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THE Liberal Democrats have strengthened their position on Wokingham Borough Council, according to its leader.
The party made a net gain of one seat in the local elections, meaning it is one short of an overall majority but is now expected to carry on running a minority-led administration.
Cllr Stephen Conway, who was elected with the highest number of votes across the entire borough, found positives, despite the disappointment of not gaining overall control.
“It is a good result,” he said. “We have strengthened our position, the Conservatives position is weakened.
We have increased our number of seats held, the Conservatives have decreased theirs. This is the first time, as far as I’m aware, in the history of Wokingham as an authority, that they have fewer than 20 councillors.”
Of the seats the party didn’t win, Cllr Conway said split wards – where different parties won a share of the three seats up for grabs – were inevitable due to the circumstances of the poll.
“It was an unusual election, it was an all-out election on new boundaries, and every voter had three votes to use,” he said. “A significant number of people than I think most of us thought, decided to split their votes. The general pattern was the voters splitting their votes prefer to vote for left of centre parties, rather than right of centre ones.
“As there was only one centre right party in the election, the Conservatives, they benefitted more than they really should have done, by the fact that votes for left of centre parties were the split votes. That almost certainly led to the Conservatives clinging on to seats they might otherwise had lost.”
While this all-out election, with all 54 seats up for grabs, was the result of boundary changes, the council had an opportunity to switch to this system, rather than electing 16 councillors every three years out of four.
Has this year’s poll given Cllr Conway a taste for local elections once every four years?
“I believe very strongly that elections by thirds is the right way,” Cllr Conway said. “Councils should be accountable to the public that they are meant to serve. We have always believed, and still believed, this is the proper way.”
Finally, Cllr Conway said to the electorate: “A very, very big thank you for allowing us to continue to be the administration at Wokingham. We will do our best not to let any of you down, whether you voted Liberal Democrat or for any other party.
“We will be doing our best to serve the people of Wokingham to the best of our abilities.”
