The Conservative candidate won yesterday’s (Thursday)
by-election at Witnesham which was called following June’s
resignation of Kate Waddell because of increasing work
commitments.
Steven Hudson held the seat after taking 53.7 per cent of the
votes, with a majority of 44 over the only other candidate, and
will now represent Witnesham until May 2011 when all the Suffolk
Coastal seats are due to be contested.
The full result was:-
Andrew Mark
Houseley Liberal
Democrats 272
Steven Courtenay
Hudson Conservative 316
The electorate was 1,634, the majority was 44 and the turn-out
was 36.6 per cent.
Polling stations had been open from 7am to 10pm at Playford
Village Hall, Tuddenham Village Hall, Westerfield Village Hall, and
Witnesham Village Hall. Cllr Hudson is also a county councillor for
Kesgrave.
The result in May 2007 for Witnesham was Anthony Scott (Labour)
119 (17.5% share of vote), and Kate Waddell (Conservative) 562
(82.5% share of vote), with a turn-out of 42.5% from an electorate
of 1,620.
Yesterday’s result leaves the current make of Suffolk Coastal as
follows: - Conservatives 44 seats, Liberal Democrats nine seats,
Labour one seat, and one vacant seat (Woodbridge
Riverside).