Recounts and very tight margins as Tories retain district council

Amid several close votes and a number of recounts, the Conservatives have retained control of South Holland District Council but lost four of their seats to Independent candidates.

Following Thursday, May 2’s election they have 24 seats to the Independents’ 13 on a night where the Tories lost control of many local council nationally.

But the celebrations were muted as Jan Whitbourn, Angie Harrison and Laura Eldridge lost their seats while Independent Anthony Cronin edged out Zoe Lane for the Spalding Monks House ward previously held by George Aley.

The Conservative leader of SHDC, Lord Gary Porter, who was re-elected alongside Harry Drury in Spalding St Mary’s, told The Voice: “It’s been a good result on a difficult night.

“It’s a shame we’ve lost some really good candidates, particularly because we’ve built up the diversity of the group.

“Most of the losses are female candidates, and bloody good ones, which is a real shame.”

Eldridge’s defeat left a number of her fellow party members in tears after she missed out by 14 votes from Independent David Wilkinson in the Long Sutton ward.

She said: “I’m gutted to not be elected.”

Of those elected for the ward, she said: “It’s been great to work with Jack (Tyrrell), I hope Andrew Tennant’s promises come through and good luck to David.”

There was plenty of other drama with close votes, not least in the Pinchbeck and Surfleet ward where it’s understood candidates were told Sally Slade was initially one vote behind independent Terry Moore after the first count.

However in the requested re-count the result was changed and she joined fellow party members James Avery and Elizabeth Sneath in a Conservative clean sweep of the ward, edging ahead by 11 votes.

One new Conservative face on the council is Glynis Scalese in the Spalding St Paul’s ward where fellow Tory David Ashby lost his seat.

Most Conservative candidates polled fewer votes than in the 2015 election, partly due to lower voter turn out which in itself was expected given that coincided with a general election.

Anthony Casson received the most votes out of any candidate as he, Rodney Grocock and Andrew Woolf held their clean sweep of Moulton, Weston and Cowbit. However his 1,042 votes was down from the 1,953 he polled in 2015.

Rodney Grocock said: “I spoke to a number of Conservatives who said they weren’t going to vote as they said it’s the only way they can send a message to Westminster. I heard that time after time.”

Roger Gambba-Jones was elected for a sixth straight time in Spalding Wygate alongside Christine Lawton.
“It’s been a very strange election for us, very challenging,” he said. “The national picture has been difficult for us with a lot of the electorate frustrated and angry.”

South Holland and The Deepings MP Sir John Hayes, said: “It’s a big achievement to retain the council and mid-term elections are always very difficult for governing parties.

“Obviously I’m sorry to lose three great friends from the council but it’s good to have three new Conservative councillors,” he says of Glynis Scalese, elected to Spalding St Paul’s ahead of David Ashby, and Allan Beal and Paul

Redgate who were elected uncontested to Whaplode and Holbeach.
“I’m not sure if there is a council in the country where it’s only Conservatives and no other single party has another candidate.

“The count started on a high and ended on one for us. The Greens threw everything into beating Gary Taylor and he held on in the first result announced on the night.

“Then to win all three seats in Pinchbeck and Surfleet, which is quite a big ask.

“It was great to see the hard work of so many Conservative candidates pay off.”