FORMER Dover Mayor Gordon Cowan has been elected to Kent County Council.

Cllr Cowan topped the poll for the Dover Town seat at the by-election caused by the resignation of Keith Sansum.

Cllr Cowan (Lab) received 1,860 votes, with Nigel Collor (Cons) on 1,348, Dean Stiles (Lib Dem) 420, Vic Matcham (Ind) 300, and Peter Campbell-Marshall (UKIP) 256.

Mr Sansum’s resignation from Dover District Council also led to a by-election for the Maxton, Elms Vale and Priory Ward, which was won by Labour’s Viv Revell with 365 votes.

John Mackie (Lib Dem) gained 274, Jenny Morgan (Cons) 252, Graham Wanstall (Ind) 70, Peter Campbell-Marshall (UKIP) 65, and Vic Matcham (Ind) 56.

Robert Thompson (Lab) won the district council by-election at Aylesham which followed the death of Cllr Helen Bartolo. He received 661 votes, with Marianne Ford (Cons) polling 108, Reg Hansell (Ind) 59, and Edward Lee-Delisle 1.

Labour also held on to that seat in a by-election and increased its share of the vote.

In the county council poll, Labour saw a swing against it to the Conservatives of 5.5 per cent but still held on comfortably.

The results make no difference to the overall make-up of the county council but are likely to be seen as a fillip for the national party and Gordon Brown.