Tories fail to make clean sweep (From Southend Standard)

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RULING Tories failed to make a widely predicted clean sweep of available seats in Basildon.

They gained one seat - Laindon Park - from Labour in Basildon.

However, the Conservatives did not do as well as predicted.

They hoped to get at least three seats, including Vange and Pitsea North West.

But Labour hung on by the skin of its teeth winning Keith Bobbin Pitsea North West by 19 votes and Vange by 68.

Labour also held strongholds Fryerns and St Martins and Lee Chapel North with reduced margins.

The Tories took 43 per cent of the total vote - down on last year when it took 54.4 per cent.

Labour took 22 per cent.

Lib Dem and BNP polled 12 per cent of the vote each.

Overall turnout was down from 33.5 percent last year to 30 per cent this years.

Archive - Friday, 4 May 2007