Following last week’s local elections in Hertsmere, the three represented parties in the council chamber say they are happy with the way the results panned out.
The Conservatives retained a huge majority at the borough council, although they did lose five seats. Labour saw its seats rise from four to seven while the Lib Dems returned to the council winning all three seats in Bushey North.
Speaking this week, Tory council leader Cllr Morris Bright was happy that Hertsmere defied the national trend.
He said: “On a night when the Conservative Party took a bit of a pummelling across the country, it was gratifying that in Hertsmere, our party performed very well indeed and we hold on to a large majority on the Borough council, which will allow us to get on with the business of focussing on the services that our residents and local businesses expect from us.
“It was sad to lose a ward in Potters Bar and Bushey and with that, some excellent local councillors and I shall miss them greatly.”
Council leader Morris Bright
Labour group leader Jeremy Newmark, Cllr Jeremy Newmark, said his party proved there are ‘no no-go areas in Hertsmere’.
He said: “I am delighted to be leading an enlarged opposition in the Hertsmere chamber. We will continue to fight for better infrastructure, more investment in public services and provision of genuinely affordable homes across the borough.
“We proved that there are no no-go areas for Labour in Hertsmere.
“Christopher Myers & Christian Grey will be stellar additions to the Labour group having run one of the most dynamic campaigns Potters Bar has seen for years.
“We welcome the return of Liberal Democrat Councillors to the chamber in Hertsmere and intend to work with them as part of an enlarged opposition, where our policies and interests align.”
Cllr Jeremy Newmark
Meanwhile, newly elected Lib Dem councillor Andrew Melville is looking forward to “hitting the ground running”.
He said: “Paul Richards, Jerry Evans and I were very much delighted to be elected and it is a great honour and privilege to be elected by the community and will work hard for our community.
“For the people in Bushey North it means that there are three strong voices fighting for the community every day. Next week is our first council meeting and we aim to hit the ground running. Our priorities are improving our transport issues, stopping building on green belt land and more accountability.
“We had 18 candidates standing in the elections and each candidate did an amazing job and polled well. We are a team at Hertsmere Liberal Democrats and we win or lose together. "We plan to win more seats at future borough and county elections."
Some of the Lib Dem hopefuls in Hertsmere before the elections, including Andrew Melville (second from left)
For more about how the night unfolded at the elections in Hertsmere, visit https://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/17617845.local-elections-2019-hertsmere-results-revealed/
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