The South Glos Post

Following the results of local council elections on Thursday 5th May, South Gloucestershire Council will continue as a Conservative minority administration.

In a joint statement, the current leaders of the three parties – Cllr John Calway (Conservative), Cllr Ruth Davis (Liberal Democrat) and Cllr Roger Hutchinson (Labour) – said: “We look forward to continuing to serve the residents of South Gloucestershire to the best of our ability over the next four years.”

“The three parties are committed to maintaining the good working relationship which has played a key role in helping South Gloucestershire to become one of the best performing councils in the country, providing high-quality, value for money services to local residents.”

News from the political parties:

• Cllr John Calway will continue as leader of the Conservative group, with Cllr Sheila Cook as deputy-leader.
• Cllr Ruth Davis will continue as leader of the Liberal Democrat group, with Cllr Claire Young as deputy-leader.
• The Labour group will confirm its leader and deputy-leader following a meeting next week.

The constitutional arrangements of the council will be formalised at the annual council meeting on Wednesday 25th May.

An analysis of the total votes cast in the recent South Gloucestershire Council election shows that Labour came a clear second in the popular vote behind the Conservatives, but despite this ended up with six fewer councillors than the third-placed Liberal Democrats.

All three of the main parties fielded a full slate of 70 candidates across the district.  The Conservatives polled most, with 80,047 votes (42%) and Labour received 56,858 votes (29.8%), over 8,000 more than the 48,571 received by Lib Dem candidates (25.5%).

In terms of seats won, the election result leaves the Conservatives with 34 (+1 over 2007),  the Liberal Democrats with 21 (-7) and Labour with just 15 (+6).

According to the South Gloucestershire Labour Group, one reason for the discrepancy is the dramatic rise in Labour votes in a number of Conservative-held wards.

Labour says it is now the clear main challenger to the Conservatives in most of Bradley Stoke, and in Emersons Green, Winterbourne, Frenchay and Stoke Park.

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Source: Labour Councillors on South Gloucestershire Council

Voting is now underway in the 2011 Local Elections in South Goucestershire.

All of the seats for South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) and all of the seats for all Town and Parish Councils within South Gloucestershire are up for election.

District and Town Councillors will be elected to serve a four-year term of office.

The referendum on an Alternative Vote (AV) system for electing MPs is also taking place.

SGC says it will be using Twitter to help publicise election results for the first time today.

As each of the seventy results are declared, they will be automatically ‘tweeted’. Also, the results will be published on the council’s website as they are announced.

To get election results on the website, visit:
www.southglos.gov.uk/election

To get ‘tweets’, follow the Council on:
www.twitter.com/sgloscouncil

South Gloucestershire Labour has launched its campaign for the 70 seats on the district council that are up for election on Thursday 5th May.

The theme of Labour’s manifesto is that the Party will be the community’s voice in the tough times ahead. It outlines the Con Dem Coalition’s harsh treatment of local government, the litany of broken Tory promises and gives five pledges to local voters.

Launching the Manifesto, Leader Councillor Roger Hutchinson (Labour, Filton) said:

“The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats support massive cuts in council services and their government is taking millions of pounds away from South Gloucestershire. We need to make it clear to voters that only Labour will speak up for local people against this government and the destruction it is causing.”

Councillor Hutchinson continues:

“We will not be able to afford all that needs to be done for local people, so the key job of the next council will be prioritising and defending services. The big difference between us and the other parties is that we believe in the value of public services and recognise the damage that deep cuts will do. By electing Labour councillors, South Gloucestershire voters will have a first line of defence against savage cuts and the wholesale outsourcing of council services.”

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Source: South Gloucestershire Labour