Labour’s joy at dual
Devon stays in hands of Tories
THE Conservatives have retained the control of Devon County Council for another four years – but with a reduced majority.
Under John Hart’s leadership, they have been in charge of the council since 2009, and Thursday’s local elections saw them stretch that reign until 2025.
Coming into the vote, the Conservatives held 41 of the 60 seats and they had held onto 39 by the conclusion of the counting on Saturday.
The Liberal Democrats gained three seats to become the official opposition on nine, while Labour gained one seat in Exeter to end on seven.
The Green Party gained a seat in Broadclyst, as well as holding on to Totnes and Dartington, to return two councillors, while three Independents were elected (in Fremington Rural, Otter Valley and Newton Abbot South).
The Conservatives remain in control of the council, although their majority is slightly down on what they went into the elections with.
Cllr John Hart, leader of the council, who retained his Bickleigh and Wembury seat, said: “I’m very grateful to everyone who voted – no matter which party they chose – in difficult circumstances.
“We shall continue to govern in Devon for the benefit of the county as a whole and for all our residents. They’ve shown great resilience over the past year in ensuring we’ve had some of the lowest Covid infection figures throughout the pandemic.
“But now, with the success of the vaccination programme and the Bank of England’s optimistic forecast for the national economy, we have got to focus on regenerating the Devon economy and driving the strongest possible recovery.
“We mean to get back to work immediately for the benefit of the county. We have ambitious plans for a cleaner, Greener Devon with a thriving economy. We can’t create jobs but we can provide the right climate for business to create jobs.”
LABOUR won the West of England and Bristol mayoral races in a major boost for Sir Keir Starmer’s party after election disappointment elsewhere in the country.
While Marvin Rees was widely expected to retain his role as Mayor of Bristol, the victory of Dan Norris in the West of England was a rare bright spot for Labour on a national basis.
Former minister Mr Norris received the most first and second preference votes, with a total of 125,482.
He beat Conservative candidate Samuel Williams, who received 85,389 votes, by 40,093 votes.
The seat, created in 2017, was previously held by Conservative Tim Bowles, who did not seek a second term.
Mr Norris praised Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer after the results were declared at the SS Great Britain in Bristol on Saturday.
“I’m very proud of our region, it’s a great region but it could be even better,” Mr Norris said.
After thanking voters, he said: “I also want to thank Keir Starmer who has unlocked this election for Labour in the West of England.
“People were able to listen to our arguments and be persuaded by them because of Keir Starmer. I want to thank him very, very much indeed.”
He later added that his victory was about “being connected to the people that you want to serve”.
“I think Labour has got to do some important changes in the coming months and years but I think this is an encouragement for our party nationally because it shows that we can connect when we get it right,” Mr Norris said.
“I think it will concern the Conservatives very much because I think they take it rather for granted if you don’t mind me saying.
“Covid has made it a tough election and that has restricted Labour’s ability in some ways to campaign in our normal strong way but this shows that we can punch through as well.”
The mayor leads the West of England Combined Authority, which covers Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
Mr Norris will make decisions on issues in the region including transport, homes, business, jobs and the economy.
One of the major criticism’s of his predecessor Tim Bowles’ regime was that it did not raise the profile of the role to the same extent as in other regions of the country.
This year, the total number of verified ballot papers was 256,632. The turnout in the election was 36.61%.
Conservative candidate Mr Williams said: “Of course, not the outcome that I was hoping for but a wonderful day and a wonderful day for democracy.
“We saw a fantastic turnout, which is what we want to see, we want to see people engaging with politics and delivering results that will make
It will concern the Conservatives, because I think they take it for granted