2025 Kent County Council election


The 2025 Kent County Council election took place on 1 May 2025 to elect members to Kent County Council in Kent, England. Reform UK won a majority of the 81 seats, as the Conservatives lost the vast majority of their seats including most of the Cabinet. Reform won all seats in the Ashford, Dartford, Dover, Gravesham and Thanet districts.
This was on the same day as other local elections; Kent County Council had asked for the election to be postponed under the devolution programme but this was rejected, so the election was held as planned.

Background

In the 2021 election, the Conservatives won 62 seats, giving them a majority and control of the council. The Labour Party were the second biggest party with 7 seats, followed by the Liberal Democrats with 6 seats and the Greens with 1 seat. Mike Baldock of the Swale Independents was elected in Swale West.
Several by-elections took place between the 2021 and 2025 elections:

In March 2024, councillor Trevor Shonk of Ramsgate left the Conservative Party to join the Thanet Independents. Later that month, councillor Mike Whiting of Sheppey was suspended from the Conservatives following a drink driving conviction and sat the rest of his term as an independent.
In the 2024 general election, the Labour Party won 10 of the Kent seats from the Conservatives, while retaining Canterbury. The Liberal Democrats won Tunbridge Wells from the Conservatives, who retained Faversham and Mid Kent, Maidstone and Malling, Herne Bay and Sandwich, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge while winning the new Weald of Kent seat. Overall, of the Kent seats, the Labour Party won 11, the Conservative Party won 6 and the Liberal Democrats won 1.
In October 2024, councillor Barry Lewis of Margate was deselected by the Labour Party for the upcoming election citing "concerning comments" and allegations of election betting, leading him to leave the party and serve the rest of his term as an independent. In January 2025, councillor Dirk Ross of Ashford South left the Conservative Party to sit as an independent.

Previous council composition

Changes 2021–2025

  • October 2021: Ann Allen dies – by-election held January 2022
  • January 2022: Av Sandhu wins by-election
  • November 2022: Andy Weatherhead resigns – by-election held March 2023
  • January 2023: Cameron Beart dies – by-election held May 2023
  • March 2023: Jenni Hawkins gains by-election from Conservatives; Dan Daley dies – by-election held July 2023
  • May 2023: Mike Whiting wins by-election
  • July 2023: Chris Passmore wins by-election
  • March 2024: Trevor Shonk joins Thanet Independents; Mike Whiting suspended by party
  • August 2024: Peter Harman dies – by-election held November 2024
  • October 2024: Barry Lewis suspended from party
  • November 2024: Thomas Mallon gains by-election from Residents' Association
  • January 2025: Dirk Ross leaves party to sit as an independent
  • March 2025: Trevor Shonk and Dirk Ross join Reform UK; Becki Bruneau joins Heritage Party

Summary

The election saw Reform UK win a majority of the seats on the council for the first time, taking 57 of the council's 81 seats. The Conservatives lost the majority they had held since 1997, and their leader Roger Gough lost his seat. Reform UK chose Linden Kemkaran, who had not been a councillor prior to the election, to be their group leader. She was formally appointed as the new leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 22 May 2025.

Division results by district

Ashford

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Canterbury

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Dover

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Folkestone and Hythe

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Maidstone

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Sevenoaks

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Swale

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Thanet

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Tonbridge and Malling

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Tunbridge Wells

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Post election changes

  • In June 2025, a Reform councillor was suspended after being arrested.
  • In September 2025, a Reform councillor defected to UKIP.
  • In October 2025, Reform suspended one councillor over conduct and a further four councillors after a leadership dispute.