All independent candidates standing in Bexhill gained seats. Overall control of the council remains with a heavy Conservative majority of 27. The Liberal Democrats took the heaviest losses, dropping from eight seats to five. The turnout was the highest in several years, averaging at 48 per cent, almost half of the total electorate. Of the 38 new Rother councillors, 27 are Conservative, five are Lib Dem, four are Independent and two are Labour. The results for the entire district are as follows (in alphabetical order): BATTLE TOWN - two Lib Dem councillors Richard Body, Labour, 276 votes Kevin Dixon, Lib Dem, 778 votes (elected) Kathryn Field, Lib Dem, 960 (elected) Margaret Howell, Cons, 640 Norma Landsdowne, Cons, 529 Andrew Ratcliffe, Green, 261 TURNOUT: 48.01 per cent BEXHILL CENTRAL - two Conservative councillors Richard Carroll, Cons, 666 votes (elected) Suze Clemitson Youde, Lab, 531 votes Neil Francis, Lib Dem, 347 votes Joy Hughes, Cons, 674 votes (elected) Paul Theaker, Labour, 482 votes TURNOUT: 37.65 per cent BEXHILL COLLINGTON - two Independent councillors Kate Bird, Lab, 239 votes John Lee, Ind, 1,096 votes (elected) Toni Mansi, Ind, 1,034 (elected) Shirley Miller, Cons, 819 votes Gillian Wheeler, Cons, 871 votes TURNOUT: 57.45 per cent BEXHILL KEWHURST - two Conservative councillors Yvonne Cleland, Lab, 426 votes Brian Kentfield, Cons, 1,244 votes (elected) Martin Kenward, Cons, 1,132 votes (elected) John Zipperlen, Lib Dem, 575 votes TURNOUT: 51.6 per cent BEXHILL OLD TOWN - two Lib Dem councillors Alan Bearne, Labour, 287 votes Gaynor Gough, Cons, 502 votes Frances Winterborn, Lib Dem, 539 votes (elected) Stuart Wood, Lib Dem, 511 votes (elected) TURNOUT: 42.67 per cent BEXHILL SACKVILLE - two Conservative councillors Vivienne Bond, Lib Dem, 581 votes Toby Cook, Lib Dem, 520 votes Patrick Douart, Cons, 727 votes (elected) Russell Meredith, Lab, 337 votes Deirdre Williams, Cons, 750 votes (elected) TURNOUT: 45.92 per cent BEXHILL ST MARKS - one Independent and one Conservative councillor Robert Chase, Cons, 837 Stuart Earl, Ind, 1005 votes (elected) Joanne Gadd, Cons, 980 votes (elected) Rachel Hills, Lib Dem, 494 votes Andrew Shepherd, Lab, 213 votes TURNOUT: 54.71 per cent BEXHILL ST MICHAELS - one Independent and one Conservative councillor Charles Clark, Ind, 996 votes (elected) Philipa Coughlan, Lab, 344 votes Simon Elford, Cons, 540 votes (elected) Martyn Forster, Lib Dem, 480 votes TURNOUT: 42.54 per cent BEXHILL ST STEPHENS - two Conservative councillors Paul Courtel, Lab, 465 votes Bridget George, Cons, 830 votes (elected) Paul Lendon, Cons, 796 voted (elected) Barbara Warburton, Lib Dem, 445 votes TURNOUT: 41.23 per cent BEXHILL SIDLEY - one Conservative and one Labour councillor Abul Azad, Cons, 596 votes Jim Carroll, Cons, 825 votes (elected) Andrew Fleming, Lab, 619 votes Maurice Watson, Lab, 624 votes (elected) TURNOUT: 38.96 per cent BREDE VALLEY - two Conservative councillors Linda Harland, Labour, 429 votes Jonathan Johnson, Cons, 1,173 votes (elected) Carl Maynard, Cons, 1,117 votes (elected) Margaret Sandra, Lab, 439 votes John Smith, Lib Dem, 295 votes TURNOUT: 48.5 per cent CROWHURST - one Conservative councillor Angharad Davies, Cons, 549 votes (elected) John Kemp, Lib Dem, 394 votes Tim Macpherson, Lab, 119 votes TURNOUT: 52.55 per cent DARWELL - two Conservative councillors Brian Basham, Labour, 228 votes Tracy Dixon, Lib Dem, 363 votes Thomas Sayer, Lib Dem, 341 votes David Vereker, Cons, 1,168 votes (elected) Andrew Wedmore, Green, 386 votes Bob White, Cons, 1,016 votes (elected) TURNOUT: 48.73 per cent EASTERN ROTHER - two Conservative councillors Nicholas Cleveland-Stevens, Lib Dem, 237 votes Chris Mears, Lab, 564 votes Paul Osborne, Cons, 1,083 votes (elected) Nick Ramus, Cons, 1,039 votes (elected) Nick Warren, Lab, 510 votes TURNOUT: 49.76 per cent EWHURST AND SEDLESCOMBE - one Conservative councillor Tony Ganly, Cons, 790 votes (elected) Angus Gilloughley, Lib Dem, 228 votes TURNOUT: 51.56 per cent MARSHAM - two Conservative councillors Bob Ball, Lab, 377 votes Roger Bird, Cons, 1,206 votes (elected) Derek Greenup, Lib Dem, 247 votes Jonathan Lee, Lab, 334 votes Robin Patten, Cons, 1,165 votes (elected) TURNOUT: 53.98 per cent ROTHER LEVELS - two Conservative councillors Jennifer Als, Lib Dem, 533 votes Ian Jenkins, Cons, 1,154 votes (elected) Martin Mooney, Cons, 1,219 votes (elected) Susan Schlesinger, Lib Dem, 495 votes TURNOUT: 51.40 per cent RYE - one Conservative and one Labour councillor Sonia Holmes, Lib Dem, 280 votes Nigel Jennings, Lab, 488 votes David Russell, Cons, 620 votes (elected) Christopher Saint, Cons, 459 votes Mary Smith, Ind, 470 votes Sam Souster, Lab, 577 seats (elected) David Wright, Ind, 214 votes TURNOUT: 50.24 per cent SALEHURST - one Conservative and one Lib Dem councillor Graham Browne, Cons, 838 votes (elected) Bob Collins, Lab, 202 votes Stephen Hardy, Lib Dem, 711 votes Susan Prochak, Lib Dem, 958 votes (elected) TURNOUT: 50.96 per cent TICEHURST AND ETCHINGHAM - two Conservative councillors Mary Barnes, Cons, 1,050 votes (elected) Gavin Barrass, Lib Dem, 366 votes Robert Elliston, Cons, 1,060 votes (elected) Peggy Langdown, Lib Dem, 403 votes Don Nicholls, Green, 268 votes TURNOUT: 50.20 per cent •• For full coverage of Rother District Council elections 2011, see next Friday’s Bexhill Observer, Rye Observer and Battle Observer