# 2007 Basildon District Council election

The 2007 Basildon District Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
* Conservative 28
* Labour 11
* Liberal Democrats 3

## Campaign

The election saw the British National Party stand in 11 of the 14 wards being contested, an increase from 6 in 2006 and more than the Liberal Democrats who only stood in 9 seats.
There was controversy during the election over comments by the Conservative candidate in Vange, Luke Mackenzie, in an election leaflet where he called for voters who did not want asylum seekers to get council houses to vote Conservative. Other parties called on the Conservatives to disown Mackenzie, who was standing against the only ethnic minority councillor in Basildon, saying he was "peddling scare stories" and that the comments were "inflammatory". However Mackenzie denied increasing racial tension, saying voters felt immigration was "entirely out of control" and that a shortage of housing was caused by people from outside of Basildon, and was defended by the leaders of the Conservative group in Basildon.

## Election result

The results saw the Conservative hold control of the council after gaining one seat from Labour. The Conservatives took Laindon Park, but narrowly failed to take the targeted wards of Pitsea North West and Vange from Labour, by 19 and 68 votes respectively. The Conservative share of the vote was down on the 2006 election at 43%, while Labour won 22%. Overall turnout in the election was 30%, a decline from the 33.5% recorded in 2006.
2007 Basildon Local Election Result :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 57.1 | 43.2 | 14,823 | 2.1 |
| Labour | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35.7 | 22.3 | 7,656 | 5.6 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 | 12.9 | 4,411 | 6.8 |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 4,114 | 7.9 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 | 2,661 | 5.9 |
| UKIP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 397 | New |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | 211 | 0.5 |
All comparisons in vote share are to the corresponding 2003 election.

## Ward results
### Billericay East

Billericay East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Dadds | 1,373 | 44.2 | −28.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John James | 1,095 | 35.3 | +16.7 |
| | BNP | Laurence Long | 377 | 12.1 | +12.1 |
| | Labour | Patricia Reid | 259 | 8.3 | −0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 278 | 9.0 | −44.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,104 | 34.2 | −3.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Billericay West

Billericay West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Horgan | 2,017 | 65.7 | +1.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Taylor | 473 | 15.4 | +0.3 |
| | BNP | Michael Bateman | 337 | 11.0 | −1.9 |
| | Labour | Margaret Viney | 244 | 7.9 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,544 | 50.3 | +1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,071 | 32.7 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Burstead

Burstead :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Kevin Blake | 1,886 | 62.9 | −6.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Haeger | 455 | 15.2 | −4.4 |
| | BNP | Linda Henry | 334 | 11.1 | +11.1 |
| | Labour | Santa Bennett | 325 | 10.8 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,431 | 47.7 | −2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,000 | 36.2 | −3.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Fryerns

Fryerns :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Allan Davies | 1,092 | 42.1 | −1.6 |
| | Conservative | Mark Coker | 603 | 23.2 | +4.2 |
| | BNP | Leonard Heather | 595 | 22.9 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Lutton | 305 | 11.8 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 489 | 18.8 | +0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,595 | 28.3 | −3.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Laindon Park

Laindon Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jilly Hyde | 850 | 33.3 | −11.2 |
| | Labour | Barbara Croft | 624 | 24.5 | −11.3 |
| | Independent | Victor York | 613 | 24.0 | +24.0 |
| | BNP | David King | 295 | 11.6 | −8.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jon Myall | 91 | 3.6 | +3.6 |
| | Green | Annie Humphries | 77 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 226 | 8.9 | +0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,550 | 30.8 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Lee Chapel North

Lee Chapel North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Rackham | 875 | 39.5 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative | Peter Morris | 627 | 28.3 | +4.3 |
| | BNP | Jay Slaven | 361 | 16.3 | −5.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Steve Nice | 218 | 9.8 | +1.5 |
| | Green | Ernest Humphries | 134 | 6.0 | +0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 248 | 11.2 | −4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,215 | 25.4 | −4.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Nethermayne

Nethermayne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ben Williams | 1,451 | 51.0 | +9.0 |
| | Conservative | Steve Foster | 874 | 30.7 | −3.3 |
| | Labour | Julian Ware-Lane | 520 | 18.3 | −5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 577 | 20.3 | +12.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,845 | 33.0 | −2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Pitsea North West

Pitsea North West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Bobbin | 734 | 34.3 | −4.3 |
| | Conservative | Mark Coxshall | 714 | 33.4 | −11.0 |
| | BNP | Geoffrey McCarthy | 362 | 16.9 | +16.9 |
| | UKIP | Terry McBride | 167 | 7.8 | +7.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Howard | 162 | 7.6 | −9.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20 | 0.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,139 | 23.2 | −2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Pitsea South East

Pitsea South East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Maureen Larkin | 1,151 | 46.7 | −12.4 |
| | Labour | Emma Collins | 767 | 31.1 | −9.8 |
| | BNP | Sidney Chaney | 375 | 15.2 | +15.2 |
| | UKIP | Imelda Clancy | 174 | 7.1 | +7.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 384 | 15.6 | −2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,467 | 28.4 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### St Martin's

St Martin's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Patricia Rackley | 625 | 41.3 | +4.7 |
| | Conservative | James Devlin | 346 | 22.9 | −0.5 |
| | BNP | Philip Howell | 325 | 21.5 | −5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mike Dickinson | 161 | 10.6 | −2.6 |
| | UKIP | Terry Wood | 56 | 3.7 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 279 | 18.4 | +8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,513 | 26.6 | −1.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Vange

Vange :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Danny Nandanwar | 704 | 38.7 | +3.4 |
| | Conservative | Luke MacKenzie | 636 | 34.9 | +5.9 |
| | BNP | Rodney Leveridge | 481 | 26.4 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 68 | 3.7 | −2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,821 | 27.9 | +1.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Wickford Castledon

Wickford Castledon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sylvia Buckley | 1,058 | 47.3 | −8.9 |
| | Independent | Alan Ball | 677 | 30.3 | +6.2 |
| | BNP | Anthony Gladwin | 272 | 12.2 | +12.2 |
| | Labour | Leonard Wilkins | 229 | 10.2 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 381 | 17.0 | −15.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,236 | 36.9 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Wickford North

Wickford North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Mowe | 1,592 | 52.7 | −23.9 |
| | Independent | David Harrison | 1,021 | 33.8 | +33.8 |
| | Labour | Christopher Wilson | 409 | 13.5 | −9.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 571 | 18.9 | −34.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,022 | 32.6 | −1.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Wickford Park

Wickford Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Christopher Jackman | 1,096 | 64.7 | −3.7 |
| | Independent | Derek Paffett | 350 | 20.6 | +20.6 |
| | Labour | Anthony Borlase | 249 | 14.7 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 746 | 44.0 | −6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,695 | 24.9 | −2.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |