Pier news: decking to be replaced for £140k

More than 700 square metres of the timber decking that surrounds the central tarmac area on Herne Bay pier will be replaced in a project costing around £140,000.

Inspections have shown that while the pier's substructure is sound, the timber runners and decking are not in such good condition and have deteriorated since the pavilion was removed. The area around the seaward end has been closed off for safety reasons, but the repairs will mean it can reopen.

The council's Executive member for Herne Bay pier, Cllr Jean Law, said the work would ensure the pier will continue to be an asset for the town. She added:

"The future for the pier is looking really bright, with the success of the new beach hut village and some great events that have taken place this year – and more to come in the run-up to Christmas. We are also hoping for some exciting proposals to come through from potential operators of the main deck area. We're very pleased to be getting this work done to the decking out of peak season so that disruption is kept to a minimum and hope people like the end result."

The 12 village beach huts will remain open for business throughout the work and hut tenants are asking for the continued support of customers. The popular helter-skelter is scheduled to return for Christmas clad in lights and there will be additional children's stalls.

Santa will be at the business fair in Mortimer Street on the first weekend in December and then on the pier each weekend until Christmas, and the Pier Trust is organising German-style market stalls at the pier entrance each weekend in December. Charity groups or traders wanting a space should email david.mccormick@tiscali.co.uk

Chairman of the Pier Trust, Doreen Stone, said:

"The trust is delighted that the extensive renovation of the wood on and beneath the pier by the city council is starting and will be fully cooperating with the engineers while this work takes place. We're looking forward to weeks of activities in the lead-up to Christmas, so come and join in the fun and support your pier."

CCC website

UKIP take Herne Bay

Victorious UKIP members in the Bay are celebrating their success in the Kent County Council elections.

The party wrestled both Herne Bay seats from sitting Tories Jean Law and David Hirst, with Nicholas Bond and Brian MacDowall now representing the town at County Hall. The result was the last declared and the only UKIP win in the district, but took the party's total seats on the council to 17, including seven out of eight in Thanet.​

IN: Nicholas Bond (centre, of picture)​

OUT: David Hirst and Jean Law (right)

UKIP chairman Jim Gascoyne said:

"We came second in Whitstable so that is next for us, then right on to Westminster. The route to Parliament is along the Kent coast and then up the Thanet Way."

The party polled 34% of the vote, on a 28% turn out. Mr Bond polled 2,048 votes and Mr MacDowall 2,054. Mrs Law and Mr Hirst polled 1,817 and 1,724 respectively.

Mrs Law, whose seat on Canterbury City Council was not affected by this election, was tearful as the result was announced. She said:

"Herne Bay wanted a change and now they have got a change. I am terribly disappointed."

Mr Hirst said he felt shaken by the result, adding:

"That's politics for you."

Mr MacDowall was not at the count as he was on a business trip to Germany. Mr Bond said:

"I feel really good about being elected. It's absolutely great for the party.There's lots of work to do, but I look forward to working with the people of Herne Bay.We've worked very hard nationally, and I'm really delighted we got so many gains."

Labour's Lynn Faux-Bowyer and Tom Mellish gained 1,003 and 948 votes respectively, while Lib Dem candidates Margaret Flaherty and June Raybaud managed 434 and 308 votes.

New England Party candidates Nathan King and Mike Tibby polled 119 and 193 votes, and Green Party candidates Elaine Godden and Michael Coppin gained 204 and 202.

Independents John Moore and Stan Truelove won 484 and 362 votes, while Independent Steve Coombes, who stood to publicise the Duchamps festival in Herne Bay this summer, and handed out awards for absurdity around the town in the run-up to the election, scored 509.

Other seats in the Canterbury district did not change hands and the county council is still under overall Tory control. They lost 27 seats but held 44. Ukip have 17 seats – up from just one – and Labour gained 11 seats and lost one, taking their total to 13. The Liberal Democrats lost one and gained one, giving them seven seats, while the Green Party gained a seat in Hythe. A west Kent residents association candidate also held onto their seat.

thisiskent 10th May 2013

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Jean Law fights back tears after election defeat

Tories in Herne Bay were left stunned today after a shock defeat at the polls by UKIP.

