Conservatives leader is heartened by results, despite losing seats
THE LEADER of Wokingham’s Conservatives said she was heartened by the results, despite losing three seats in the chamber.
In 2016, the Conservatives had 47 out of 54 seats on the borough council, but since that high watermark, the number has gone down year-on-year.
They lost control of the council in 2022, when Labour, the Lib Dems, and the then three independent councillors formed a partnership.
Last year, the Lib Dems gained enough seats to run a minority administration.
This time, the party now has 27 seats, while the Conservatives had 19, their lowest-ever representation in Shute End.
Cllr Jorgensen received one of the largest votes of the day, meaning she keeps her Hillside seat.
Other long-serving councillors will no longer be seen in the chamber, while some new faces have been elected.
“I’m quite heartened by the new councillors we’ve gained, we’ve gained a couple of seats, which we’re pleased with,” she said.
“And we got a lot of support from the people that came out and voted for us.
“We’re very grateful for all the votes we received.
“It is interesting the Liberals did not gain control. They made a lot of fuss about this being their opportunity and they didn’t – they stood still.”
On the colleagues who will no longer be on the council, she said: “I’m very sad to see people who worked so hard not win. But that’s the way votes go. It’s democracy.”
On her vote, she said:
“I would like to thank all the residents who voted for me, I will do my absolute best to deliver and help them.”
It is expected that Cllr Jorgensen will remain the party’s leader for the next municipal year. What can people expect?
“We will continue to fight for the things we know people want,” she said.
“People very clearly told us they didn’t want the increase in car parking, they didn’t want bi-weekly bins. They did want more money spent on road maintenance, and we will continue to fight for that … we owe it to the people who did vote for us.
“We agree to fight for those things, and we will continue to do so.”