Essex County Council election, 2009

Essex County Council election, 2009

← 2005 4 June 2009 2013 →
All 75 seats to Essex County Council 38 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Party Conservative Liberal Democrat Labour Seats won 60 12 1 Seat change 10 4 12   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Party BNP Green UKIP Seats won 0 0 0 Seat change
Results by electoral division.Conservatives in blue, Liberal Democrats in yellow, Labour in red and in grey the Canvey Island Independent Party and Independent Loughton Residents Association.
Council control before election Conservative Council control after election Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

An election to Essex County Council took place on 4 June 2009 as part of the United Kingdom local elections, 2009. The elections had been delayed from 7 May, to coincide with elections to the European Parliament. 75 councillors were elected from various electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. The electoral divisions were the same as those used at the previous election in 2005.

All locally registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) who were aged 18 or over on Thursday 2 May 2013 were entitled to vote in the local elections. Those who were temporarily away from their ordinary address (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) were also entitled to vote in the local elections, although those who had moved abroad and registered as overseas electors cannot vote in the local elections. It is possible to register to vote at more than one address (such as a university student who had a term-time address and lives at home during holidays) at the discretion of the local Electoral Register Office, but it remains an offence to vote more than once in the same local government election.

The Conservatives were re-elected with an increased majority. As in several other Tory councils, the Liberal Democrats replaced Labour as the main opposition party as Labour lost all but one seat, reflecting the Labour Party's declining national popularity at that time.

A notable feature of this election was the number of minor parties and local groups. These included right wing and anti-European parties, that appear to have siphoned support from the main parties and, in some divisions, out-polled them. Local groups enjoyed strong local support, challenging the successful candidates and winning seats.