Conservative incumbants Jean Law and David Hirst were ousted after a recount at the Kings Hall this afternoon.

The pair - who had enjoyed a healthy majority at the last county council elections in 2009 - trailed more than 200 votes behind Brian Macdowall and Nicholas Bond.

Lib Dem candidates Margaret Flaherty and June Raybaud also fell from their position as closest challengers to finish 9th and 11th respectively.

The Herne Bay seats were the only ones to change hands across the Canterbury district, despite UKIP winning an impressive 17 of the 84 up for grabs in Kent.

Speaking after the defeat, Mrs Law said:

"I'm disappointed but then I would be because I've worked in Herne Bay. It's where I brought the kids up. I couldn't of worked any harder for the people of Herne Bay and I'm just sorry for all the volunteers along the way. It has been a disastrous day for the Conservatives and they may have to re-think what they are doing."

​kentonline 3rd May 2013

Barriers to progress

Years of waiting, thousands of pounds, and one snafu after another.

Following relentless pressure from Andy Lawrence, our councillors raided the Herne Bay Opportunity Fund for £3,000 to pay for the barrier across Mortimer Street (instead of getting KCC Highways to pay for it), and CCC put the job out to tender.

They awarded the job to a fencing company (!), who turned out not to have the right paperwork to allow them to work on Highways projects. Oops. Further delay while they find another contractor.

The next contractor installs the two gates that swing closed to form the barrier. A Council official comes along with the padlock that will lock the gates shut. Oops. It doesn't fit. More delays while they search for a padlock that's the right size. Ta-dah! A padlock is found that will fit the gates... everything is ready.

Self-promotion

Oops! There's still something missing, a magical ingredient without which the expensive new barrier cannot possibly be used - a photo opportunity for local councillors. There is an election coming, after all.

Our lovely new barrier will be unveiled today (23rd March), by councillors Andrew Cook, Joe Howes, Jean Law, and Peter Vickery-Jones, with the paparazzi in attendance.

Murray might make a mint

Our beloved Council will be giving away land to a developer. Not just any old land, but money-making car park land. And not just any old car park, but valuable car parking land near the sea front. And not just any developer, but one that's been on telly.

​Let's not forget, the Council is simply holding things on our behalf. So when the press reports that:

"A formal planning application is due to be submitted shortly and a land swap deal is close to being agreed, where Canterbury City Council would gift part of their land, used as a car park, for the scheme."

the phrase "their land" should be taken with a pinch of salt.

​Free Money

I'm intrigued by the "land swap deal" and what the other half of it might be. What, if anything, is being gained for this land? Our Council appears to be about to give away some or all of the two car parks either side of the Beach Street cul-de-sac. Between them, they have the capacity for some 65 cars - about two-thirds of the capacity of Morrison's roof-top car park.

What would the value of this land be on the open market? What would the Council be taking in parking revenue, week after week, for years? These two numbers are an indication of the value of the "gift" that our Council wants to make.

The press report indicates that the "land swap deal" is nearly a done deal. Presumably this has taken a while to organise and negotiate, so we're looking at the end of a process that's been a while in the making.​ I don't think CCC will be putting any obstacles in Mr Murray's way at this late stage, and as you can see from the pictures below - from the Herne Bay Showcase on 6th March - Mr Murray gets on famously with our smiling star-struck councillors (Jean Law, Peter Lee, Peter Vickery-Jones).

I don't know much about the planning process, but I have a feeling that this application will have a smooth ride.​

Once there was a plan. A bad plan.

The driving force behind our Council's exceptional generosity (are Coplan and Denne getting the William Street car park for free?) is the conspicuous failure of the CDA, or Central Development Area plan. Back in 2009, CCC decided that the Area Action Plan gave them a free hand to dispose of the William Street car park to the highest bidder. This would of course mean a windfall for the Council.

The developers (Coplan and Denne in this case) would then be able to use the large town centre site to generate a windfall for themselves. Obviously, they would be looking for maximum benefits for themselves, rather than delivering maximum benefits for the town. As a result, they developed what appeared at the time to be a safe (i.e. stunningly unimaginative) clone town proposal for a development, centred on a new supermarket that would be built literally next door to the existing supermarket.

