The Tories have retained control of Shepway District Council, winning 22 seats against seven for Ukip and one for Labour.

The first Labour councillor since 2007 has also been elected.

The Conservatives had almost 90% of seats before the election when there were 46 council places as opposed to the present 30 due to the redrawing of boundaries.

Shepway Tory leader David Monk said: "The council membership is still more than 70% Conservative.

"But I hope Ukip will be able to support us in the running of the council. I don't see them being and aggressive opposition.

"I am surprised that people vote for Ukip in a council election because the party's two biggest beefs are immigration and Europe, which a council can do nothing about.''

Frank McKenna, chairman of Folkestone and Hythe Ukip, said: “Until now we have just two councillors and now we have seven so are properly represented in Shepway.
“I think we gained support not so much on national issues but on local issues such has dog fouling and waste collections.’’

One newly-elected Ukip member was Damon Robinson, who at the age of 69 has become a councillor for the first time.

He knocked out Conservative Peter Monk, David Monk's son, in the Cheriton ward by just six votes.

He is a retired employee of British Nuclear Fuels.
He said: “We are still a very young party and hopefully be effective and useful in this council.’’

Cllr Robinson had knocked out incumbent Conservative Peter Monk, David Monk's son, by just six voters.

He said: “I was sad for Peter Monk as he had lost by such a narrow margin.’’

The first result declared was for Hythe Rural where Conservatives Michael Lyons and Paul Peacock were elected with 1,633 and 1,504 votes respectively.

In Sandgate and West Folkestone, Tories Jan Holben and Rory Love got in with 1,348 and 1,019 votes.

Ukip's first success came with Len Laws in Walland and Denge Marsh.

That was followed by Carol Sacre and Frank McKenna in East Folkestone, where Claire Jeffrey also became the first Labour member since 2007. She had come third in Thursday's General Election in the Folkestone and Hythe.

She now said: "I am thrilled that Labour has a voice in Shepway again but I am looking to work with other parties in the council for the good of local people.''

The council's only Liberal Democrat, Lynne Beaumont, was voted out of the council in the Broadmead ward having already seen her party flattened in the General Election.

She said: "After looking at what happened nationally I came here expecting to walk out with nothing. This reflected the national mood of voters.

"We need to come back and since this morning our national membership has gone up by 3,000. It was like when the SNP lost its referendum on independence. We have to rebuild and carry on.

"People have voted as they want and it has been ruthless but we have to respect how people vote."

Ms Beaumont had been voted out in the 2011 election and returned in a by-election the next year.

Long standing People First candidates Brian Copping and Paul Marsh also lost their seats.

Results

Walland and Denge Marsh ward

BEARDSLEY, Michael James (Lab) 405

GODDARD, Clive (Con) 1,726 (Elected)

HART, Benjamin Timothy Alan (Lab) 459

HILLS, Anthony Robert John (Con) 1,371

LAST, Edward Harold (Lib Dem) 309

LAWS, Leonard Neil (Ukip) 1,420 (Elected)

ROBINSON, Oliver John (Lib Dem) 186

UNDERHILL, Nicholas Winspeare (Green) 348

Sandgate and West Folkestone ward

FULLER, Gary Mark (Lib Dem) 399

HOLBEN, Janet Marguerita (Con) 1,348 (Elected)

JARDINE, Stephen Paul Thomas (Ukip) 546

JONES, Neil Lawrence (Ukip) 553

LOVE, Rory Cassian (Con) 1,019 (Elected)

MORAN, Derek John (Green) 254

PRATER, Tim (Lib Dem) 392

SHORTALL, Patrick Martin (Lab) 335

SPURRIER, Nicholas Robert (Lab) 298

WALLS, Felicity Gayna (Green) 209

Romney Marsh ward

BARRATT, Jeremy Barry (Ukip) 1,375 (Elected)

BROWNSCOMBE, Paul Anthony (Lab) 420

CLIFTON-HOLT, Alan Gordon (Con) 1,234

EVANS, David Leonard (Ind) 231

HARVEY, Arran (Lab) 516

MULLARD, Terence William (Ukip) 1,261

PHILLIPS, Stephen James (Lib Dem) 216

WILKINS, Roger James (Con) 1,343 (Elected)

WILSON, Terence Sydney Independent 287

North Downs West ward

BIRCH, Maureen (Lib Dem) 854

CAREY, Susan Joan (Con) 2,336 (Elected)

HOLLINGSBEE, Jennifer Diane (Con) 2,084 (Elected)

WHITE, Karen Jane (Green) 909

North Downs East ward

DAYBORN, James Michael (Green) 623

GODFREY, David Royce (Con) 2,637 (Elected)

MARTIN, Philip Stanley (Con) 2,540 (Elected)

