Elected!

I had been receiving a positive response from residents as I went around during the past four weeks so I was hopeful that I might be elected….

But I never would have anticipated the result!

Here it is:

Labour (Andrew Blackwell) – 124
UKIP (John Kelly) – 382
Conservative (Chris Wale) – 522
Me – 2970

The turnout in Ottery Rural ward was 43 per cent – the highest in the county, the overall turnout across the county being 34 per cent.

With a 74 per cent share of the vote, I appear to have the biggest majority on Devon County Council.

Not being a numbers person I don’t think the results really sunk in until I saw the piechart when I got to county hall this afternoon.  Three quarters of it was white denoting independent share of the vote.  I kept staring at it in disbelief!

One thing is for certain there would have been no chance of that kind of result if it wasn’t for all the people who helped me.  I had dozens of people who were willing and kind enough, to doggedly walk the streets pushing my leaflets through letterboxes, which allowed more time for me and Roger Giles to knock people’s doors and hear people’s concerns.

I also had lots of offers from people to put up posters – many thanks to them!

My family were patient with me, which was very fortunate because the last few weeks I have been in an election fog.  People close to me knew not to ask me to remember ANYTHING!  I must have been very irritating to live with!

Roger Giles has been an amazing support, chivvying, bossing, organising, shoehorning me out the door when I was flagging – all conducted with his boundless energy that inexplicably keeps going for hours without food or water!

In East Devon the Conservatives all kept their seats, although UKIP caused one or two wobbles – in Sidmouth and in Honiton St Paul’s ward – and UKIP candidates came second in two or three wards, at least.

In Axminster, Independent, Paul Hayward came second to Andrew Moulding, polling over 1,000 votes, despite being a first-time county council campaigner doing most of, if not all of the work himself!

But there is now one less Libdem in East Devon on DCC, as Brenda Taylor at Exmouth was ousted by a UKIP candidate, in a shock result.

Unsurprisingly, Independent, Susie Bond was elected to EDDC in the Feniton and Buckerell by-election, caused by Graham Brown’s resignation.  The turnout was over 50 per cent and Susie achieved about 80 percent of the vote!  She polled 772 votes to conservative opponent, Andrew Dinnis’s 113.

Well done Susie – your fellow Independents are looking forward to working with you on EDDC!

On DCC the Conservatives retained overall control of the council, albeit with a reduced majority.  There are now three Independents, (increased by one) and four new UKIP members.  A Green candidate has been elected in Totnes.

I am more than aware that I have a VERY tough act to follow but I am determined to continue Roger Giles’s excellent work and I will always work hard and do my best for the residents of my ward.

Fortunately, with the end of the elections, my memory appears to have been restored to me. 

Relief all round!

Here’s the results for Devon County Council wards in East Devon

East Devon District Council:
Feniton and Buckerell by-election
Susie Bond (Ind) – 772 (Gain)
Andrew Dinnis (Cons) – 113

Devon County Council:
Axminster
Andrew Moulding (Con) – 1,800 (Held)
Paul Hayward (Ind) – 1,060
Rob Jordan (Lib Dem) – 302
Jerry Walden (Lab) – 219

Broadclyst and Whimple
Peter Bowden (Con) – 1,159 (Held)
Sylvia Brownlee (UKIP) – 691
Derek Button (Lib Dem) – 652
Henry Gent (Green) – 455
Gillian Nicholls (Lab & Co-op) – 235

Budleigh
Christine Channon (Con) – 1,373 (Held)
Graham Hooker (UKIP) – 939
Lesley Miszewska (Lib Dem) – 425
Roger Saunders (Green) – 291
Tony Badcott (Lab & Co-op) – 221

Exmouth Brixington and Withycombe
John Hone (UKIP) – 926 (Gain)
Brenda Taylor (Lib Dem) – 742
Jill Elson (Con) – 690
Stuart Fegan (Lab) – 280
Oliver Davey (Green) – 138

Exmouth Halsdon and Woodbury
Bernard Hughes (Con) – 1,210 (Held)
Patrick McAndrew (UKIP) – 707
Tim Dumper (Lib Dem) – 642
Lesley Johnson (Lab) – 274

Exmouth Littleham and Town
Eileen Wragg (Lib Dem) – 1,009 (Held)
John Humphreys (Con) – 934
Ann Prior (UKIP) – 795
Ray Davison (Lab) – 309
Ben Jones (Green) – 131

Honiton St. Michaels
Sara Randall Johnson (Con) – 1,034 (Held)
Brian Smith (UKIP) – 798
Sharon Pavey (Green) – 709
Michael Teare (Lab) – 181
Jonathan Underwood (Lib Dem) – 159

Honiton St. Pauls
Paul Diviani (Con) – 1130 (Held)
Peter Townsend (UKIP) – 790
Cathy Gardner (Ind) – 352
Sally Boom (Lab) – 317
Paul Newman (Lib Dem) – 176
Martin Paine (Green) – 169

Ottery St. Mary Rural
Claire Wright (Ind) – 2,970 (Held)
Chris Wale (Con) – 522
John Kelly (UKIP) – 382
Andrew Blackwell (Lab) – 124

Seaton Coastal
Jim Knight (Con) – 1,312 (Held)
Warwick Knowles (UKIP) – 956
Peter Burrows (Lib Dem) – 713
Stephen Williams (Lab) – 372

Sidmouth Sidford
Stuart Hughes (Con) – 1,923 (Held)
Lawrie Brownlee (UKIP) – 1,505
Judy Blackwell (Lab) – 361
Martin Gammell (Lib Dem) – 278

Seaton Town Council by-election (two seats):
Anthony Woodman – 1,061
Stephen Williams – 888
Susan Woodman – 813
Robert Spalding – 641

Voter turnout for the election and by-elections was:

East Devon District Council
Feniton and Buckerell – 50.51%

Devon County Council
Axminster – 36.54%
Broadclyst and Whimple – 34.73%
Budleigh – 37.65%
Exmouth Brixington and ithycombe – 27.59%
Exmouth Halsdon and Woodbury – 32.72%
Exmouth Littleham and Town – 30.98%
Honiton St. Michael’s – 32.61%
Honiton St. Paul’s – 32.71%
Ottery St. Mary Rural – 43.63%
Seaton Coastal – 35.57%
Sidmouth Sidford – 37.87%

Overall – 34.78%

Seaton Town Council – 35.96%

Here’s the results across Devon, including all those piecharts!

http://new.devon.gov.uk/democracy/elections2013/

Photograph:  Me and Roger just after the speeches at the Knowle, this morning.