The numbers in south Essex

This table shows the percentages gained by the main parties in yesterday’s local elections in south Essex. It is a mixed set of results – UKIP performing very well in Thurrock and Basildon, respectably elsewhere. The Conservatives are third in Thurrock, and first everywhere else. The Liberal Democrats are struggling.

For Labour it was a good night in Southend-on-Sea, they are back in Rochford, did well enough in Thurrock. It was poor in Castle Point and little better in Basildon.

	Lab	Con	LD	UKIP	Green
Thurrock	30.0	28.1	2.5	39.0
Basildon	22	34	5	39
Southend-on-Sea	19.0	30.3	13.0	19.1	1.2
Castle Point	15.9	33.9		26.9
Rochford	13.5	38.5	7.4	23.2	10.1

Candidates announced in other south Essex local authority areas

All fourteen of Basildon’s wards are being contested this year.

Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and the BNP are fielding candidates in all wards. UKIP are fielding candidates in seven.

Full details can be seen here – http://www.basildon.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=2117&p=0

The situation in Rochford is somewhat mixed. There are thirteen wards being contested, and only the Conservatives are fielding candidates in all of them. The number of candidates by party is –

13 Conservative
6 English Democrat
5 Labour
5 Liberal Democrat
4 BNP
2 Green
1 Rochford District Residents
1 Independent

If I lived in Whitehouse ward I would be forced to vote Conservative as the choice is Conservative, English Democrat or BNP. It really is the choice of the lesser of three evils.

Full details can be found here – http://www.rochford.gov.uk/pdf/elections_statementpersons_district.pdf

The situation in Thurrock is as follows:

14 Labour
14 Conservative
14 BNP
9 UKIP
4 Independent

Full details for Thurrock can be seen here – http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/news/content.php?page=story&ID=3624

So, Castle Point is alone in the south of Essex in having no BNP, English Democrat or UKIP candidates.

Empty homes in south Essex

Some interesting figures from the Empty Homes Agency website .

These two tables show the empty homes by local authority for the years 2007 and 2008 in south Essex.

2008	Total empty homes	Percentage of empty homes	Private homes more than 6 months empty
Basildon	1024	1.39%	422
Brentwood	513	1.64%	219
Castle Point	1014	2.76%	649
Chelmsford	1697	2.43%	759
Maldon	860	3.24%	460
Rochford	896	2.62%	492
Southend-on-Sea	2620	3.46%	1391
Thurrock	1800	2.83%	679

2007	Total empty homes	Percentage of empty homes	Private homes more than 6 months empty
Basildon	774	1.06%	375
Brentwood	566	1.83%	261
Castle Point	1092	2.98%	693
Chelmsford	1614	2.34%	528
Maldon	784	2.98%	397
Rochford	950	2.79%	405
Southend-on-Sea	2532	3.28%	1463
Thurrock	1754	2.77%	1072

These figures raise a whole lot of questions about house-building, housing lists, homelessness, urban regeneration, vandalism, vermin, etc.