UKIP Tendring councillor fights off knifeman

UKIP Tending councillor, Mohammed Khan, has disarmed a knife-wielding suspected robber at his shop in Clacton.

The man threatened Cllr Khan with the knife but didn't ask for anything. When Cllr Khan managed to wrestle the knife from his hands he racial abused him and then ran off.

Clacton police are appealing for information on the suspected armed robbery.

UKIP gain Tendring District Council seat

UKIP won an important by-election on Tendring District Council on Thursday to bring the local UKIP group within one seat of the ruling Conservatives.

Cllr Mike Bush took the previously independent-held seat of Great & Little Oakley and brings the tally to 22 UKIP councillors. The Conservatives are clinging to a precarious grasp on power with 23 councillors.

Candidate	Party	Votes	%	+/-
Mike Bush	UKIP	216	36.8%	+14.1%
Andy Erskine	Conservative	171	29.1%	+1.5%
Robert Shephard	Labour	117	19.9%	+5.5%
Matthew Bensilum	Lib Dem	83	14.1%	+14.1%

UKIP win in Clacton

UKIP successfully retained a seat it gained in this year's May local elections in Clacton last night.

In the Rush Green ward of Tendring District Council, UKIP candidate Richard Everett took 38.5% of the vote to win the seat.

Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Richard Everett	UKIP	338	38.5%
Danny Mayzes	Conservative	290	38.5%
Samantha Atkinson	Labour	213	38.5%
William Hones	Independent	36	38.5%
Turnout: 24.8%

Conservative councillor in Tendring becomes sixth defector to UKIP this week

A sixth councillor has defected to UKIP this week following the defection of five Kings Lynn councillors earlier in the week.

Cllr Anthony Calbourne has defected from the Conservatives to UKIP. He has been a councillor on Tendring District Council for 12 years.