Thank you residents
The results are in. Thank you to Uttlesford’s residents for trusting us with your vote. We will continue to work hard for you in our existing and many new wards. We are now working up our plan for how to put resident at the centre of everything UDC does.
R4U gains control
- R4U: 26 seats (+15) (majority party)
- Lib-Dem: 7 seats (+3)
- Conservative: 4 seats (-20)
- Independent: 2 (+2)
Twenty seats are required to gain control of the 39 seat UDC. R4U has a healthier margin than the 24 seat majority that the Conservatives previously had. In the wards where R4U wasn’t standing:
- The Liberal Democrats delivered a resounding double win in Thaxted and strong expansion into Stansted South. They have good councillors and we enjoy working with them. They are now the second party at UDC.
- The Proudly Independent team delivered a thumping majority in their ward. We love it when residents stand up for themselves.
There were a number of town/parish elections. We are still waiting for UDC to formally publish those results, but on Saffron Walden Town Council R4U won 15 of the 16 seats. On Great Dunmow Town Council R4U now has 3 seats.
Conservative council leader ousted
In Uttlesford district the Conservatives were pushed into 3rd place, losing 20 seats. UDC Leader Howard Rolfe was unseated and their entire cabinet apart from Local Plan supremo Susan Barker. We couldn’t find a candidate in High Easter and the Rodings to stand against her in this election.
National news
Residents taking control for themselves is a national news story. Even though there are a number of residents groups running councils, they are at the lower town/parish tier. It is almost unprecedented at a district council. Local people should be proud of what thay have done.
The BBC even gave us our own colour on the electoral map. The BBC also popped by to film a segment for Sunday Politics East. It will air on Sunday 5th May on BBC 1 at 11am. After broadcast the replay will be here.
The new map of Uttlesford
Here is how Uttlesford now looks. The the full results are here.
Your R4U councillors
These are your new R4U councillors. Follow the links to find out more about them:
- Ashdon – James de Vries
- Broad Oak and the Hallingburys – Geof Driscoll and Neil Reeve
- Debden and Wimbish – Stewart Luck
- Elsenham and Henham – Petrina Lees and Garry LeCount
- Felsted and Stebbing – John Evans and Sandi Merifield
- Great Dunmow North – Alex Armstrong and Louise Pepper
- Great Dunmow South and Barnston – Colin Day, Patrick Lavelle and Rod Jones
- Newport – Anthony Gerard and Neil Hargreaves
- Saffron Walden Audley – Deryk Eke and Barbara Light
- Saffron Walden Castle – Heather Asker and Richard Freeman
- Saffron Walden Shire – Arthur Coote, Paul Fairhurst and John Lodge
- Takeley – Geoff Bagnall, Vere Isham and Maggie Sutton
- The Sampfords – Alan Storah