​Pinning their hopes on a new supermarket was the fatal flaw in an already pretty rubbishy plan - as explained here. Which supermarket would want to invest millions to set up shop next door to a competitor? Clearly not Tesco or Sainsbury, which is why they're pursuing options on the edge of town. Would Morrison's be coaxed out of their current store into the new one? Clearly not. They've withdrawn from negotiations, having calculated that it would take decades to recover the millions the move would cost them, quite apart from the problems of selling their old (current) store.

The lynchpin, the cornerstone, the catalyst for the whole CDA project has failed to materialise, and as a result we have nothing to show after three years apart from planning blight on all the properties bordering the William Street car park, the Bus Depot, and the Beach Street area - the three blocks ear-marked for development.

​Murray's mint

And this is where Mr Murray comes in. His interest in developing the Beach Street area must have been very welcome news. Our Council will present this as contributing to the town's regeneration; Mr Murray's architect says it will revitalise the ​bottom end of Mortimer Street and Central Parade. Quite an achievement for three dozen dwellings and a handful of shops.

One shop would be demolished - 73 Central Parade, the left-hand side of Tivoli Amusements. The new development would include 4 shops, 8 three-bedroom town houses, 2 three-bedroom apartments, 16 two-bedroom apartments, 9 one-bedroom apartments, 27 private parking spaces and 11 additional parking spaces. Clearly Mr Murray stands to make a pretty penny if all this turns out well.

I'm not sure that our Council realise that there's a difference between making it easier for people to make money out of Herne Bay, and regenerating Herne Bay.

Beach Street development

Finally, here's a document that's celebrating its third birthday.​ First issued in March 2010, it's Canterbury City Council's vision for the future of Beach Street. None of this has happened yet, of course.

Beach Street Development Principles by HerneBayMatters

Independents to stand in county council poll

Two community campaigners have announced their plans to stand as independent candidates in the county council elections.

John Moore and Stan Truelove will fight for the two seats available in Herne Bay on the basis that party politics is not working in the town.

At the moment, both seats are held by Tory councillors - David Hirst and Jean Law - and the other main parties are expected to field candidates as well.

Mr Moore, who runs Sweet Magic in Mortimer Street and is a member of Herne and Broomfield Parish Council, said:

"People want independent councillors on Kent County Council to speak up for local people. The roads in Herne Bay are outrageous and they are not being fixed properly. It is the top complaint by people in the town and, when we are elected, it will be our top priority, too."

The pair have already started their campaign by distributing leaflets around the town, calling for people to contact them with their top three priorities. They also plan to encourage people to report potholes to them so they can compile a list for contractors to repair.

Mr Truelove has no political experience but is known for his fundraising for Pilgrims Hospices via his Christmas lights displays in Canterbury. He also decorates his daughter's shop, Down to Earth, in Mortimer Street.

Mr Moore has previously stood for the UK Independence Party but said:

"UKIP has moved on and I still support them and follow them. I prefer to concentrate on my parish stuff and the county stuff. People love Stan and he is very well known and I know we have the support of 90 per cent of the independent shops in the town centre. We are feeling confident and ready to get to work."

For more information, contact the pair via e-mail to johnandstanforkcc@gmail.com

Nominations for the elections must be sent to Kent County Council by Friday, April 5. Voting is on Thursday, May 2.

thisiskent 15th Mar 2013

John Moore

Stan Truelove

Herne Bay volunteers given £10k for lights

Herne Bay's most recent Christmas tree (photo by Alan Porter)

A  group of volunteers hailed as "stars" will make the town shine next Christmas thanks to a grant from a Bay county councillor. Jean Law, who represents the town on Kent County Council, is gifting the remainder of her member's fund to four community groups in a bid to make Christmas 2013 the best ever.

She hopes the £10,000 will help Herne Bay Town Partners, Herne Bay in Bloom, Beach Creative and the BayPromoTeam attract more cash in match funding to pay for a spectacular lights display. Mrs Law said:

"These are all groups I have worked with in the past and they work brilliantly together. They are all stars and I know that working together they can make up for this year and all the negative publicity. I have lots of ideas and I would like it to be like Herne Bay in Bloom, where the whole town comes together to make it great."

