Was it a portent? A few hours before the polls closed on Thursday, much of Shropshire was deluged as thunderstorms swept the county. As new shoots geared up for growth in our parched gardens, the skies glowed orange across much of Shropshire. 

The Conservatives have been routed from Shropshire. The Liberal Democrats now control Shropshire Council after sixteen years of Conservative mismanagement. We Lib Dems have taken 42 sests out of 74. The Tories held on to a miserable seven seats and not a single cabinet member survived the carnage. Some fled or retired before the battle. The others were dismissed by the electorate. 

It is worrying, but not greatly, that Reform UK is the second largest party with 16 seats. That gives it seats on committees but not enough influence to pursue its own agenda. 

National trends had an influence but local strengths and weaknesses were often the deciding factor. It is clear from the pattern of results that Reform won where the existing councillor (of whatever party) had little engagement with the community. They attended meetings but did not work day in day out the way most Lib Dems do. In most areas, Reform did little campaigning relying on the Farage effect. 

Whether Reform UK will thrive or wither on the ballot box in Shropshire will depend on whether it can develop local policies. “Stop the Boats” may work as national slogan but Shropshire is a landlocked county and Shropshire Council has no influence on migration policy. Most of the new Reform councillors have no experience of local government and they will have a steep learning curve. We could have by-elections when some of the new councillors realise that being a unitary councillor is much more than turning up to a meeting and voting. 

As always, the recipe for Lib Dem success was classic campaigning with leaflets and door knocking. Social media was more important than ever, reinforcing the themes of Shropshire needs fixing and it’s time for change. More candidates stood in this election than any previous for the unitary council, so some votes were split. But the reputation of Liberal Democrats as hard working local councillors shone through. 

Above all, people wanted change. 

Delivering that change is going to be tough. Very tough. The Conservatives leave the council on a financial precipice. It is not in S114 territory. Just. But there will be difficult decisions ahead as we balance the books in a county with an ageing population and soaring social care bills. 

That is not the only challenge. The Conservatives worked flat out to lock their policies in before the election. A four-mile road that is environmentally destructive and financially ruinous. Costing £215 million, there is a funding gap of £157 million. This needs to be scrapped. Outline planning permission was given two days before the election for a redevelopment of Shrewsbury town centre which will include a £60 million civic hub to house the council. It’s just the other side of the river from the current hub. The Conservatives abandoned the hard fought for target of carbon neutral by 2030. We need to reinstate it. 

This will only be achieved if we change the culture of the council. We need to turn it inside out so that it faces the communities it serves. Not just implementing the agendas of the leadership and officers. That means creating local area partnerships so that local voices can be heard. And ensuring communities have genuine influence on decision making. 

The Liberal Democrats have won the election in Shropshire decisively. That was probably easier than the task we now face to fix Shropshire and to ensure it thrives. 

The full results are:

• Liberal Democrat – 42
• Reform – 16
• Conservative – 7
• Green – 4
• Labour – 4
• Independent – 1

* Andy Boddington is a Lib Dem councillor in Shropshire. He blogs at andybodders.co.uk.