The Green Party has won both seats it was defending in Tonbridge town at the final Kent County Council elections.
Unlike most seats, the electoral division of Tonbridge elects the top two candidates. Last time the Green Party's Mark Hood took 27% and the Green Party's Paul Stepto took 23% and were both elected.
Mark Hood (pictured below) and Paul Stepto both stood again and won comfortably. They won 26% and 22% of the vote respectively.
Listen here to councillors and candidates reacting to the Tonbridge result, as well as the news that Nigel Farage's Reform UK party had taken overall control of Kent County Council, with the Conservatives slumping from 55 councillors to just 5 councillors.
Mark Hood of the Greens told us: "We are very relieved - having seen what's happened around Kent - that people have put their faith in us as a team. They recognise the hard work of the Green Party".
Mark Hood continued: "They're (Reform UK) a protest party, so how they are going to get to grips with the world of municipal government is going to be interesting. We are all going to be intrigued how they are going to fulfil their election promises, particularly keeping council tax frozen while maintaining the services that our residents rely on".
Reform UK had promised in its campaign to freeze council tax, cut wasteful spending, support business, axe "woke" policies and provide more social housing for local people.
The Conservatives did hang onto two seats to the west and east of Tonbridge town..
Residents in Hildenborough voted in the MALLING WEST division and Harry Rayner (pictured below) of the Conservatives was elected.
Harry Rayner told West Kent Radio: "For me it's a very sad day to see the loss of such valued and helpful colleagues and also the huge amount of experience that they have had in KCC over the years. I was around as a councillor (not a County Councillor) when the opposition won previously in the mid 1990s and I saw the hash that was made of the administration that time."
Residents in Hadlow voted in the MALLING RURAL EAST division and Sarah Hudson (Conservative, pictured below) was elected.
TONBRIDGE DIVISION
| Election Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mark Antony James Hood |
Green Party | 5415 | 26% | Elected |
| Paul Andrew Stepto |
Green Party | 4533 | 22% | Elected |
| Matt Botten |
Reform UK | 2355 | 11% | Not elected |
| Jennifer Sandra Elizabeth Lewis |
Conservative | 2188 | 11% | Not elected |
| Frixos Glafcos Tombolis |
Conservative | 2025 | 10% | Not elected |
| Gary Paul Longley |
Reform UK | 1856 | 9% | Not elected |
| Frances Annabel Hoskins |
Liberal Democrat | 997 | 5% | Not elected |
| Garry Christopher Bridge |
Liberal Democrat | 651 | 3% | Not elected |
| Callum Ryan Lake |
Labour | 433 | 2% | Not elected |
| Catherine Moyra Tuke |
Labour | 305 | 1% | Not elected |
MALLING WEST - including Hildenborough
| Election Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Rayner |
Conservative | 2162 | 46% | Elected |
| Callum John Wrighton |
Reform UK | 1206 | 25% | Not elected |
| Sam Gallon |
Green Party | 626 | 13% | Not elected |
| Christopher James Scott |
Liberal Democrat | 438 | 9% | Not elected |
| Kathleen Maria Garlick |
Labour | 315 | 7% | Not elected |
MALLING RURAL EAST - including Hadlow
| Election Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Anne Hudson |
Conservative | 2140 | 43% | Elected |
| Helen Jean Brown |
Reform UK | 1538 | 31% | Not elected |
| David John Nicholls |
Green Party | 732 | 15% | Not elected |
| Timothy Bishop |
Liberal Democrat | 374 | 7% | Not elected |
| Jack Tyrrell |
Labour | 244 | 5% | Not elected |
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