First UKIP member of town council elected
Friday, 11th October 2013.
The recent success of UKIP in Haverhill was continued in yesterday's town council by-election as the party took its first seat on the council at the expense of the Tories.
Barry Robbins, known to many through his years of service at Haverhill Post Office, was elected to replace Bryan Hawes,one of the councillors in north ward, who had resigned a week after defecting from the Tories to UKIP.
UKIP had collected anough requests from residents to force an election, rather than the more common co-option system whereby a new member would have been selected by the other councillotrs, based on the party balance at the last election in 2011.
The move succeeded and gained them a foothold in the town council, to go with the two county councillors they triumphed with in May, and the recent defection from the Tories to UKIP of St Edmundsbury borough councillor Gordon Cox, so they now have a presence at all three tiers of local government in Haverhill.
Cllr Robbins gained 374 votes, with Christopher Wheatley, the defending Conservative, some distance behind in second place on 254.
Labour's Lorraine Weston was third with 212, while the Independent candidate Frankie Boyle, polled just 20 votes.
A total of 862 votes were cast out of an electorate of 5,735, amounting to a turnout of just 15 per cent.
Barry Robbins, known to many through his years of service at Haverhill Post Office, was elected to replace Bryan Hawes,one of the councillors in north ward, who had resigned a week after defecting from the Tories to UKIP.
UKIP had collected anough requests from residents to force an election, rather than the more common co-option system whereby a new member would have been selected by the other councillotrs, based on the party balance at the last election in 2011.
The move succeeded and gained them a foothold in the town council, to go with the two county councillors they triumphed with in May, and the recent defection from the Tories to UKIP of St Edmundsbury borough councillor Gordon Cox, so they now have a presence at all three tiers of local government in Haverhill.
Cllr Robbins gained 374 votes, with Christopher Wheatley, the defending Conservative, some distance behind in second place on 254.
Labour's Lorraine Weston was third with 212, while the Independent candidate Frankie Boyle, polled just 20 votes.
A total of 862 votes were cast out of an electorate of 5,735, amounting to a turnout of just 15 per cent.
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