REFORM cantered to a convincing victory in the Thurrock Council Ockendon by-election when the vote was declared just after midnight on Friday, 2 May - described as a historic day by local members of the fledgeling party.

The two Reform candidates, Russell Cherry and Alan Benson swept in ahead of Labour and the Tories who were relatively evenly matched with 916 and 972 votes respectively.

Tory candidate Sue Johnson was third, Labour's Shalini Bhatt fourth, Conservative Graham Snell fifth and Haruna Hamza (Labour) sixth.

Result:

Alan Benson (Reform UK) 1214

Russell Peter Cherry (Reform UK) 1138

Sue Johnson (Conservative) 533

Shalini Bhatt (Labour) 478

Graham Snell (Conservative) 439

Haruna Hamza (Labour) 438

Ri Goodyear (Green Party) 93

Daniel David Fallows (Green Party) 86

Brad Hayman (Lib Dem) 74

Kameel Mohammed (Independent) 47

Ballot papers verified: 2,368. Turn-out: 27.98 %

Electorate: 8,464.

The scene in the Town Hall when the papers began to be counted.

Between them, the two successful Reform candidates achieved 2,352 votes (almost 52% of the votes cast).

The elction was called following the resignation of Labour's Ryan Polston because of a career move and Tory and former council leader Andrew Jefferies, who retired from politics.

At the last election in the ward on Thursday, 2 May a year ago Mr Polston won the seat with 1,271 votes from Tory Luke Spillman with 1124. They were the only two candidates. 

Scheduled elections across the whole of Thurrock were cancelled by the government because of the pending local government reorganisation and devolution, which could see Thurrock Council scrapped within a year - though it is more likeley to be 2027, or even 2028 before voters get the chance to vote for their representatives in a new regional unitary authority.

A vote for a county-wide mayor, with planning and strategic among the office's responsibilites is expected to be held next May - when the borough could have new wards, following an electoral commission shake-up.

A valedictory release from Reform issued moments after the count says: "Newly elected Cllrs Alan Benson and Russell Cherry are immensely proud to have been elected by the great people of Ockendon as their representatives on Thurrock Council.

"We will work tirelessly for the betterment of its people and the town of Ockendon itself."

Cllr Alex Anderson (Stanford East and Corringham Town), who was ousted from the Conservatives after voting against his party's budget and sat as an independent before declaring himself Thurrock's first Reform councillor, said: "Today the people of Ockendon showed the rest of the country why Labour and Tories colluded to cancel this year's local elections in areas like Thurrock - they would have been obliterated by Reform.

Former Conservative councillor colleagues Cllr James Halden and Alex Anderson (right) in deep conversation as the outcome was unveiled. Cllr Anderson has been on the front foot trumpeting Reform's triumph.

"An emphatic message has been sent to this illegitimate Labour administration and their Conservative pals who teamed up to cancel this year's elections.

"The message is simple - you've broken Thurrock, now Thurrock wants Reform.

"The open-borders Labour Party think they have a God-given right to govern our Borough, but the reality is their stranglehold on Thurrock will be broken as soon as they let the people vote.

"To the patriots that lent us their support - we hear you, we will fight for you, and we will win for you!

"Finally, welcome to Alan and Russell, Ockendon's newest Reform Councillors. I'll make one prediction here and now - they won't be the last!"

With the election of Cllrs Cherry and Benson, there are now three Reform councillors on the council, though there is a tacit fourth.

Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park councillor John Allen sits alone as an ' 'independent independent' after resigning from the subsequently seven-strong Non Political Alliance of Independent Councillors group after admitting to be an active Reform Party member and campaigner.

He says he will not sit as a Reform councillor because he was elected as an independent in 2022 and he doesn't want to 'disrespect' the electorate's vote in the ward.

An indicator to the potential for a Reform triumph in Thurrock came in last July's general election when the east of the borough - which is conjoined with South Basildon - returned James McMurdock as a Reform MP, while Reform's Sophie Preston-Hall relegated incumbent Tory MP Dame Jackie Doyle-Price into third place in Thurrock, polling 9,576 votes to come second behind clear winner, Labour's Jen Craft.