A gastro pub owner has won a Nottinghamshire County Council election in a victory which means Labour is no longer the only official opposition on the authority. A by-election was called in Eastwood after the death of Eddie Cubley in August, who represented the area on behalf of the Conservative Party.
Candidates from both the Conservative and Labour parties contested the election alongside Kane Oliver, who stood as an independent candidate. Councillor Oliver won after attracting 1,223 votes, just 41 votes ahead of Labour and significantly ahead of the Conservative Party candidate - who attracted just 431 votes following the election on Thursday (November 3). By Comparison, Councillor Cubley was elected for the Conservatives in 2021 with 1,387 votes.
Councillor Oliver said: "I'd like to thank the 1,223 residents for voting for me. Getting elected to represent my home town is a huge honour and one I don't take likely. I'd like to pay tribute to the late Eddie Cubley and thank my opponents for a clean fight.
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"I will immediately get on with the job of fixing Eastwood's broken roads and pavements and deliver the positive change that Eastwood richly deserves. I want to say to my neighbours in Eastwood – it doesn't matter who you supported or whether you voted at all. I am happy to help you all."
Kane Oliver is also the owner of Oliver's Pub & Kitchen in Eastwood, which describes itself as a contemporary gastro bar and restaurant. Based on Nottingham Road, the business was founded in 2017 and has won several awards since opening.
Kane Oliver will join the Independent Alliance group at Nottinghamshire County Council, meaning the group now has 15 councillors - the same as the Labour Party. This means Independent Alliance leader Jason Zadrozny will now share the title of opposition leader at the county council with Labour's Kate Foale.
Councillor Foale said: "It's a very disappointing result because we really did pull together in this election as a Labour family and that was the one positive to come out of this. Jason Zadrozny is not the new leader of the opposition, we now have two opposition leaders at the county council so he and I share that honour.
"The feeling I was getting was that people were very fed up by national politics and saw the attraction of someone who was standing as an independent candidate. The reality is that the independent councillors here are still a group and they act as a group, so they're not really independent."
But Mr Zadrozny added: "Kane is a go-getter who gets things done. His election is brilliant news for Eastwood and shows that Eastwood, like many areas in Nottinghamshire, is turning its back on party politics.
"This result was a disaster for the Conservatives – losing over 30% of their vote and coming last. It also means that Independent Councillors have now won every single County Council seat in Lee Anderson's Ashfield Constituency."
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