OILLER, Sylvia Pamela (Lib Dem) 733

PEALL, Stuart Nicholas (Con) 2,164 (Elected)

PRIESTLEY, Stephen Terence (Ukip) 1,563

REGAN, William Robert (Lab) 722

SCOTT, Sylvia Rae (Green) 737

SHOWLER, Joseph Edward (Lab) 728

THORMAN, Terence George (Ukip) 1,413

New Romney ward

GOVETT, Susanna Elena (Ukip) 1,172 (Elected)

LOSEBY, Valerie Iris (Lib Dem) 349

O`NEILL, Michael John (Ukip) 971

SIMMONS, Peter William (Con) 1,190 (Elected)

SUCKLING, Douglas Michael (Lab) 451

TILLSON, Russell Douglas (Con) 1,114

WATKINSON, Malcolm Paul (Green) 270

WIMBLE, William David (Ind) 668

Hythe Rural ward

LYONS, Michael John Anthony (Con) 1,633 (Elected)

PEACOCK, Paul Andrew (Con) 1,504 (Elected)

PLUMSTEAD, David Alan (Ind) 1,133

SOUTH, Andrew John (Green) 965

Hythe District ward

CARTER, Ross (Green) 2,099

DEARDEN, Malcolm John (Con) 3,047 (Elected)

EWART-JAMES, Alan John (Con) 2,806 (Elected)

MARTIN, James Patrick (Green) 1,946

MASKELL, Denise (Ind) 994

OWEN, David Lionel Godwin (Con) 2,927 (Elected)

SULLIVAN, Laura Catherine Mary (Green) 1,995

Folkestone Harbour ward

BUTLER, Charlotte Katie Jeannette (Lab) 521

COLES-WATSON, Reginald John (Lab) 536

FIELD, Raymond John (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) 72

HESS, Max Lionel (Socialist Party of Great Britain) 35

LAWES, Mary Elizabeth (Ukip) 840 (Elected)

MANNERINGS, Aston Charles Liberal Democrats 304

MAROZZI, Pauline Lesley (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) 47

MOFFATT, Richard Francis Alfred (Ukip) 591

WALLACE, Richard (Con) 679

WALLACE, Susan Linda (Con) 737 (Elected)

Folkestone Central ward

BLAKE, Roy (Ukip) 977

CALLAHAN, David (Ukip) 869

COLLINS, Phillip (Lab) 792

GIRI, Gopal (Lib Dem) 450

HORTON, David Jon (Green) 781

KAPUR, Rohen (Libertarian Party UK) 47

MCNEICE, Thomas Stuart (Lib Dem) 489

MITCHELL, Wendy Jean (Lab) 763

MONK, David Drury (Con) 1,121 (Elected)

MORGAN, Louise (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) 132

NEAVES, Robert George (Ukip) 742

PAGE, Bronwen (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) 104

PASCOE, Richard Anthony (Con) 1,119 (Elected)

ROBERTSON-RITCHIE, Hugh (Lib Dem) 527

WHEELER, Rodica (Con) 1,214 (Elected)

East Folkestone ward

BINGHAM, Paul Richard (Lab) 894

BLAKE, Hillary Mary (Ukip) 996

BUSS, Trevor John (People First) 531

COPPING, Brian William (People First) 750

DUNNING, Anthony John (Con) 896

JEFFREY, Claire Emma (Lab) 1,119 (Elected)

JEFFREY, Dylan Keith (Lab) 845

MARSH, Paul Albert Roy (People First) 605

MCKENNA, Francis James (Ukip) 1,136 (Elected)

ROLFE, Beverly Jane (Lib Dem) 376

SACRE, Carol Lynn (Ukip) 1,163 (Elected)

SALMON, Martin Andrew (Con) 917

WEST, Roger Charles (Con) 813

Cheriton ward

BOLTON, Henry David (Ukip) 1,331

COLLIER, John David Ferrers (Con) 1,849 (Elected)

CRUSE, Seth (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) 192

DAVISON, Laura Frances (Lab) 1,192

GANE, Peter Charles (Con) 1,712 (Elected)

GRIFFITHS, Arran Jason (Lab) 885

GURUNG, Dhan Bhadur (Lib Dem) 1,193

LE FANU, Edward Louis (Lab) 747

MONK, Peter Robert (Con) 1,348

ROBINSON, Damon (Ukip) 1354 (Elected)

SEGAL, Eric (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) 182

SHOOB, Rebecca Tamsin (Green) 681

Broadmead ward

BEAUMONT, Lynne Elizabeth (Lib Dem) 424

BERRY, Ann Elizabeth (Con) 858 (Elected)

BIRKBY, Hodgson Graves Richard (Ukip) 365

KEEN, Nicola Ann (Lab) 245