← Folkestone & Hythe (all cycles) · 1 May 2025 cohort
Folkestone & Hythe 2025
Local elections held 1 May 2025.
How to read this page
Each race below shows the share of valid ballots the marginal elected candidate actually won, and compares it to the proportional quota: the share that would be needed to be guaranteed that seat under any proportional voting method (1 seats + 1). For a 1-seat ward the quota is 50%; for 2 seats, 33.3%; for 3 seats, 25%.
Where the actual winning share fell below the quota, we show the gap as points under par — the editorial indictment. Above-par results are just majority mandates and pass without comment. The voting method is the subject of every observation here. Named candidates appear as the public election record requires; the cause being audited is the voting method, not the individuals. See the methodology page for derivations.
If votes were counted by party
Across the 6 wards in this cycle, parties received the vote totals below. The proportional column shows what each party would have won if the 6 seats had been allocated to those vote totals in proportion (how, with caveats). The Δ column is the actual seat count minus the proportional seat count — positive numbers are parties First-Past-the-Post over-represented in this council, negative are parties it under-represented.
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats won | % of seats | Proportional seats | Proportional % | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK | 14,293 | 43.5% | 5 | 83.3% | 3 | 50.0% | +2 |
| Green Party | 5,545 | 16.9% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 16.7% | -1 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | 5,306 | 16.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 16.7% | -1 |
| Liberal Democrats | 3,586 | 10.9% | 1 | 16.7% | 1 | 16.7% | 0 |
| Labour Party | 3,315 | 10.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Labour and Co-operative Party | 555 | 1.7% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Independent | 136 | 0.4% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| The Socialist Party of Great Britain | 85 | 0.3% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Homeland Party | 50 | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Total | 32,871 | 100.0% | 6 | 100.0% | 6 | 100.0% | 0 |
Vote share vs seats won
The top bar is each party's share of votes cast in this council. Below, one square per seat, coloured by the party that won it — first the actual First-Past-the-Post result, then what a proportional method would have produced from the same vote totals. Divergence between the bar and the actual grid is the indictment of the method.
Wards in this council
Sorted with the largest gap below the quota first. Click any ward to jump to its full result.
- Folkestone West · 1 seat · won at 33.6% · +16.4 pts below quota
- Cheriton, Sandgate & Hythe East · 1 seat · won at 34.0% · +16.0 pts below quota
- Folkestone East · 1 seat · won at 41.4% · +8.6 pts below quota
- Hythe West · 1 seat · won at 43.5% · +6.5 pts below quota
- Elham Valley · 1 seat · won at 43.6% · +6.4 pts below quota
- Romney Marsh · 1 seat · won at 63.6% · above quota
Race results
Folkestone West · single-seat
Marginal winner 33.6% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +16.4 pts below quota Valid ballots 5,209
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Baker | Reform UK | 1,748 | 33.6% | Elected |
| 2 | Adrian Lockwood | Labour Party | 1,152 | 22.1% | |
| 3 | Rebecca Shoob | Green Party | 996 | 19.1% | |
| 4 | Dylan Jeffrey | Conservative and Unionist Party | 852 | 16.4% | |
| 5 | Matthew Horrox | Liberal Democrats | 414 | 7.9% | |
| 6 | Andy Thomas | The Socialist Party of Great Britain | 47 | 0.9% |
Cheriton, Sandgate & Hythe East · single-seat
Marginal winner 34.0% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +16.0 pts below quota Valid ballots 6,035
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Prater | Liberal Democrats | 2,051 | 34.0% | Elected |
| 2 | Gary Burton | Reform UK | 1,987 | 32.9% | |
| 3 | Rory Love | Conservative and Unionist Party | 973 | 16.1% | |
| 4 | Momtaz Khanom | Green Party | 595 | 9.9% | |
| 5 | Alex Davies | Labour Party | 428 | 7.1% |
Folkestone East · single-seat
Marginal winner 41.4% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +8.6 pts below quota Valid ballots 4,132
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary Elizabeth Lawes | Reform UK | 1,712 | 41.4% | Elected |
| 2 | Jackie Meade | Labour Party | 1,076 | 26.0% | |
| 3 | Kieran Leigh | Conservative and Unionist Party | 513 | 12.4% | |
| 4 | Marianne Brett | Green Party | 509 | 12.3% | |
| 5 | Tom McNeice | Liberal Democrats | 233 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Steve Laws | Homeland Party | 50 | 1.2% | |
| 7 | Max Lionel Hess | The Socialist Party of Great Britain | 38 | 0.9% |
Hythe West · single-seat
Marginal winner 43.5% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +6.5 pts below quota Valid ballots 5,570
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Andrew Osborne | Reform UK | 2,421 | 43.5% | Elected |
| 2 | Roy Smith | Green Party | 1,563 | 28.1% | |
| 3 | Sean McKirdy | Conservative and Unionist Party | 870 | 15.6% | |
| 4 | Christian Perry | Labour Party | 326 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | John Stokes | Liberal Democrats | 254 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Andy Weatherhead | Independent | 136 | 2.4% |
Elham Valley · single-seat
Marginal winner 43.6% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference +6.4 pts below quota Valid ballots 5,791
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Hespe | Reform UK | 2,522 | 43.6% | Elected |
| 2 | Jim Martin | Green Party | 1,439 | 24.8% | |
| 3 | Sarah Richardson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,120 | 19.3% | |
| 4 | Emily Newing | Liberal Democrats | 376 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Mason Henry Collen | Labour Party | 333 | 5.8% |
Romney Marsh · single-seat
Marginal winner 63.6% Proportional quota 50.0% Difference −13.6 pts Valid ballots 6,138
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Wimble | Reform UK | 3,903 | 63.6% | Elected |
| 2 | Tony Hills | Conservative and Unionist Party | 978 | 15.9% | |
| 3 | Tony Cooper | Labour and Co-operative Party | 555 | 9.0% | |
| 4 | Malcolm Watkinson | Green Party | 443 | 7.2% | |
| 5 | Gary Fuller | Liberal Democrats | 258 | 4.2% |