The Tories now have control of 22 council seats, while Labour ended the day with 12 seats. The Wickford Independents have two seats while the Independents have four and Absolute Independents won two seats. The Conservatives took Vange, Pitsea South East, St Martin’s and Laindon Park. The previous Labour and Independent-led administration had plans for up to 4,000 high-rise homes in the town centre, a 5,000-seat arena, new transport hub and improvements to the Towngate Theatre. But the Tories have vowed to redraft the £1billion overhaul of the town centre after winning control of the council. Craig Rimmer, Tory councillor for Pitsea South East, said: “We will stop the high rise and consult with residents to come up with a plan that they want to see and agree with.”
The Tories now have control of 22 council seats, while Labour ended the day with 12 seats. The Wickford Independents have two seats while the Independents have four and Absolute Independents won two seats. The Conservatives took Vange, Pitsea South East, St Martin’s and Laindon Park. The previous Labour and Independent-led administration had plans for up to 4,000 high-rise homes in the town centre, a 5,000-seat arena, new transport hub and improvements to the Towngate Theatre. But the Tories have vowed to redraft the £1billion overhaul of the town centre after winning control of the council. Craig Rimmer, Tory councillor for Pitsea South East, said: “We will stop the high rise and consult with residents to come up with a plan that they want to see and agree with.”
Basildon is blue again after the Labour party was ousted in a dramatic turn at the polls which saw the leader of the town step down. The Tories have taken back control of the council as they won four seats from the Labour party, with outgoing council leader Gavin Callaghan fearing the result would have “lasting consequences”. Senior Conservatives admitted national politics may have provided councillors with a huge boost, sending a huge thank you to Prime Minister Boris Johnson for helping to secure votes. Following the count, Craig Rimmer, councillor for Pitsea South East, announced he is set to push to become Tory leader of Basildon.