Authority remains true blue with win
SOLIHULL Council is still true blue as the Conservatives maintained their position as the borough’s largest party.
The Green Party and the Liberal Democrats both gained two councillors as the Tories snatched back a Castle Bromwich seat. The party now has 28 councillors in total and maintains its overall majority.
Labour drew a complete blank and has no representation on the council.
Leader of council, Cllr Ian Courts, who was re-elected in his seat of Dorridge and Hockley Heath, said the borough bucked the national trend.
Cllr Courts said: “Considering it is mid-term and the reaction that we’ve been seeing in recent weeks nationally, I think it was a pretty good result.
“We lost two to the Liberals, we gained one from the Greens and lost one to the Greens so we are two down. I don’t think that’s a bad result in the realm of things.
“It really confirms what I’ve been finding on the doorstep, which is actually Solihull is a great council. It’s respected and has a great position in the West Midlands.
“There are national issues but my job is to represent my people in Solihull and to make sure that Solihull is as prosperous as it possibly can be and that we look after our people and promote health and wellbeing, the climate change agenda and all those things that it is well known we hold dear.”
Asked what his message was to the people of Solihull, Cllr Courts said: “I am humbled by the support that I have had in Solihull and many of our majorities have held up really well. I’m grateful for their support and we will not take it for granted. Trust me.”
But overall turnout plummeted with only 33 per cent of the electorate casting their vote – down from 38 per cent last year.