This year's tree was slammed as the "worst in the country" by national newspapers, and its replacement was also panned by critics. There were complaints about the lack of lights in the High Street and that crossover lights used in previous years were missing. Mrs Law said:

"I was desperately disappointed with this year's display and there was a lot of negative feeling about it. It was supposed to be so magical and it didn't quite work like that. But I know next Christmas will be better than ever, and I want to see really inventive displays, not just common or garden lights."

Among the ideas being considered are trees for over shops, projected images of moving snowflakes on buildings, and a mini forest of Christmas trees, donated from different sources. Mrs Law said:

"We also need shopkeepers to get involved and do their bit in brightening up the town and that's where Beach Creative can get involved. It is a long-term project. We don't need bling, we just need it to be magical for the children and it is a real privilege to be involved in it. I hope that this year we can invite all those who criticised us to come back and see what Herne Bay can really do."

Former town trader Geoff Wimble has also set up a Christmas lights group made up of residents and shopkeepers, and they are planning fundraising events.

Tesco at Herne: villagers fight, councillor gives in

The Herne villagers fighting Tesco are being stitched up by Cllr Vickery-Jones. The villagers and the parish council are refusing Tesco's "cash contributions", but the councillor is happy to take the money on behalf of CCC, contrary to the wishes of his constituents.

The Council is perfectly well able to make life difficult for people using the planning process, but Cllr Vickery-Jones seems very willing to throw up his hands in surrender when it comes to Tesco. It wouldn't be the "cash contributions", would it?

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Tesco opponents vow to keep up their fight

Herne villagers have vowed to continue fighting plans for a supermarket after bosses said public opinion was no barrier. Campaigners are battling supermarket giant Tesco, which wants to open an Express store on the site of the former Upper Red Lion pub.

The Herne Against Tesco committee vowed it would make a difference after retail bosses said the opposition was no obstacle to their plans. Committee spokeswoman Tina Rackham said:

"There is vehement and reasoned opposition to Tesco's proposal throughout the majority of the village. Communication, and indeed consultation, is a two-way exchange of views and information, not the presentation of a fait accompli, compounded by an apparent total disregard and inaccurate recollection of points discussed with third parties. It is our 'Express' wish that Tesco recognises the unsuitability of the site and moves on. We can and will make a difference."

The statement came as Herne and Broomfield city councillor Peter Vickery-Jones told the Times that, despite the parish council voting to reject any cash contributions from the supermarket as part of its planning application, the city council would be keen to use the money for a training and education project in Herne. He said:

"Councillor Jean Law has helped to set up some very successful training classes for people not in education, employment or training around the town that teach people how to make job applications. I know it won't make me very popular with the parish council but I want it in Herne and Broomfield as I think it would be very helpful. Short of civil disobedience, there's nothing we can do about Tesco coming."

HB Times 3rd Feb 2012

In Bloom outfit's confidence grows

Blooming lovely: From left, Margaret Burns (HBIB publicity officer), Andrew Babbage (RHS judge), Jean Law (KCC councillor) Colleen Ashwin-Kean (HBIB secretary) Jim Buttress (RHS judge), Derek Sidaway (HBIB chairman) and Chris Sears (Serco representative)It's going to be a long summer for the Herne Bay in Bloom (HBIB) team as they wait to see what judges thought of their colourful campaign. Organisers must keep everything crossed until September, after the judges visited on Thursday. Spokeswoman Margaret Burns said she was cautiously optimistic:

"It's always hard to say, but we got some very good vibes. We all felt very positive about everything. Even if we don't get a gold, I think everyone felt very good about what we'd managed to achieve this year, and we feel the town has been looking really nice."

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) judges hit the town on Thursday to be shown this year's projects by the team. These included the seafront gardens, town centre planters, Sea Street roundabout, Curtis Wood Park and Goldspot's pond, sensory and community kitchen gardens in the Memorial Park, Herne Infant School, the green burial ground at Herne Bay cemetery, and Eddington Lane allotments.

The Memorial Park was also judged separately under the parks and gardens section of the South and South East in Bloom competition. This was followed by a reception in the community lounge at Richmond Court, where Kent county councillor Jean Law thanked all the committee and contributors to this year's campaign for their hard work.

