I want to congratulate all 40 newly elected councillors. Cheltenham expects and needs you to put the town’s interests first and that you represent all the residents in the wards you were elected in, not just those who voted for you.
The Green Party is delighted Tabi Joy was re-elected in St Paul’s. Ashleigh Davies joins Tabi in the ward as the second Green councillor while Jan Foster became the first for the Prestbury area. Thank you to all those who supported our Green candidates.
The state of democracy…
The Liberal Democrats have long championed PR for general elections and I call upon the Cheltenham Lib Dems to finally support the change when it comes to local government.
They have 90% of the councillors on the borough council and did this with 52% of the vote. Conversely the Conservatives polled 25% and have no councillors while the Greens polled a record 16% of the vote and have less than 8% of the seats.
It is not a good for democracy to have one party dominate the chamber in this way. If it hadn’t been for the Green Party and PAB we would have a one party town and surely the Lib Dems do not support that?
An astonishing 36 of the 40 councillors are from one party. This leaves St Paul’s and Prestbury as the only areas with representatives from other parties.
Just as concerning is the drop in voter participation. Only 35% of the town decided to vote and, in some areas, this was as low as 19%. This should be of concern for us all and parties should urgently consider how turnout can be improved in future elections.
Thank you to the outgoing councillors
Irrespective of party allegiance, I want to thank the outgoing councillors for their service to the town. Let us not forget, being a councillor carries a lot of responsibility and requires a lot of personal commitment.
I want to make a special mention to Wendy Flynn, the outgoing Green Councillor for Hester’s Way. She was first elected in 2002 and during her 22 years has always put the interests of the constituents first. Thank you, Wendy. You will be missed in the chamber.