Defeat in 'rock-solid' Ward Stuns Conservatives into Silence

12.00.00am GMT Fri 26th Sep 2008

Conservatives in Monmouthshire were reeling from a surprise by-election defeat in a ward in Abergavenny regarded as 'rock-solid' for the party.

A by-election for a vacant seat on Abergavenny Town Council for the Priory Ward, long regarded as a safe Conservative voting ward, saw Liberal Democrat candidate Melissa Toombs, 38, a local primary school teacher, elected in the face of Conservative and Independent competition.

Ms. Toombs took just over 50 per cent of the votes cast in a by-election that was dominated by local issues.

Just four months ago in the County Council elections, voters in the ward supported the Conservatives with nearly 70 per cent of the vote. Now the party saw a spectacular drop in support to just over 30 per cent. At the same time Ms. Toombs, representing the Liberals, pushed her party's vote up to a record performance, taking just over half of all the votes cast in the contest.

Speaking on her successful election Melissa Toombs said that she was "delighted". "I have to thank the superb team who just worked and worked for this victory. We said that we needed to listen to people and start to get all the little jobs done such as road repairs and litter clearance. The hard work starts now."

This latest election triumph for the Liberal Democrats follows on from a series of victories for the party in Abergavenny and Monmouthshire. In May, the party increased its number of councillors on Abergavenny Town Council from one to four and with the addition of Ms. Toombs, increases their number to five and also saw the safe Labour ward of Lansdown fall to local postman James George, defeating the Labour leader on the County Council.

Local Assembly Member Michael German said that "this is evidence that people are looking to the Liberal Democrats in increasing numbers because of our straight talk on the credit crunch, the need to reduce taxes and combat global warming and climate change."

The composition of Abergavenny Town Council is now: Conservative 7; Liberal Democrat 5; Independent 2; Labour 1.