The Conservative party have won the St Helier West by-election, with Catherine Gray elected as a councillor.
Catherine won the seat with 1,342 votes, fighting off stiff competition, following a Labour resignation in the ward last month.
Her victory has caused huge upset among the local Liberal Democrat group in Sutton, who are now facing questions about their public support to lead the Council. It is a particularly damning result for Lib Dem Cllr Barry Lewis in his first major failure as he steps into his role as leader.
The Conservative party now hold 21 of the 55 seats in the Council. Conservative Group Leader Tom Drummond said: “Huge congratulations to Catherine. This is a fantastic result for us, but also the best possible news for our community. Catherine has served as a councillor in the past, where she was able to make a huge difference to residents’ lives, so it is brilliant that she has won this seat. She is a formidable woman and we are excited to work with her.
“This is also a major victory for our local party, so thank you to all the people who voted for Catherine, put their faith in us, and who backed us and campaigned with us. We take your support seriously and we are here to stand up for our borough.”
Catherine said: "I am honoured to have been elected as a Conservative councillor in St Helier West, and I will work hard to represent the ward. St Helier has put their trust in me, and I won’t take that for granted.
"Investing in St Helier Hospital and seeing the new hospital open in Sutton and seeing more police on our streets has to be our focus, as well as pushing back against the London Mayor’s anti-car policies. I will work with our MP Elliot Colburn, every step of the way, alongside our hard-working council group for the betterment of the borough."
