to be the only one who knows what a county council does but don't appear to explain how they would do the things they campaign for.

Reform started very energetically in Dartford Rural, I received 3 leaflets and saw their canvassers at work before the election was called.  But it seems they have written off Dartford Rural, their Facebook posts show them campaigning now in much the same areas as Labour with the addition of Wilmington.  In Sevenoaks it seems the North East Division which includes Hartley and New Ash Green is their prime target, based on the local party's Facebook posts.  They seem to be particularly annoyed that the Conservatives pulled out one of their leaflets from a letter box in New Ash Green, but this is a well known tradition of campaigning that opposition leaflets sticking out of letter boxes are fair game, although in today's surveilance society you are more likely to get caught on camera!  Their leaflets in Dartford suggest the magic money tree is alive and well.  They propose to freeze council tax yet at the same time spend more money.  They also propose to abolish inheritance tax - not quite sure how Kent County Council can achieve that!  By the way that would create an £8bn black hole in the nation's finances, and would require for example someone on average earnings paying an extra £300 every year in income tax to compensate.

                                     

Party	2009	2013	2017	2021
Conservative	56	53	70	74
UKIP/Brexit/Reform/Eng   Dem	20	30	10	3
Labour	12	18	16	16
Liberal   Democrat	9		4
Green				7

            

Party	2009	2013	2017	2021
Conservative	56	49	78	59
UKIP/Brexit/Reform/Eng  Dem	21	33
Labour	10	13	12	8
Liberal  Democrat	13
Green		6	10	33

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