The British National Party (BNP) have won another council seat in Heybridge, Essex with 76% of the vote.

The newly elected councillor for Heybridge, Tina Gentry is the third BNP councillor in the Essex countryside ward. Mrs Gentry stood as a representative of “Fighting Unsustainable Housing Because We Care” according to the council website rather than the BNP explicitly.

According to a video press release by the BNP, of the 302 votes cast in the by-election, 230 were cast in Mrs Gentry’s favour. In the same video, they report that despite many people considering the BNP overshadowed on the political stage many people remain sympathetic to the right wing views of the party highlighted by the recent success in Essex.

Although a relatively insignificant gain for the party, the continuing momentum in the Essex area could be replicated elsewhere, as Essex is noted as having political bellwether qualities.

This news will no doubt unsettle the long standing Westminster representative and Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, John Whittingdale OBE MP who has recently seen a growth in support for other right-wing groups such as Ukip in the constituency.

The BNP have been contacted for a statement regarding the status of Mrs Gentry’s application under the premise of a local action group rather than the BNP explicitly.