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Landslide victory for Conservatives in East Cambridgeshire District Council election
East Cambs election count.James Palmer (Con) Soham Nth. and Carol Sennitt (Con) Soham Nth Picture: Steve Williams. - Credit: Archant
The Conservatives have taken a stranglehold on East Cambridgeshire District Council after winning 36 of the 39 seats.
East Cambs election count. Julia Denise Huffer (Con) and Josh Schumann (Con) Fordham Villages. Picture: Steve Williams. - Credit: Archant
The Liberal Democrats’s presence on the council has been decimated, with only two councillors returning from the 10 who served on the previous administration.
Among the casualties are Hazel Williams in Burwell, who was made an MBE in 2010 for services to the community, party leader Gareth Wilson and his wife Pauline, both of Haddenham, and the party’s deputy leader Neil Morrison of Littleport.
Only Lorna Dupre and Sue Austen retained their seats for the Lib Dems.
Several Lib Dem councillors also decided not to stand in yesterday’s election. They include Ely councillors Jeremy and Sheila Friend-Smith.
East Cambs election count at Ross Peers centre, Soham. Picture: Steve Williams. - Credit: Archant
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Speaking after retaining her Sutton seat, Cllr Dupre, said: “Obviously I’m very pleased to be re-elected and thank the people of Sutton for voting for me.
“But I’m very disappointed that David Wright (Liberal Democrat candidate) has not been elected alongside me (in the Sutton ward).
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“It has been a difficult and traumatic day for Liberal Democrats across the country.”
Independents Andy Wright, Tony Goodge and Colin Fordham have also lost their seats to Tories. The only Independent elected is Derrick Beckett, who has retained his seat in Isleham – where there wasn’t a Conservative candidate.
East Cambs election count at Ross Peers centre, Soham. Picture: Steve Williams. - Credit: Archant
The Conservatives, however, are jubilant with 18 new faces representing the party.
Andy Pearson, one of the newly-elected Conservative councillors, for Ely North, said: It has been fantastic for us locally and nationally, better than we could have hoped.
“A lot of people have turned out and shown their support for me and the party at this election, which has been fantastic.”
The previous council was made up of 23 Conservatives, 10 Lib Dems, five Independents and one Non-Aligned councillor.
• To view all the results, and discover the Haddenham result as it’s announced, click here.
