Essex County Council is controlled by the Conservative Party, which gained 60 seats at County Hall in 2009.
However, their most recent term was tainted with scandal, after former leader Lord Hanningfield was found to have spent more than £250,000 on his corporate credit card over a five year period.
While their opponents have sought to capitalise on this, deputy leader, Cllr David Finch, said the party's record spoke for itself:
He said the council's staff and officers were key to helping them achieve their aims:
