The Lib Dems held our two seats up for election in Hoe Valley and St John’s, gained one in Mount Hermon and narrowly missed out on winning another in Goldsworth Park by just 10 votes in the local elections held on Thursday 3rd May.

Woking Borough Council is still run by the Conservatives, but their majority has been reduced to just one by the Lib Dems and we unseated a leading Tory Councillor and Member of Woking Council’s Executive in Mount Hermon.  The Conservatives would have lost their majority if the result in Goldsworth Park ward had been different – the voters are clearly losing confidence in the Tories running Woking Council.

I am delighted with Thursday’s local election results in Woking and across the country.  The Lib Dems made some impressive gains including Liam Lyons winning Mount Hermon ward in Woking.  I am pleased the voters re-elected two hardworking Lib Dem Councillors in Deborah Hughes and Ken Howard.

Across the country, the Lib Dems had a very good set of local elections gaining 75 Council seats and winning control of 9 local authorities.  As a party, we held every single Council and Mayoralty they were defending including, Cheltenham, Eastleigh, South Lakeland, Sutton and Watford. The Lib Dems took control of Kingston-upon-Thames, Richmond-upon-Thames, South Cambridgeshire and Three Rivers.

Elsewhere in Surrey, the Lib Dems gained 3 seats in Tandridge, 2 in Mole Valley, where the Conservatives lost overall control of the Council, and 1 in Elmbridge.

However, Woking Council’s elections were clouded by taking part in a national voter ID trial.  The Council locally, and the Government and Election Commission nationally, need to do a full review as it would seem a small proportion of voters were unable to vote on the day or did not even go to vote as they did not have the necessary Photo ID.