No party was able to gain a majority in Swale during this year’s council elections.

Out of a possible 47 seats, Labour won 15 seats with Conservative a close second with 12.

The Swale Independents followed in third with 11 seats, which means a coalition will be on the cards for the district for the second successive election following the hung council which took place back in 2019.

Discussions about which parties will co-align is expected in the coming weeks, with a reported continuation of the existing 'rainbow' council expected to be considered.

This currently involves all five of the area's major parties - barring the Conservatives.

A date of May 17 has been set to choose the council's new leader when the district's new members meet at its headquarters in Sittingbourne.

Labour Party leader Roger Truelove, who left the arena prior to the final result being announced, will most likely enter talks with existing council leader, Mike Baldock.

The latter admits a hung council was an expected outcome - but one he believes will benefit residents once a coalition is formed again later this month.

He said: “It’s clear that people have liked what the coalition has done since the last election, and that’s why we have been voted back in.

“We have all made gains and that’s vindication of how we have run the council for the past four years.

“The Conservatives have had more losses so that’s really exciting, and so we will have more discussions between the coalition groups.

“I would like a wide coalition if possible again and that’s what I’ll be suggesting, and hopefully we can do another four years of great work for Swale.

“The most gutting thing was losing the Sheppey by-election seat.

“I think Labour taking Kemsley was a surprise. Swale Independents doubled up in Newington and Borden so that’s been a big step forward for us and made it a really good set of results.”

The Sheppey Division by-election was another big talking point heading into the day.

The seat became available following the death of Tory representative, Cameron Beart, in January.

The party managed to hang onto the seat by the smallest of margins, with Mike Whiting winning by just 60 votes more than Swale Independent's Elliott Matthew Jayes.

The announcement, which was met by huge roars from the Tory faithful, came as a welcome relief to Mr Whiting.

Speaking after the result, he insists he is already focused on addressing one key issue.

He said: “It was a very close fight, but I’m absolutely delighted with the result and would like to thank the other candidates as well for making it such a close fight.

“There’s a lot which needs doing on Sheppey such as the education system which is letting people down with just one secondary school.

“It is also a very special place to my heart, and so I’m really looking forward to representing the residents of the area in the coming years."

There was also a surprise defeat for the now former Tory leader, Alan Horton.

He lost his seat representing the Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch ward after he was defeated by two Swale Independent candidates Chris and Richard Palmer.

Yet he acknowledges bigger gains were expected to be made by other parties - something which he believes makes his result easier to handle.

He added: "Given the national tide, we only lost two or three seats which isn't as bad as it could have been.

"I lost to a strong campaign by the Swale Independents which you have to accept in a democratic process.

"But the council has to move forward and it will certainly be interesting to see how that plays out once alliances are constructed in the next few weeks.

"I expect Labour and the Swale Independents to join together on their own as that would be a natural and strategic thing to do - of course Labour will dictate many of those decisions."

One Labour member who was thrilled with the day's play was Carole Jackson.

Just moments after winning her incumbent St Ann's seat with 846 votes, she said: “I’m very pleased with the outcome today.

“With the coalition, we can go forward and make improvements for the people of Sheppey.

“I think we’ll form another relationship again with the Independents because it has worked well up to now."

Turnout figures were viewed as disappointing by many senior figures.

Just 30,599 out of a possible 110,088 voters turned up to vote for borough elections – ammounting to just 22%.

The same amount was the case for the KCC by-election with 7,021 out of 31,624 people going to the ballot box.

The number was slightly higher during the area’s town and parish elections with a 33% turnout.

