Western Morning News (Saturday)
Boris set to get his way as Tories on course to control Cornwall for G7
CONTROL of Cornwall Council looked set to change hands as the Conservatives gained seats while the Liberal Democrat vote collapsed, writes Richard Whitehouse.
County Hall in Truro has been controlled by a Lib Dem/Independent coalition for the last four years but in recent general elections the Lib Dems had seen support decline while the Conservatives and Labour bolstered their votes.
And as results started to trickle in at the three count centres across Cornwall yesterday it was the candidates in blue who were looking most confident.
Changes to electoral boundaries and the reduction of councillors from 123 to 87 had given this election an element of the unknown with several seats seeing sitting councillors up against each other.
By mid-afternoon the Conservatives had secured 41 seats and 39 per cent of the vote and looked set to secure the majority that Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wanted to see by the time the G7 summit rolls into Cornwall next month.
The Liberal Democrats meanwhile had secured 11 seats and 17 per cent of the vote. Lib Dem Cabinet members Geoff Brown (Newquay Central) and Rob Rotchell (Camelford and Boscastle) lost out to Conservatives.
Lib Dem group leader Malcolm Brown also lost his seat in St Austell Bethel and Holmbush with Conservative candidate Jordan Rowse the victor.
In addition, former Lib Dem MP Dan Rogerson saw his bid to return to politics fail as he lost out to Conservative newcomer John Conway by the slimmest of margins – three votes. However, former St Ives MP Andrew George will be returning to politics after winning in Ludgvan, Madron, Gulval and Heamoor.
The only Cabinet members to have retained their seats, at the time of going to press, were leader of the council Julian German, deputy leader Adam Paynter and Edwina Hannaford.
There were a few more surprises among the results, including veteran independent councillor Mark Kaczmarek losing out in Redruth Central, Carharrack and St Day to Conservative Connor Donnithorne.
Mebyon Kernow gained an extra seat and will have five councillors in County Hall but the number of Independent councillors had dropped with just 12. The Green Party will have a councillor after Tamsyn Widdon won in Penryn. And the Labour Party also increased the size of their group from four councillors to five.
Meanwhile over in Torbay the Liberal Democrats narrowly held a seat in a council by-election for the unitary authority which they run in a partnership with Independents.
Cat Johns won Clifton with Maidenway in Paignton by a margin of 31 votes over Conservative John Fellows.
Ms Johns, an administrative assistant in a GP surgery, said after the result was declared that she “knew it was close”.