Excellent news coming out of Tunbridge Wells – probably the archetypal Blue Wall area. We have taken control of the Council winning 22 out of 39 seats.
Congratulations to the team!
I’m incredibly proud my friends and colleagues in the Tunbridge Wells Lib Dems.
We have majority control of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council with 22/39 seats.
Our vote share was 8% ahead of the Tories and Labour are dust.
💪Roll on the General Election💪 pic.twitter.com/5pksH47RIF
— Mike Martin 🔶 (@ThreshedThought) May 3, 2024
* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
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3 Comments
Having lived on West Kent all my life and involved in the party for over 40 years did I ever think we would ever win Tunbridge Wells and recently Sevenoaks. Two of the most conservative areas in the the UK. Not just in these areas but all over the UK people have become more socially liberal something the Tories seem not to realise.
Yes it does feel good Mary. One aspect of the results that most commentators seem to ignore is Lib Dems returning more councillors on the night than the Tories so in second place behind Labour on that one. Meanwhile down in the undergrowth of West Yorkshire where we have had a hard time in recent years, we had something to celebrate in Bradford. In my old Eccleshill Ward where Labour took seats off us in 2022 and 2023, Brendan Stubbs held his seat, one of our three Lib Dem succesful defences in Bradford this year. Small beer perhaps compared to the drama in other places but it gave me great consolation as I was forced to opt out of polling day action for the first time since 1963 as we moved from Bradford to Barnsley on 3rd May!
@Hugh Young, yes Sevenoaks Town Council as a Tory free zone and in Sevenoaks itselftje only non-Lib Dem elected person is the MP. Do get on touch if you would like to help us take the Dirtrict Council.