East and West Suffolk by-election: Mark Bee misses out on district seat
- Published
Mark Bee was standing for the Beccles ward at East Suffolk Council
A former Conservative county council leader has failed in his bid to make a district council comeback.
Mark Bee, former leader of Suffolk County Council, stood for Beccles and Worlingham in East Suffolk Council's by-election after losing the seat two years ago.
He fell short by about 300 votes to the Green Party's Sarah Plummer.
Elsewhere, Colin Noble, another former county council leader, was returned for Lakenheath on West Suffolk Council.
Both councils remained under overall Conservative control after the two by-elections.
Mr Bee lost Beccles and Worlingham in the first ever election for East Suffolk Council in 2019 when the Green Party's Graham Elliott got two thirds of the votes, leaving him 2,000 votes short of getting elected.
Mr Bee also lost his Beccles seat at Suffolk County Council to the Green Party in Thursday's local elections.
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Mr Noble, however, not only regained his Lakenheath seat for West Suffolk Council, which he lost in 2019, he also retained his Row Heath seat at the county council.
Colin Noble was also a former leader of Suffolk County Council
He said: "I am pleased to regain it [Lakenheath] - 2019 was quite a difficult time for the Conservative party, and I had represented it as a ward since 2011, so I was very disappointed to lose last time."
There were six vacant seats at West Suffolk Council.
The Conservatives took Lakenheath; Clare, Hundon and Kedington; Moreton Hall in Bury St Edmunds; Southgate in Bury St Edmunds; and Whepstead and Wickhambrook. The Greens held on to Abbeygate in Bury St Edmunds.
At East Suffolk, there was one other seat where a by-election was taking place. The Conservatives held Framlingham.
Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council and Babergh District Council votes had already been counted.
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