Staffordshire election results: More joy for the Conservatives as hand strengthened in county
The Tories extended their hold on Staffordshire County Council with gains in the local elections.
Council leader Alan White, who retained his seat in Lichfield Rural East, now has a huge majority in the chamber after a disastrous set of results for Labour.
The Tories made seven gains to finish on 57 seats, while Labour lost six seats and now have just four county councillors.
The Labour candidates who lost out to the Tories included Sue Woodward, who was beaten by Tom Loughbrough Rudd in Burntwood North.
Alan Dudson, who was also voted off Cannock Chase District Council, lost his Brereton and Ravenhill seat to Peter Kruskonjic, while Christine Mitchell was beaten in Chadsmoor by Philippa Haden.
Labour group leader Charlotte Atkins held her Leek South seat, and the party’s candidate Gillian Pardesi held Stafford Central by just 98 votes.
The Tories also took two seats off Labour in Newcastle.
Councillor Alan White, leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: “I thank everyone who stood as a candidate or worked to make this election happen in difficult circumstances.
“I am delighted that the people of Staffordshire have again placed their trust in us to continue delivering essential services in our communities.
“We will continue to create the conditions for economic growth in Staffordshire, attracting new employers and supporting new ones as we recover from the pandemic.
“At the same time we will work with our communities to focus on their needs and support them to live happier, healthier, independent lives.”
Labour group leader, Councillor Charlotte Atkins, said the result was disappointing but "not entirely unexpected" given the vaccine bounce the Tories had received.
She said the campaign was the "strangest" she had ever fought due to the pandemic resulting in a "fractured lead up", which had badly hindered Labour's efforts.
"We are well known for our ground campaign and this year we just couldn't do it," she said. "We haven't been able to do the face-to-face engagement and we are looking forward to getting back to that."
The Conservatives also made a gain from Labour on Lichfield District Council, after Heather Tranter won the Summerfield & All Saints by-election.
Meanwhile the Conservatives extended their dominance of Worcestershire County Council, ending the elections with 45 seats to Labour’s three.
In Wyre Forest the Tories won all 10 seats including gains in St Chads, where Bill Hopkins edged out Lib Dem Fran Oborski, and St Georges and St Oswald, where Tony Muir beat independent incumbent Mary Rayner.
It was a miserable set of elections for Labour across the county, with the party losing six seats in total.
Among those to go were group leader Robin Lunn, who lost his Redditch North seat and former leader Peter McDonald, who went down in Bromsgrove’s Beacon division.
