SURREY: Conservatives retain control of the county but face stronger opposition
It follows last week's local election
The ruling Conservative party in Surrey is faced with an invigorated opposition following last week’s elections.
Barring 1993, the Conservatives have in recent times always taken overall control of the county - and this election was no different.
But the Conservatives’ vote in Surrey was down seven percentage points on last time, in contrast to the party’s wider success across English councils.
They won 47 seats out of 81 (58%), compared with the 61 seats (75%) they won in the last Surrey County Council election in 2017.
"It wasn’t unexpected," said Conservative Colin Kemp, formerly deputy leader.
"The ones Conservatives who’ve done well are north of Watford. The Conservative heartland needs more attention.
"Surrey, outside of London, is the heart-blood of income and the local economy is sleeping and needs investment.
"I understand the North needs money but we cannot forget the South East; the money down here is what pays for up north.
"And we need better public transport to serve some of our rural economies."
He has represented Goldsworth East and Horsell village since 2013 but was unseated by Liberal Democrats Lance Spencer.
Still a Woking borough councillor, Cllr Kemp was hospitalised last year first with Covid and then lymphoma cancer, for which he has had his last stem cell treatment and is in recovery.
"I was responding to stuff from hospital," he said. "I tried to stay responsive but it’s hindered my ability to get out and knock on doors.
"Thank you to all my residents for their support these last eight years; together we’ve achieved a lot.
"I will be holding the new councillor to account, because I don’t think all they promised is achievable."
Conservatives also lost out to the various residents’ associations and independents, which doubled their combined share of the vote and now have a total of 16 seats - almost one in five -showing an increasing trend towards voting for local issues rather than along party lines.
This is particularly the case in Farnham, which returned Farnham Residents councillors in all three of their seats after gaining Farnham South, and Epsom and Ewell where Residents Associations of Epsom and Ewell took Epsom Town & Downs to fill four out of five seats.
Residents for Guildford and Villages, fielding candidates at the county level for the first time, also snatched two Tory stronghold seats, Horsleys and Guildford South-East, which include that of cabinet member for all-age learning, Julie Iles.
The Liberal Democrats remain the largest single opposition party in Surrey. They took quarter of all votes and gained five extra seats taking them to 14, the most they have had for two decades.
This is despite achieving a slight net gain of seats nationally.
Woking South councillor Will Forster said: "It is the largest Lib Dem group on the county council since the 1997 elections."
There was also bad news for the party when their member Chris Botten, leader of the Surrey Opposition Forum, lost his marginal seat, Caterham Hill, to Conservative Jeremy Webster.
Meanwhile Labour not only kept their county seat but also turned Egham from blue to red.
This again is at odds with the national picture, where Labour took a beating.
Stanwell and Stanwell Moor councillor Robert Evans said this could be because of the proximity in Surrey of two airports ‘in depression’.
"People are doing temporary work and have been laid off by British Airways and recovery isn’t certain," he said.
"And whilst people are happy to be getting the vaccine, they recognise an element of chaos at the centre and are not happy at the number of flights coming in and not isolating."
He said that while canvassing, the complaint about Surrey council he heard the most was "the threat to the fire service causing alarm. They don’t feel Surrey is carrying out their duty in looking after them.
"And the state of the roads; that is of course lack of funding from central government."
He added: "They the Conservatives will still win all the votes, but with 47-34 they’ll have to work harder."
The Green Party’s Jonathan Essex was re-elected in Redhill East with a much greater margin and took 65% of the vote compared with 53% last time.
"There is no longer such a dominant ruling party," he said. "There is a significantly greater opposition; all parties on it have grown."
As Surrey’s first Green councillor, he has been alone for eight years, but will now be joined by a fellow member in Earlswood and Reigate South.
"If you look at where Catherine Baart won, that’s where they want to build a crematorium on green belt.
"There’s a degree of frustration with the council saying it protects the green belt and yet it is under threat," he said.
"People don’t want us to become part of Greater London."
Thirty-nine per cent of those eligible to vote in Surrey made use of their vote, a slight increase on the 36% turnout four years ago.