In Medway, Labour has won in a key victory over the Conservatives, taking control of the Council for the first time in more than 20 years.

On 4 May 2023, elections were held for all Medway Council seats in all wards and the 11 parish councils. It was the first election to be held under new boundaries introduced following a boundary review which took place between December 2019 and March 2021.

Following the counts the seats stand as follows:

	Seats
Labour Party	33
Conservative Party	22
Independents	4

 

Interestingly a number of Conservative candidates ran under the local Conservative banner, moving away from the national government rhetoric. Unfortunately this was not enough on the night and Labour took home a big victory, taking control of the Council after 20 years.

The outgoing Conservative leader, Cllr Alan Jarrett blamed the loss to the unpopularity of the Conservatives nationally. It will be interesting to see how Labour capitalise on this win in the general election.

Speaking of the election win to Sky News, Labour Group Leader Vince Maple said: “The offer we has has given people hope.” He called the result an “historic day for Labour in Medway,” adding: “Residents have asked for change, and we’re going to bring that to them.”

If you wish to discuss this council’s result in more detail, please contact [email protected]