Conservative's hold on to majority in Suffolk
The Conservative's have retained their majority control of Suffolk County Council.
The Conservatives have kept an overall majority at the Suffolk County Council elections – but the Green party has surged to triple its numbers and become the largest opposition following a bruising campaign for Labour.
The Tories headed into this year’s polls defending 50 of the 75 seats, and emerged from Friday’s results counts with 55.
Labour had held 11 but saw that reduced to five, while the Green party tripled its numbers to nine.
The Liberal Democrats have four (down from five) while there is one Independent and one West Suffolk Independent.
The Conservatives enjoyed gains in key seats such as Gainsborough – where well known Ipswich borough councillor Liz Harsant pipped Stephen Connolly – and Gipping Valley where the Liberal Democrats’ incumbent John Field opted not to seek re-election.
Independents in Haverhill Cangle and Eastgate & Moreton Hall also fell victim to the Conservatives,.
However, there were some bitter blows too – cabinet member for housing and economic development Nick Gowrley lost his seat to Keith Scraff (Liberal Democrat) – the same candidate who defeated him in the 2019 district elections, while the Greens ousted former Conservative council leader Mark Bee in Beccles.
Conservative leader Matthew Hicks said he was pleased with the result, and paid tribute to those who had not secured enough votes this time around.
He added: “Over the last 14 months Suffolk has been recognised nationally in doing a very good job in supporting residents through the pandemic, and I do think it’s been recognised. But I also think we have won on a manifesto that’s very clear, forward thinking and positive.”
The Green pick-ups were largely in Mid Suffolk and in the north, including Mid Suffolk district councillors Keith Welham and Andy Mellen. Elsewhere their Sudbury candidate Jessie Carter was a shock winner in Sudbury with Simon Harley in Peninsula another gain. Halesworth was another secured with a couple of hundred votes.
Andrew Stringer from the Green group said:**** the result demonstrated the gains in the district elections in 2019 were not a one-off but a trend, and added: “We realised that if we had a very very good day we could triple our seats and our vote share in Suffolk, and that’s precisely what we have done against a 10-point Conservative surge across the country. That shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Labour endured a tough day losing its seats in Sudbury and Gunton, as well as losing Gainsborough and one of the Whitton and Whitehouse places.
The party however did narrowly secure a return for former MP Sandy Martin to the county council, just taking the Rushmere division.
Group leader Sarah Adams said the day was “deeply disappointing”.
“It’s a reflection of the national picture and it’s also a reflection of a national pandemic, and I think people do have a fear of change at a time when people want to just feel okay,” she said.
“I am sad for colleagues – county and borough – who haven’t kept or didn’t win their seats, we have lost a lot of talent. We need to have a serious think about what we do next.”