HBIB secretary Colleen Ashwin-Kean was presented with a bouquet as a recognition of all her hard work on behalf of the committee during the past year. The results of this year's campaign will be announced on September 7. The next event in the Herne Bay in Bloom calendar is the Giant Picnic in the Park on Sunday, August 28.

For more information visit www.HerneBayinBloom.co.uk, e-mail herne_bayinbloom@live.co.uk or call 07549 392916.

HB Times 21st Jul 2011

Best of a bad bunch?

As predicted, some time ago...

HB Times 23rd Jun 2011

Making allowances

Council leader John Gilbey once again tops the table for take-home pay among city councillors, new allowances figures show. Mr Gilbey, who represents Blean Forest, earned £32,382, more than half of which came from his special allowance of £21,361 as council boss. The Tory's expenses included £2,000 in mileage and £570 for his mobile phone.

Conservative vice chairman of the council's executive and Seasalter representative Jean Law was runner up with £17,235 – her basic allowance of £4,710 topped up by special responsibility allowances totalling £8,502.

Executive member Peter Vickery-Jones, who represents Herne and Broomfield, came next – his £13,093 including £5,505 in special responsibility allowances and £408 for his mobile phone.

Lib Dem leader Alex Perkins, who represents Wincheap, earned £12,378.23 including £6,611.78 for special responsibility, while former Labour leader Julia Seath, who did not stand in this year's elections but used to represent Harbour in Whitstable, claimed £6,134.

The figures were released by the council last week and broken down into basic allowance, special responsibility, travel and subsistence and PC allowance for the financial year to 31 March 2011.

HB Times 9th June 2011

Jean Law

HBM

Pier news: decking to be replaced for £140k

about 10 years ago

UKIP take Herne Bay

about 11 years ago

Barriers to progress

about 11 years ago

Murray might make a mint

about 11 years ago

Independents to stand in county council poll

about 11 years ago

Herne Bay volunteers given £10k for lights

about 11 years ago

Tesco at Herne: villagers fight, councillor gives in

about 12 years ago

In Bloom outfit's confidence grows

about 13 years ago

Best of a bad bunch?

about 13 years ago

Making allowances

about 13 years ago

Jean Law

about 13 years ago

Mixed reception for development plans

about 14 years ago

Gale's View: Blacksole Bridge

about 15 years ago

Jean Law wins Herne Bay by-election for Tories

about 16 years ago

Memorial service for Herne Bay county councillor John Law

about 16 years ago

Mixed reception for development plans

Ambitious plans for a £35 million regeneration of Herne Bay town centre have been met with mixed reactions. Scores of people packed into the Salvation Army Hall on Tuesday as Bay councillors gave their views.

The scheme, led by developers Denne Construction and regeneration experts Coplan Estates, includes a supermarket, shopping centre, homes, multi-storey car park, hotel and a medical centre. It could be complete as early as 2014. Concerns have been raised that the development will draw people away from shops in Mortimer Street, but that suggestion was shot down by finance guru Cllr Peter Lee. He said:

"There's no point in establishing a new shopping centre and killing off the old one. The objective is to make one complement the other. Currently, only 31 per cent of the money that comes into the town is actually spent here. Why should people come from outside Herne Bay when we can't even get the people who live here to shop in the town? It's taken a long time but we are determined to get it right for the future of Herne Bay"

Fellow councillor Robert Bright, owner of Lisa B's furniture store in William Street, said:

"As somebody who does own a small shop in the town, I think a new retail centre with several well known shops will bring people into the town. That means more people in Mortimer Street, more people in William Street and more people in my shop."

Lib Dem Ron Flaherty praised the proposal, but said:

"On the plans it says medical centre. But that's only a couple of words on a map at the moment. The city council has got to take the initiative because doctors will sit back until the heavens open. We need to get them all together and look at what's possible. We could do what Whitstable did at Estuary View under the guidance of Dr Ribchester."

Not everyone was behind plans to redevelop the proposed site. Student tour operator Diane Nutter claims losing the coach parking in William Street could cost the town dearly. She told the meeting her company brings 6,250 students to the town every year, arriving weekly from February to November. The coaches park in William Street car park five days a week and the drivers stay in rented accommodation or B&Bs on the seafront. She said:

"I'm all for the principle of the development, but having to park the coaches well outside the town is simply not viable. In all we bought well over £600,000 to the town last year and that doesn't include the money spent in Whitstable and Canterbury. I feel the loss of important long-stay parking facilities in Herne Bay will have a devastating effect on the town."

