Anne Cheale
Anne Cheale was a councillor in Thurrock, England[1] and former leader of the Conservative group on Thurrock Council who was first elected to the council in 2000 to represent the Corringham and Fobbing Ward.
In 2006, she was replaced as leader of the Conservative group by Terry Hipsey who defected to Labour a few years later. In February 2010, she tabled a motion of no confidence in the then council leader and walked away from the Conservative group.[2] Although the motion of no confidence was passed, council leader, Garry Hague, did not resign.[3] Following the 2010 Thurrock Council election she joined 2 other former Conservatives in voting for Labour's John Kent as council leader, thus ending the Conservative administration that had been in power since 2004.[4] At the same meeting, Anne Cheale was elected mayor. In November 2010, she publicly apologised for the behaviour of three Thurrock Conservative councillors at a civic event on Canvey Island and later at a pub in Stanford-le-Hope.[5]
In April 2011, councillor Cheale announced that she would not contest her Corringham and Fobbing seat in the forthcoming May elections, which was retaken by the Conservatives.[6]
Following the 2011 election the vote for mayor was tied between Councillor Curtis (Labour) and deputy mayor Councillor Tunde Ojetola (Conservative). As outgoing Mayor, Cheale had a casting vote which she exercised in favour of Councillor Curtis.[7] In the subsequent election for council leader, Mayor Curtis then used his casting vote to elect John Kent as council leader, thus maintaining the Labour administration.
In April 2015, it was reported that Cheale was supporting the UKIP candidate for Thurrock in the 2015 general election.[8]