The three Conservative county councillors in the Western Wards were each delighted they had retained their election seats.
Keith Evans
Keith Evans for Warsash, Sean Woodward for Sarisbury and Titchfield’s Geoff Hockley comfortably kept their seats during yesterday’s Hampshire County Council elections.
But as happy as Cllr Hockley was to pick up 1,602 votes which put him ahead of second placed Independent candidate Jack Englefield who had 917 votes, he slammed Stubbington Crofton’s new UKIP winner, 23-year-old Christopher Wood, who won the seat with a majority of more than 800 votes over Conservative Tim Knight.
“He’s promised to get extra police on the beat and to do other things, which is not within his remit to do,” said Cllr Hockley. “He does not have the power to do it.
“It’s all very well to promise people things but you can only promise them if you can do them. And if you can’t the constituents will come back and bite you. It’s the constituents that will suffer.
“We’ve lost a very good councillor and it’s sad but the constituents won’t get what they expect and it will be to their detriment.
“It’s sad we’ve lost six seats at the county. I just hope the people who voted in UKIP get what they think they’re going to get. We’ll see.”
He also spoke out against Independent candidate Jack Englefield, Sue Hardie for the Liberal Democrats.
He added: “Mr Englefield didn’t even bother to attend the count and the Lib Dem woman said she was a paper candidate. A paper candidate has no interest in politics and has just put their name down. I find that insulting. It’s a waste of time.
“I’m a people’s politician and I’m elected by Titchfield to do things if there are problems in Titchfield, Catisfield and Titchfield Common. It’s what I’ve done for the past eight years and I will continue to do so.”
Tory councillor Keith Evans who with 2,041 votes took the top spot for Warsash over UKIP’s David Nightingale who polled 731 votes.
Geoff Hockley
Cllr Evans said: “I’m very pleased. What’s so pleasing is because the votes held up the local residents recognised they live in a well-run borough and a well-run county.
“I’m going to do my best for the local residents. The main job of this council is to listen to residents and represent them the best it can. I will carry on doing that and when there’s an issue of concern in Warsash and Locks Heath I will raise it with the county.”
He will be working with the county to provide road improvements in Locks Road and pavement improvements in Warsash Road as his priorities.
Sean Woodward, who was voted in again to represent Sarisbury and who is also leader of Fareham Borough Council, had 1,957 votes which surpassed Labour’s Angela Carr who polled 434.
His priorities include working with the county council to ensure Whiteley’s new school will be opened in September and that there will be a provision of a secondary school in the new community in Whiteley, as well as that for Wellborne, the new community north of Fareham.
Cllr Woodward has aimed to ensure traffic measures are put in place for Coldeast to cope with the new houses on site, as well as reopen the footpaths which were closed when the development first began.
The Tory leader of Hampshire County Council, Ken Thornber, 80, announced this morning he was stepping down from the role after 14 years – which means the Conservative councillors will now elect a new leader.
But Cllr Woodward said he did not plan to put himself forward for the position.
Sean Woodward
“I’m already a council leader and it would not be appropriate to lead two local authorities,” he said. “Ken has been leader for exactly the same number of days I have been leader of Fareham Borough Council. He’s put a lot of effort in as leader.
He said if he would back anyone it would Roy Perry, the county councillor for Romsey who deals with education and children’s services.
“Assuming he puts his name forward I would certainly support him. He has been a leader before of Test Valley Borough Council so he has led a council previously. I’ve worked with him very closely on Whiteley education and I’m sure he could do the job.”