2:00pm Monday 28th September 2009
UKIP romped to victory in the Billericay town council by-election.
Candidate Susan McCaffery won 480 votes, more than Labour and the BNP put together.
Labour candidate Alan Bennett came second with 266 votes, while the BNP’s Tony Gladwin trailed in third place with just 95 votes.
The town council has said the vote is a triumph for local politics, with more than 24 per cent of the electorate turning out in the South West ward.
Turnout is usually between 10 and 15 per cent for parish council by-elections.
Mrs McCaffery, a retired teacher, of The Risings, Billericay, said the result was not a surprise, since the Conservatives did not have a candidate running.
She has stood for a county council seat for Billericay in June, in which she came third.
She said: “It’s a great result.
“It’s my town and I’m interested in what’s going on here.
“I want to be able to put something back for a town I love.
“It’s a small step for UKIP and Billericay, but hopefully a larger step for Essex.
“I’ve lived here for more than 30 years and I want to be involved.”
The UK Independence Party has been gathering support in Essex over the past year.
It now has two MEPs, out of a possible seven, in the East of England region, after scoring highly in June’s EU elections.
John Buchanan, one of the 20 members of Billericay Town Council, said: “It’s a good turnout and it’s good for democracy.
“One in almost four of the people in that part of Billericay thought it was worth bothering.
“Typical turn-out at parish council by-election is much lower.
“A full parish council election would be lucky to get 20 per cent on a good day.”
Peter Bowditch, chairman of the town council, added: “We look forward to meeting Susan.
“We’ve had a UKIP member in the past, but normally it’s a non political body, as are all parish councils in the district, and it would be good to keep it that way.”
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