Saturday, May 08, 2010
Some local cheer in MK
I am finding reports of local election successes from ‘elsewhere’ a good way of getting awake on this unsettling morning. So just in case this interest others…
In Milton Keynes we faced an election with the retiring council split 21 LD to 20 Tories, with 9 Labour and 1 independent. Elections are by thirds. A number of our senior councillors were stepping down having done very long service and wanting to move on. That included Euan and Irene Henderson, who each had huge personal votes in their respective Newport Pagnell wards. The Tories were looking to become the largest party and take the lead in the Cabinet.
The outcome?
We held all our defended seats which means we now have new and dynamic younger councillors in several core wards who can build up their own personal votes.
A very experienced former councillor is back on the council so we still have the benefit of lessons learnt in the past.
We gained THREE seats from the Conservatives ( all again with dynamic new candidates) which the Tories certainly were not expecting!
We did not take our target off Labour. It was a tall order against someone with a strong personal vote but our great campaign gives us a good platform for next year.
It was no surprise that the Tories did not take their much touted target seat off Labour as they failed to nominate a candidate! Short version of events. A Tory activist signed the Green Party nomination papers as well as the Tory ones. The Greens put in their papers several days before the close of nominations. The Tory agent (with 25 years experience) turned up with all her papers 90 minutes before nominations closed….
Current balance of council
LibDem 24
Con 17
Lab 9
Ind 1
I am particularly pleased at the result in my own patch of Walton Park ward where Subhan Shafiq ousted the Tory who slipped in back in the Cameron euphoria year of 2006.
Council still counts as NOC but we are already planning for a Big Gold moment in 2011…
In Milton Keynes we faced an election with the retiring council split 21 LD to 20 Tories, with 9 Labour and 1 independent. Elections are by thirds. A number of our senior councillors were stepping down having done very long service and wanting to move on. That included Euan and Irene Henderson, who each had huge personal votes in their respective Newport Pagnell wards. The Tories were looking to become the largest party and take the lead in the Cabinet.
The outcome?
We held all our defended seats which means we now have new and dynamic younger councillors in several core wards who can build up their own personal votes.
A very experienced former councillor is back on the council so we still have the benefit of lessons learnt in the past.
We gained THREE seats from the Conservatives ( all again with dynamic new candidates) which the Tories certainly were not expecting!
We did not take our target off Labour. It was a tall order against someone with a strong personal vote but our great campaign gives us a good platform for next year.
It was no surprise that the Tories did not take their much touted target seat off Labour as they failed to nominate a candidate! Short version of events. A Tory activist signed the Green Party nomination papers as well as the Tory ones. The Greens put in their papers several days before the close of nominations. The Tory agent (with 25 years experience) turned up with all her papers 90 minutes before nominations closed….
Current balance of council
LibDem 24
Con 17
Lab 9
Ind 1
I am particularly pleased at the result in my own patch of Walton Park ward where Subhan Shafiq ousted the Tory who slipped in back in the Cameron euphoria year of 2006.
Council still counts as NOC but we are already planning for a Big Gold moment in 2011…
Labels: Milton Keynes
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