Nigel Rock Welcomes Local Election Gains

4.04.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 5th May 2008

Last week's local elections in South Warwickshire produced strong gains for the Liberal Democrats. We took no less than five seats from the Conservatives in Stratford district, even though only a third of the Council was up for re-election. In the process we unseated three members of the Conservatives' ruling executive.

Lib Dem candidate Bev Mann, in her first attempt, won the District Council seat covering Harbury and Bishops Itchington, while in Wellesbourne there were two recounts, the Conservatives finally holding on to their seat by a margin of only five votes of the 2,413 votes cast.

Meanwhile in Stratford, the Lib Dems made a clean sweep, taking all three seats that were up for election. In Shipston, Lib Dem candidate and farmer Richard Cheney took the seat of Conservative deputy leader Trevor Russell.

In Southam, another local farmer, Lib Dem Angie Adkins came within 25 votes of the Labour candidate with a swing from Labour to the Lib Dems of 12% compared with last year. And in Rugby Borough Council, the Lib Dems made a further gain from the Conservatives in Dunchurch, where Sally Ravenhall took one of the two seats being contested.

Nigel Rock PPC

Nigel Rock, Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the new Parliamentary constituency of Kenilworth & Southam, said: "The national press are making much of the demise of Labour and the movement towards the Conservatives, but this is not the situation here. The Lib Dems have made important gains in the new constituency of Kenilworth & Southam. We now hold both the seats in Harbury and Bishops Itchington Ward, and the swing of 12% to the Lib Dems in Southam took votes from both Labour and Conservative. Only the Lib Dems can make a difference in the new constituency."