Well…. my predictions, it turns out, were hopelessly optimistic….

The Conservatives won Bridge, Fant and Coxheath, although they did lose Barming. Maidstone, for the first time since 1983 is no longer a hung council. The sad thing is, I just can’t put my finger on why….

I feel that Fant ward was won by the Tories purely because the vote was split between Labour, Lib Dem & Green. The Tories only got elected ‘through the middle’.

However, Bridge and Coxheath…. WHY?

• National swing?
• Inaccurate and misleading Tory literature?
• Not enough work by the Lib Dems?

I don’t know is the honest answer - I can’t believe for one moment though that it was due to lack of work by the Lib Dem team (although granted I’m biased). Whilst there can be no doubt that there were dubious claims made in local Tory literature, I still don’t believe that this was the reason, but at the same time I don’t believe that people voted Conservative to make a point about national politics.

I wish I had more experience in these things! I’m going to bed just a few hours before the school run, feeling desperately depressed by the evening.
David Pickett (who has worked so hard for Bridge ward in this past year) and Fran Smith (who has campaigned all her adult life for a better environment in Fant) - I’m sorry. I suspect the majority of your wards will be too.

After so many weeks busy on the campaign trail, today, at last, saw the arrival of polling day.

After a day spent “Telling”, “Knocking-up”, leaflet delivering and running around like a loon, I’m just showered and changed ready to go off to the count. For once I’m early and so I thought I might as well put together my predictions for tonights results. Maidstone is one of the key seats for the Tories. The Leader of the Council, Fran Wilson (Lib Dem) often says “Maidstone is an island of yellow, in a Kentish sea of blue”. The Tories are clearly vying for this borough to finally become a Tory council after many many years as a hung one.

Anyway - here’s the low down:

To take overall control the Conservatives need a gain of one seat. If my predictions are correct, overall the Conservatives face a one seat loss, meaning providing the coalition holds, the Conservatives will not take control of the Council.

Things to bear in mind when reading this:

1. I’m a glass is half full, not half empty kind of girl; and
2. I’ve really only been involved in four of the above wards and don’t know all the in’s and out’s of the others.

Right - time for the off - I’ll post the real results in the morning!