3rd May - election day!

A very busy week which was hugely successful. Following the last election four years ago we held 14 seats on Teignbridge District Council. During the last administration two independents crossed the floor to join us taking us to 16. We won four seats from the Liberal Democrats on Thursday last week and lost one to them in return. This takes us to 19 seats as against their 21. The second seat in Kingsteignton West nearly fell to us - we lost it by one vote after several recounts! That would have put us at 20 seats.

This gives us a very healthy picture. Dawlish is now completely Conservative. We won our first seat in Newton Abbot - Ken Lewis wiped the floor in Bushel polling the most votes in the ward as a whole. Kingsteignton was a hold with Joan Lambert and Mike Walters holding their seats - and nearly a one seat gain if we had polled just one more vote. In Ambrook Denis Smith gave us our first Conservative seat in this recently acquired part of the constituency from Totnes. Shaldon turned blue with the ever popular Chris Clarence standing for the Conservatives rather than an independent this time around. Ipplepen returned Victor Elliot, perhaps one of our most colourful candidates! Teignmouth will be the battle ground for the future - we fought every seat but only returned one Conservative, Sylvia Russel. Similarly but surprisingly we also failed to make headway in Kerswell with Combe.

After a breath of fresh air and some sleep, I am looking to the next challenge - the County Elections in May 2009!