On Thursday last the local Liberal Democrats had a triumphant night following their two gains in Lancaster City Council by elections from the Tories.
In Bare ward Gerry Blaikie won an impressive victory in a five-way contest, with the Conservatives dropping to fourth place, and in Upper Lune Valley Ward it was a resounding victory for the Liberal Democrat candidate Ross Hunter, who received a massive 63.1% of the vote to take the seat.
These results mean that the local Liberal Democrats have now made seven gains since May in local by-elections, increasing their representation on Morecambe Town Council from one to six, and doubling their number of Lancaster City Council seats from two to four.
Ross Hunter said, “I am honoured that the people of Upper Lune Valley have put their trust in me. I am relishing the opportunity to work with the community in order to tackle the issues that have been identified in order to make the Upper Lune Valley an even better place to live in and enjoy.”
Gerry Blaikie, Bare Ward’s first ever Liberal Democrat councillor, said, “I am delighted that, after being elected to Morecambe Town Council in August, the residents have once more supported me to represent them, this time on the City Council. The team and I have been out and about meeting the residents to discuss the issues that need addressing. We will be working in tandem with the community to take action.”
The local Liberal Democrat chairman Peter Jackson commented, “Something very special is happening in Lancaster, Morecambe, Heysham and the rural areas. These results mean that the Liberal Democrats have won seven by-elections in the area since May and it is clear that the other parties are being rejected by the residents in favour of a different, community based way of doing politics. We are offering a genuine partnership between the community and councillors to tackle long standing issues which have been neglected for far too long. The residents are buying into this, and I invite anyone who wants to get involved to get in contact with us.”
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