Our candidate Keith Budden lost by 89 votes in the Town Council by-election in Rayleigh Central Ward. The result was:
Cheryl Roe (Con) 249
Keith Budden (Lib Dem) 160
turnout 13%
It’s a great pity that Keith lost, because he would have been a thoughtful and hard-working councillor. But if you have to lose, 89 is about the right amount to lose by. To lose by several hundred would be really depressing; to lose by only a few votes leaves you thinking “If only I had campaigned a little more …”
Anyway , we wish Ms Roe well, and hope she enjoys her time on the council.
PS – we originally reported that Keith lost by 82 votes – which just shows that we can make mistakes too…