By-election win gives Lib Dems important seat on county council
ANDREW WOODS WIN GIVES THE PARTY ONE SEAT MORE THAN THE CONSERVATIVES
■ ■Kevin Paul Gulson, Conservative ...470 ■ ■Sally Ann Howell, Independent ......448 ■ ■Richard Ilett, Labour ..........................175 ■ ■Ellisa Westerman, Green Party .........42 ■ ■Andrew Richard Wood, Liberal Democrat ..............................509 - Elected
MAKE up of the county council:
■ ■Liberal Democrats ...............................23 ■ ■Conservative ........................................22 ■ ■Labour ......................................................9 ■ ■Independent ............................................4 ■ ■Non-Aligned independent .....................3
The election saw a turnout of 19.95 per cent, a figure that Cllr Wood said he was “somewhat disappointed” by.
He said: “It was quite a low turnout especially considering the important A BY-election win on Thursday night issues there are to deal with at the (March 21) has made the Liberal Demmoment, having said that those that ocrat group the largest single party at did vote I am very grateful they put Cambridgeshire County Council. their trust in me.
Councillor Andrew Wood, the Lib“Knocking on around 1,000 doors, eral Democrat candidate, was elected what I did find is that there is a high to represent Yaxley and Farcet division, degree of disillusionment in the prewinning the seat off the Conservative sent system and the present governParty. ment, a lessening trust in politics and
The win gives the party 23 councilpoliticians. lors at the county council, while the “Recent events in Westminster have Conservative Party now has 22 councilnot helped in this, my job now is to lors. regain that trust.”
The by-election was called after the While the Liberal Democrats are now death of the former councillor Mac the single largest party, they will conMcGuire. tinue to rule the county council as part
Mr McGuire had been the longest of the joint administration with Labour serving councillor at the county counand independent councillors. cil, having been elected to the authority Cllr Wood said the Liberal Demofrom 1985 to 1992, and then again concrats becoming the largest party was a tinuously from 1997. “milestone” that he was “pleased” to be
At a county council meeting last a part of. month (February 13) members agreed Councillor Lucy Nethsingha (Liberal to posthumously award Mr McGuire Democrat), leader of the county counwith the title of Honorary Alderman, an cil, said she was “delighted” at the byaward given to people who have proelection win. vided “outstanding services” as past She said: “We will continue to work councillors. with other parties in running the coun
The newly elected Cllr Wood received cil, I do not think it will make a huge 509 votes in the by-election, with the change to our policy direction on counConservative candidate, Kevin Paul cil.
Gulson, coming in second with 470 “It is really good to see that the things votes. we are doing are appreciated by people
Cllr Wood said he was “very pleased” and people recognise there are alternawith the result. He said: “I am very tives to Conservatives in large areas of grateful to all those who voted, I will Cambridgeshire.” use my position to raise the profile of The county council will be heading the villages in Cambridgeshire. into a full council election next year, the
“I have been working on certain profirst faced since the joint administrajects, Peterborough has a development tion took control in 2021. just north of us – Great Haddon – where Cllr Nethsingha said the by-election the surface drainage has changed and win was “encouraging”, but said the full we are receiving far more water than council elections were still a long way off.weusedto,whichiscausingproblems, that is a project close to my heart and I She said: “We cannot take anything am hoping to continue to give that a for granted, a week is a long time in higher profile. politics let alone a year.
“During the campaign, having “We will continue to make sure we knocked on about 1,000 doors, I gained are representing people in Caman insight into concerns of residents, I bridgeshire and making sure we are am going to compile those and look at thinking about all our residents when how to address them over the coming planning what the county council months.” does.”