Conservative Rosemary Griffiths has won the Hythe West Town Council seat with 53.5% of the total votes cast. Neil Matthews of the Liberal Democrats polled 44.5%.
A statement on the Folkestone and Hythe Conservatives website (http://www.shepwayconservatives.org.uk/index.php?sectionid=3&pagenumber=452) carries the result and launches an astonishing attack on the Liberal Democrats for having a 'dinosaur approach to campaigning.'
The statement, intitially unauthored but updated to include the name Gordon Williams Conservative Party agent, continues; 'They [voters] wanted a representative who cared about the community, not some former Parliamentary Candidate who already had a track record of costing Hythe West residents plenty of money when last he was a town councillor.
'For my own part, I hope the LibDems continue with their pathetic style of campaigning - it garners additonal votes we wouldn't normally get from people who know exactly where the dividing line exists between decency on the one hand and the LibDems on the other!!'
The Liberal Democrats are drawing some comfort from the result. In a statement on the Lib Dem website (http://www.shepwaylibdems.org.uk/news/001700/big_swing_to_lib_dems_in_hythe_west_but_conservatives_retain_seat.html) Campaign manager and councillor Tim Prater congratulates Rosemary Griffiths and commends Neil Matthews for a 'sterling' campaign.
"It's never good to lose, but the result shows how competitive Hythe West has become - we've seen a big swing from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats since 2007.
'Going into the New Year, we're confident and upbeat about our prospects across the area.'
The by election was triggered when Conservative Councillor Richard Carroll resigned in protest over the granting of planning permission for a major development on the Hotel Imperial grounds by Shepway's planning committee.
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