The Liberal Democrats have won the Alveley and Claverley seat from the Conservatives in another thumping defeat for the council’s ruling group.
Lib Dem Colin Taylor took 662 votes to the Conservatives on 408. Labour trailed behind in 3rd on 55 votes.
This represents the largest ever shift from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats in a Shropshire Council by-election with a 34.6% swing.
The newly elected councillor celebrated the win by pledging to work hard for residents in his home of 48 years.
Colin Taylor, councillor for Alveley and Claverley said:
“People are fed up of incompetent Conservative leadership at Shropshire Council. As well as this, the chaos and shift to the extreme at a national level is turning people off the Tories in traditional areas like Alveley and Claverley – they are looking for an alternative.
“I’ve lived in Alveley for 48 years, and served this area on the parish and district before. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in again and giving my home division the decent representation it deserves.
“It seems to me that bit by bit, Shropshire’s blue remembered hills are turning a liberal gold.”
Chris Naylor, Liberal Democrat candidate for South Shropshire added:
“This is a victory above all for local residents who’ve not had proper representation for years and were fed up with being taken for granted.
“South Shropshire voters have now elected three new Lib Dem councillors in the past year, all in unlikely areas – the tide is going out on the Tories.”
The turnout was 31.63% with 2 rejected ballot papers.
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