Bay councillor Roger Matthews also rubbished the proposed development:

"This started off as a redevelopment of the town centre, but now it's moved. We've already got a shopping centre in Mortimer Street that nobody can get at. That's what we should be concentrating on. There are other sites in Herne Bay, but they're not council owned and would have to be purchased. That's the problem."

County councillor Jean Law hit back at Cllr Matthews, saying:

"This is a fantastic proposal. Does Cllr Matthews really believe we've lost sight of William Street and Mortimer Street? Why does he think we've spent the last 18 months working with Chris West and Herne Bay Town Partners to make it look better to improve it? There's room for both."

HB Gazette 29th July 2010

Gale's View: Blacksole Bridge

Blacksole Bridge has become an accident waiting to happen.  That is not only my view, it is a concern shared by the Bay's three County Councillors, David Hirst, Jean Law and Alan Marsh, and also by many of the City Councillors representing the Town.

The development of  new housing between the bridge and the Thanet Way, the opening of the Harvester pub and a new hotel and the re-location of the driving test centre - of which more in a moment - have led to a dangerous mix of increased pedestrian and motor traffic.  It is for precisely this reason that when the City Council granted planning consent for the development of Blacksole Farm it attached a condition requiring the construction of a footbridge alongside the road bridge over the railway.

The developer now wishes to have the planning condition lifted and traffic lights installed instead.  The reasons for this are not difficult to see: a footbridge will be expensive and traffic lights, installed by the Highways Department, will be cheaper.  Lights will not, though, make provision for the pedestrians and cyclists who now daily cross the railway at this point. I hope and believe that the Highways Authority (Kent County Council) and the Planning Authority (Canterbury City Council) will use all of the powers at their several and collective disposal to resist a cheapskate option that will not solve the problem.

I take no pleasure at all in saying that unless the footbridge is constructed in the immediate future we shall find ourselves faced with a serious injury or death.

Part of the traffic problem has been caused by the Driving Test Centre on Altira Park.  It was clear at the time that the proposal was mooted that the Driving Standards Agency was determined to blunder ahead without sufficient attention to the possible consequences for local car and pedestrian traffic.  Neither was any attention paid to the environmental impact of the additional mileage and cost incurred by instructors and candidates having to travel to Herne Bay from Canterbury and Margate to, first, learn the routes and then take the test.

In a parliamentary question tabled in November 2008 I asked the Department for Transport what estimate had been made of the effect of multi-purpose practical driving test centres on levels of (a) car and motorcycle mileage and (b) carbon dioxide emissions. The Ministerial answer from this Government was "none".  So much for "green government"!  Parliamentary correspondence on this issue has revealed that not only in the Bay but nationwide the opening of "Multipurpose Test Centres" has led to increased mileage and emissions, increased costs for those seeking to take and pass their driving tests and, as in the Bay, roads in the area clogged up by crawling learner drivers.

We have all, at one time or another, had to bear L-plates on our cars and have had to stutter through the gears and stall on hill-starts and three-point turns and have nothing but sympathy for those preparing, at vast expense, to put themselves through this ordeal.  I also have huge admiration for those brave men and women who, daily, take their lives in their hands as they coach nervous learners.  I do not believe, though, that the concentration of all of this effort at a Centre on a business park on a roundabout off a flyover adjacent to a busy dual carriageway and approached by a narrow one-lane road over a railway bridge on a sharp bend leading to a very busy pub is necessarily the best choice of site.  I wonder what genius dreamed up this lunacy and why nobody within the planning authority recognised, as some of us did at the time, that this might just not be a clever idea!

The air is now thick with the sound of chickens coming home to roost.

Roger Gale M.P. (May 27th 2009)

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Visit www.SaveHillborough.info for more

Jean Law wins Herne Bay by-election for Tories

Jean Law's stunning victory at the Herne Bay by-election was overshadowed by an angry mob of protesters. Activist Bunny La Roche and five cohorts gate-crashed the vote count and launched a tirade of abuse at British National Party candidate Dennis Whiting.