Abbey

Jay Brown (Con) - 267

Trevor Raymond Payne (Lab) - 314

Hannah Perkin (Lib Dems) - 918

Melanie Jane Regan-Brown (Con) - 244

Frances Rehal (Lab and Co-op) - 261

Chris Williams (Lib Dems) - 807

Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow

Lloyd George Chapman (Swale Ind) - 501

Roger Clark (Con) - 483

Carol Ann Goatham (Green) - 236

Olufemi Oludamilare (Lab) - 401

Gareth Randall (Con) - 343

Marc Wilson (Lib Dems) - 267

Borden and Grove Park

Mike Baldock (Swale Inds) - 1,030

Ann Cavanagh (Swale Inds) - 728

Conor Michael Dobbs (Con) - 262

Nicholas James Hampshire (Con) - 424

Martin Scott Singer (Lab) - 184

Boughton and Courtenay

Piers Henry McKenzie Baker (Con) - 392

Sonia Christine Fox (Lib Dems) - 102

Alastair Brian Gould (Green) - 1,122

Oliver John Maitland Lane (Con) - 346

Rich Lehmann (Green) - 1,123

Ida Ann Linfield (Lib Dems) - 77

Jeff Tuff (Swale Ind) - 278

Chalkwell

Richard Thomas Allsep (Con) - 173

Charlie William Miller (Lab) - 298

Hannah Temple (Green) - 68

East Downs

Stephen Andrew Fisher (Lib Dems) - 110

David Henry Seymour Simmons - (Con) - 389

Terry Thompson (Green) - 423

Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch

Margaret Anne Cooper (Lab) - 279

Alan Campbell Horton (Con) - 530

Chris Palmer (Swale Ind) - 879

Richard Palmer (Swale Ind) - 943

Asha Saroy (Con) - 336

Homewood

Shelley Susannah Cheesman (Lab) - 483

Simon David Clark (Lab) - 511

Jason Clinch (Swale Ind) - 395

Danielle Hoynes (Con) - 343

Thomas Henry Lee (Heritage) - 240

Frances Stennings (Lib Dem) - 166

John Geoffrey (Con) - 340

Kemsley

Derek William Carnell (Swale Inds) - 476

Tony Clark (Lib Dems) - 236

Mike Dendor (Con) - 322

Sue Gent (Con) - 356

Ashley Luke Wise (Lab) - 357

The Meads

James Christopher Hunt (Con) - 395

Shaun John Wakelen (Lib Dems) - 18

Milton Regis

David Graham Danaher (Con) - 186

Stephen Arthur Davey (Swale Ind) - 303

Angelica Tereza Valls (Lab)

Stuart Roy (Con) - 166 votes

Anthony Charles Winckless (Lab) - 674 votes

Minster Cliffs

Hollie Bolitho (Con) - 466

Andy Booth (Con) - 561

Richard William Darby (Ind) - 457

Will Fotheringham-Bray (Reform UK) - 163

Josie Galvin (Green) - 276

Ken Ingleton (Con) - 554

Tom Nundy (Swale Inds) - 656

Libby Tucker (Lab) - 396

Murston

James Hall (Swale Ind) - 593

Ann Patricia Hampshire (Con) - 211

Mark Anthony Last (Lab) - 397

Miriam Natasha Layton (Green) - 119

Glen Dean Le Grys (Con) - 171

Alexander Stennings (Lib Dems) - 139

Mary Zeng (Lib Dems) - 127

Priory

Rob Crayford (Lab) - 98

Andy Culham (Con) - 174

Michael Henderson (Lib Dems) - 394

Sonia Camilla Jackson (Green) - 5

Queenborough and Halfway

Bailey Percival Allison (Con) 498

Donna Margaret Boakes (Lab) 508

Linda Ann Brinklow (Lib Dems) 227

Jordan Desmond Hartley (Lab) 462

Peter Lionel Marchington (Con) 586

Ashley Roy Arthur Shiel (Lab) 603

Lorraine St. John (Swa Ind) 293

Mike Whiting (Con) 522

Roman

Debra Louise Blacklock (Green) - 167

Tim Gibson (Lab) - 652

Rosemary Madgwick (Lib Dems) - 134

Alfred Okotie (Con) - 266

Mark Anthony Quinton (Con) - 300

Karen Anne Watson (Lab) - 53

Sheerness

Hayden Anthony Brawn (Lab) - 612

Angela Harrison (Lab) - 727

Lee Robert McCall (Ind) - 382

Patricia Rogers (Con) - 394

Dolley Jean White (Lab) - 573

Jeffrey Mark Vincent Williams (Reform UK) - 205

Sheppey Central

Sam Banks (Green) - 200

Edward Ernest Currie (Lib Dems) - 200

Oliver Eakin (Con) - 360

Ian Christopher Edworthy (Lab) - 362

Alan George Henley (Lab) - 333

Elliott Matthew Jayes (Swale Ind) - 794

Peter John Macdonald (Ind) - 298

Peter David Neal (Con) - 409

Mark Roland Tucker (Con) - 389

Mad Mike Young (TOMRLP) - 161

Sheppey East

Gaynor Teresa Bidgood (Ind) - 191

Lee-Anne Michele Moore (Con) - 347

Mini Nissanga (Reform) - 108

Tara Ilana Noe (Con) - 315

Pat Sandle (Ind) - 215

Bill Tatton (Ind) - 103

David William Walton (Green) - 129

Matt Wheatcroft (Lab) - 226

St Ann’s

Seb Arrowsmith-Brown (Reform UK) - 93

Ben Fisher (Con) - 398

Charles Gibson (Lib Dems) - 448

Kieran Joseph Michael Golding (Lab) - 765

Carole Hannah Jackson (Lab) - 846

Frankie O'Brien (Con) - 363

Josh Rowlands (Lib dems) - 444

Teynham and Lynsted

Dorothee Anne Barker (Lib Dems) - 135

Janet Lyn Bott (Green) - 506

Lloyd Robert Bowen (Con) - 764

Georgina Ruth Jessiman (Lab) - 344

Carol Louvain Morris (Lib Dems) - 133

Julien Peter Speed (Con) - 666

Watling

Jack Geoffrey Goodenough (Con) - 496

Oliver Heyden (Green) - 298

Ben Jonathan Martin (Lib Dems) - 1009

Claire Martin (Lib Dems) - 830

Robert John Newman (Lab) - 350

James Douglas Scott (Lab) - 300

Jess Valentine (Con) - 465

West Downs

Kris Barker (Lib Dems) - 60

Margaret Agnes Benford (Con) - 155

Monique Elaine Bonney (Ind) - 655

Woodstock

James Leslie Rashleuigh Beer (Lab) - 328

Lee Burgess (Con) - 584

Paul John Stephen (Swale Inds) - 750

Sarah Ann Stephen (Swale Inds) - 830