Ferndown UKIP councillor missed election result

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-22400927

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A UKIP candidate who won a seat on Dorset County Council did not attend the election result announcement because he did not think he would win.

Ian Smith was one of two UKIP candidates standing for two seats in the Ferndown ward.

Mr Smith said he had expected his party colleague Peter Lucas to finish ahead of him in the poll.

Instead, it was Mr Smith who was elected, alongside Conservative John Wilson. Mr Lucas was in fourth place.

'Red hot'

Mr Smith, who went to another appointment, said he only found out about his victory when he discovered an email from Christchurch party chairman Rollo Reid on Friday morning.

He said: "If I thought I was a red hot candidate, I perhaps would have cancelled."

Voting had been tight, with Mr Smith gaining 2,222 votes (23.26%) and Mr Wilson with 2,187 votes (22.89%).

The third and fourth place candidates - Conservative Derek Burt and Mr Lucas - received 2,085 and 2,027 votes respectively (21.82% and 21.22%). Labour's candidates each received less than 6% of the vote.

Mr Reid, 66, said he suspected the result had been affected by reports that Mr Lucas's name had appeared on a British National Party (BNP) members list.

Mr Lucas denied ever being a member of the party.

Mr Reid said: "This is a very strange series of events. He [Mr Lucas] wanted to win and spent a lot of time and effort leafleting. Ian Smith didn't even have his name on the brochures. Nevertheless, he was elected."

Mr Lucas could not be contacted for a comment.