Chants of "Nazi scum" and "homophobe" echoed around the Christ Church Parish Hall in Underdown Road as the BNP result was announced. One protester screamed: "When are you going to f***ing die Whiting?"

The 75-year-old, who once advocated the introduction of a £5,000 grant to send former Herne Bay Times reporter Connie Lee "home" to Malaysia, looked sheepish as Conservative Cllr Law tried to calm the rowdy mob. Later she said:

"That is what democracy in Britain is all about - being able to say what you believe. Bunny is a great lady. Her protests didn't spoil my celebrations at all. She was just showing how she feels. As a politician you have to expect to be criticised. It's the nature of what we do."

Mr Whiting was less than impressed with what he described as an "unwarranted verbal attack", he said:

"It was totally inappropriate and just indicates the closed minds they have. People like them think as long they don't do anything physical they can shout whatever disgusting abuse they like. I've never been thick-skinned but I've been in the game long enough to know what to expect. It was a shame for Jean Law because it completely spoiled the atmosphere for her. I wish the lady no ill will and hope she gets on well in the future."

Cllr Law now steps into the county council seat left vacant by the sudden death of her husband John in August. With almost half the 5,186 votes, a 23 per cent turn out, Cllr Law easily beat off competition from her nearest rival, Liberal Democrat candidate Margaret Flaherty. Cllr Law said:

"I am absolutely exhausted. I have to thank the people who supported and voted for me. I just hope their trust is not misplaced. I am so passionate about Herne Bay and will do everything I can at County Hall."

Cllr Law's husband died suddenly after a stroke at the couple's home in Whitstable. He had been county councillor for Herne Bay for seven years, most recently alongside David Hirst. Cllr Law said:

"It is a huge legacy to carry on because John left so many things that I hope to continue. But as much as I love him, this was not his election. Every election belongs to the people and it is up to them who they want to choose. I didn't really know what to expect but I'm delighted. I have been working 14 hours a day for more than a month."

Despite her victory, Cllr Law, who polled 2,474 votes, is only guaranteed eight months because the seat comes up for re-election next June. But she insisted:

"I'm definitely in it for the long run and will stand again."

She had come under fire from other candidates for not living in the town and confessed:

"It upset me because I am as passionate about Herne Bay as the next person. John and I were under police protection for two years because we campaigned for the new Thanet Way bypass. I have been championing Herne Bay since before my kids were born."

The by-election had been dubbed a two-horse race but Cllr Flaherty, with 1,524 votes, finished almost 1,000 votes behind her rival. She warned:

"I'm obviously a bit sad but we'll be back in June for another fight. The turn-out was disappointing. I would have thought the people of Herne Bay would have been more pro-active in voting for their county council representative. But I've congratulated Jean on her victory. She worked very hard. I've also been working hard since the election was declared so I'm quite looking forward to putting my feet up. I need to do some housework and spend time with my family. My boys are starving."

Despite languishing in second place, Cllr Flaherty was miles ahead of the remaining three candidates. Labour's Michael Britton polled 537 with Mr Whiting picking up 399 for the BNP. UKIP's Brian Macdowall was busy sunning himself in the Caribbean when his 252 votes were counted. Results:

• Conservative: Jean Law – 2,473
• Liberal Democrats: Margaret Flaherty – 1,524
• Labour: Michael Britton – 537
• British National Party: Dennis Whiting – 399
• UK Independence Party: Brian Macdowall – 252

thisiskent 17th Oct 2008

Memorial service for Herne Bay county councillor John Law

A memorial service to remember the life of county councillor John Law will be held next Saturday, August 30. The service will take place at All Saint's Church in Church Street, Whitstable at 2pm. John, who represented Herne Bay, died in hospital a week after suffering a stroke at his home in Alexander Road, Whitstable, on August 3.

His widow Jean, deputy leader of the city council, has asked that donations be made to the Herne Bay Pier Trust. Her husband was a founder member. Donations should be sent to the Herne Bay Pier Trust c/o Stephen Parry at Parry Law Solicitors, 12-14 Oxford Street, Whitstable.

This is Kent 19th Aug 2008