CONSERVATIVES KNOCK LIB DEMS OFF THEIR PERCH

The Conservatives have knocked the Lib Dems off their perch in the local elections for Somerset County Council.

16 years of Lib Dem rule came to an end when a reinvigorated Conservative party won a convincing victory in last week's Council elections.

The Conservatives won 35 seats; holding on to all of their 24 existing seats and taking an additional 9 from the Lib Dems and 2 from Labour. The Council now comprises 35 Conservative councillors, 21 Lib Dems and 2 Labour.

Ken Maddock is to be the new Conservative Leader of the Council. Speaking after the results were announced, he said, "This is a mandate for change. The voters have made it very clear that they want us to control the Council's finances more tightly so that we can afford the service that they really need. We have already started work on making some of those changes."

Council Seats

Conservatives 35

Liberal Democrats 21

Labour 2

Total Votes

Conservatives 77,509

Lib Dem 61,410

Labour 7,821

UKIP 6,980

Independent 5,779

Green 4,774

Unaligned 2,026

BNP 1,441

Senior Citizens' Party 158

For the full results, please visit http://www.somerset.gov.uk/council/election/party.asp