The political conference season is finally over, the leader’s speeches safely delivered and MPs are back in their constituencies and at Westminster.

So, how have they fared and what is the outlook for their prospects in Kent ?

UKIP: Has had mixed fortunes in a county that it considers a party stronghold. Mark Reckless lost the seat of Rochester and Strood he won in 2014. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage failed - for the seventh time of asking - to become an MP.

The party had a less dramatic conference in 2015. Its seemingly irrepressible momentum hasn’t exactly stalled but the purple tide that was washing over Kent has come to something of a pause.

Reasons to be cheerful: The date hasn’t been set but the EU referendum will ensure the party stays in the limelight in the run-up to next May’s council elections and beyond if it is set in 2017. The only problem? There are just two councils in Kent going to the polls next May.

Reasons to be gloomy: There are some decidedly tricky issues and decisions to be made by the first Ukip-controlled Thanet council, not least over Manston airport. A few cracks have already appeared in the council’s administration and four councillors have already split. There could be more to come.

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LABOUR: A year ago, the idea that Jeremy Corbyn would be making his first conference speech as party leader was about as remote as Tony Blair being given credit for going to war with Iraq. But against all the odds, it happened, confounding the pollsters and bemusing the commentators.

Reasons to be cheerful: Corbyn has re-invigorated the party at the grass roots level and has triggered a huge rise in members, notably younger ones. He appeals to the disaffected and apathetic and has carved out a genuinely alternative anti-austerity prospectus. Hard to see that things could get much worse for the party in Kent.

Reasons to be gloomy: His left-of-centre programme will probably not resonate with Kent’s classic “middle England” constituencies that were won over by Tony Blair. The same goes for his apparent unwillingness to acknowledge the enduring concerns many have over immigration.

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LIBERAL DEMOCRATS: Decimated in May's election rout and with a new leader in place, the party is more bouyant than you would think. Surely things can only get better?

Reasons to be cheerful: Not many. But Labour’s lurch to the left could make the party more appealing to centre ground voters. The same could be said of moderate Conservatives. Leader Tim Farron got good, if not rave, reviews at the party’s conference. Although it has seen its local council base in the county more or less completely eroded, it couldn’t get much worse. Could it?

Reasons to be gloomy: It could be in danger of becoming completely irrelevant. The idea that it may provide a berth for disenchanted Labour MPs seems far-fetched unless there is serious split in the parliamentary party under Corbyn. A mountain range to climb, not just a mountain.

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CONSERVATIVES After its comprehensive election victory, the Conservative domination in Kent is back to the heyday of the Thatcher years. Its thumping victory in May saw most of its MPs in the county actually increase their majorities - not what many expected.

REASONS to be cheerful: It is hard to see any of its rivals mounting a credible challenge in Kent. Agreeing to hold a referendum on Europe has in some ways shot the Ukip fox. As things stand, Kent is on course to stay true blue come 2020

Reasons to be gloomy: Not many. But divisions over Europe could be a distraction as could the race to become leader.