Maidstone council has been left with no party in overall control.

The Conservative group has spent most of the last year with a slim one-seat majority of the 55 seats.

But mid-April, one of their members, Cllr Robert Eves, was dismissed as he hadn’t attended a council meeting for six months after moving away.

That left the Tories going into the election with 27 seats.

After all the votes were counted today, they lost five seats they had held (including Mr Eves’ in North Ward) but also bucked the national trend by gaining a seat from the Lib Dems with a young candidate James Reid in Coxheath and Hunton, leaving them with 24 members.

The second largest party, the Lib Dems, gained one seat in North Ward, but lost one in Coxheath, leaving them with no change on 12 members.

The biggest shock for the Tories was the victory of local Independent campaigner Vanessa Jones over Conservative Anne Brindle in Boxley Ward. Cllr Jones stood on a platform of No to the Lidsing Garden Village .

Labour ended up one seat – after gaining Shepway North from the Conservatives. The Tories’ previous member, Marion Ring, had not sought re-electon due to ill health. Joanna Wilkinson now joins her husband Dan as a husband-and-wife team on the council.

Finally it was a good result for the Greens. They gained two seats bringing their total to three. Their party leader, Cllr Stuart Jeffery, also said he had agreed to form a group with three Independent councillors – Vanessa Jones, Tom Sams and Janetta Sams – to give them all a greater voice.

Council leader and Tory party chief Cllr David Burton was sanguine about the results, saying: “Once again we have bucked the national trend. We have lost a few seats, but we also gained a seat and have a fantastic new councillor in James Reid.”

Cllr Burton said he would “take nothing for granted” but hoped he would gain the support of some of the Independent councillors so as to continue a Conservative administration.

In any case, he was elected as leader for the council’s full term, and so will automatically stay council leader unless there is a vote of no confidence in him.

The turnout was 29.9%, about identical to the last election in 2022.

Despite fears the requirement to show photo ID to vote would cause problems, very little trouble was recorded.

Some 137 people were initially turned away from the polling booths after turning up without ID, but 115 of those returned with ID and voted. Only 22 seem to have been disenfranchised.

The direction of Maidstone council will now be determined at the annual council meeting on Saturday, May 20.

The count took place at The Clive Emson Conference Centre at the Kent County Showground in Detling, with around 120 tellers counting the votes.

Those elected today will serve for one year only - not the usual four. Then in 2024, there will be a big re-organisation.

The whole council will be elected in one go, but there will be fewer seats, only 49, and there will be ward boundary changes in all areas.

All the ward changes can be seen here. https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/maidstone

The final result: Conservatives 24, Lib Dems 12, Independents 10, Labour 6, Greens 3.

Allington

Laura Kennedy (Con) 639

Marianna Poliszczuk (Lab) 213

Cynthia Robertson (Lib Dem) 923 ELECTED

Rachel Rodwell (Green) 569

Bearsted

Ian Chittenden (Lib Dem) 283

Ciaran Oliver (Green) 294

Val Springett (Con) 1204 ELECTED

Mark Tickner (Lab) 219

Sean Turner (Heritage Party) 77

Boxley

Anne Brindle (Com) 784

Vanessa Jones (Ind) 1.012 ELECTED

Stella Randall (Lab) 263

Geoffery Samme (Lib Dem) 236

Coxheath and Hunton

Claire Kehily (Green) 697

John Randall (Lab) 226

James Reid (Con) 788 ELECTED

Bryan Vizzard (Lib Dem) 275

Detling and Thurnham

Stephen Thompson (Green) 485 ELECTED

Zelina Toric-Azad (Lib Dem) 80

Christopher Waters (Con) 411

Downswood and Otham

Theresa Lyons (Lab) 118

David Murray (Green) 69

Gordon Newton (Ind ) 510 ELECTED

Scott Walker (Con) 115

East

Ronald Burke (Con) 497

David Naghi (Lib Dem) 1,051 ELECTED

Derek Swan (Lab) 273

Matthew White (Green) 164

Fant

Rojo Kurien (Lib Dem) 252

Ian McDonald (Green) 383

Jaison Musindo (Con) 354

Margaret Rose (Lab) 760 ELECTED

Harrietsham and Lenham

Andrew Bye (Con) 325

Tom Sams (Ind) 1296 ELECTED

Ryan Slaughter (Lab) 164

High Street

Steven Cheeseman (Green) 331

David Collier (Lab) 401

Reiss Cordrey (Con) 352

Dinesh Khadka (Lib Dem) 641 ELECTED

Leeds

Robert Field (Lib Dem) 138

Gill Fort (Con) 389 ELECTED

Caroline Jessel (Green) 109

Loose

Ken Amakye (Con) 165

Donna Greenan (Green) 36

Susan Grigg (Ind) 236 ELECTED

Alan Le Grys (Lab) 60

Simon Wales (Lib Dem) 179

Marden and Yalding

Sarah Barwick (Lab) 265

Annabelle Blackmore (Con) 1,005 ELECTED

Chris Passmore (Lib Dem) 154

Mick Summersgill (Green) 891

North

Scott Hahnefeld (Con) 397

Kimberley Milham (Green) 199

Rachel Slaughter (Lab) 292

Michael Thompson (Lib Dem) 930 ELECTED

Shepway North

Gary Butler (Ind) 114

Alison Colyer (Con) 577

Joe Higson (Lib Dem) 184

Stephen Muggeridge (Green) 146

Joanna Wilkinson (Lab) 602 ELECTED

South

Brian Clark (Lib Dem) 1,153 ELECTED

Emily Hudson (Con) 408

Graham Jarvis (Reform UK) 129

Dennis Luchmun (Lab) 197

Simon Milham (Green) 92

Paul Thomas (Ind) 182

Staplehurst

Thomas Burnham (Lib Dem) 219

Kelly Rigden (Green) 132

Paddy Riordan (Con) 942 ELECTED

Rory Sikin (Lab) 578

Sutton Valence and Langley

Derek Eagle (Green) 398 ELECTED

Martin Richards (Lib Dem) 88

Wendy Young (Con) 356