Sandgate Referendum Result: It's YES by a landslide

Sandgate residents have voted overwhelming to change the local Council back to a Parish administration, reversing the Council's previous decision to become a Town authority with a Mayor.

The result, declared after the polls closed at 9pm, was:

• Yes: 709
• No: 42

Newly elected Lib Dem Councillor Season Prater was delighted with the result. Season was elected to Sandgate Council in May, and has been campaigning for a YES vote to see the Council move back to being a parish authority. Season said:

"I'm delighted that the majority for moving back to a Parish Council is so large - thank you to all who voted. Councillor Boot has tried to suggest that the move was from a vocal minority of local residents. He is simply wrong, was proved wrong at my election in May and has been proved wrong again today. It's a vocal majority, and he needs to understand that.

"Sandgate Council voted on Tuesday that we would immediately act to implement the decision of the voters, and we will get on with that immediately: there is a Special Council meeting arranged for Tuesday 17th at which we should be able to revert back to being a Parish and get rid of the Mayor, who will become a Chairman once again.

"Councillor Geoffrey Boot has hugely misjudged the opinion of local people. He was elected with 416 votes in May 2007: contrast that with the 709 people who voted for Parish status for Sandgate today. He's made the wrong decision and the honourable thing to do would be to stand down as Mayor (or Chairman!) of Sandgate Council immediately."

Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesman Neil Matthews has also supported the Yes campaign to revert Sandgate to a Parish and lose the Mayor. Neil commented:

"Local people have spoken, and I'm delighted with their decision - the Council has pledged to implement it immediately, and they must now do so.

"Over the past few years, I've been both the Mayor of Hythe and the Chairman of Saltwood Parish Council. Town or parish status really should make no difference to how your Council is treated: what makes a difference is how it is run and what you are seen to be doing. It's not what you are, it's what you do. The current Mayor, soon to be Chairman, really has to consider his position when he has so totally misjudged what people in Sandgate want. He should resign."

The poll on Thursday 12th June asked for a "yes" or "no" to the following question:

"Sandgate Council made a decision on 11th March 2008 and changed from a Parish administration to that of a Town administration. Do you want the Council to reverse this decision?"