"Attacked" Tory pushed out of council seat (From Bucks Free Press)

"Attacked" Tory pushed out of council seat

6:19pm Friday 5th June 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(3)

A CONSERVATIVE candidate pushed off his doorstep by a furious resident last week suffered another blow today when he lost his county seat – the only Tory to be defeated in the Chiltern District.

Steven Adams, 28, was “shoved” in the chest while out campaigning in the Chesham North West ward and this afternoon he was pushed out of his Buckinghamshire County Council seat by the electorate.

Michael Brand took the seat for the Lib Dems with 984 votes against Mr Adams' 947.

Mr Brand, who lost out by only 30 votes in the last election, said: "It was a very tough fought campaign. This time I'm going to fight for a better deal for Chesham - that's what I have been elected to do.

"The Conservatives treated it as the third best and we need more investment into it."

The Conservatives also won a seat from the Lib Dems in Chesham East where councillor Mohammed Bhatti, already a Chiltern District councillor, beat Alison Pirouet by 1,283 votes to 855.

He said: “It's fantastic, I'm over the moon. I'm very proud I won it with a great majority. This is because I have done hard work in the ward and I have knocked on every door.”

Cllr Martin Tett, Conservative, was re-elected convincingly despite talk at Chesham Leisure Centre, where the ballot papers were being counted, of a close call with independent candidate Graham Smith.

Mr Smith was standing against the incinerator in South Bucks.

However, he took 586 votes, while Tory rivals Timothy Butcher and Martin Tett won the post with 3,451 and 3,112 seats respectively.

Mr Smith said: “The important thing is not whether I won or not it's whether we can stop the incinerator getting built.”

Ukip, which had seven candidates running, beat Labour in every seat the two parties were contesting.

The highest turnout in Chiltern District was 50.4 per cent in Chiltern Ridges, where Tory Patricia Birchley won an overwhelming victory over second placed Lib Dem Richard Williams by 1,643 to 550.

She said tackling highways issues would be the highest priority and thanked those who voted for her.

The lowest percentage of voters who went to the ballot box was in Chalfont St Peter where Bruce Allen won a fourth term.

Taking the two seats for the Amersham ward were Conservative candidates Martin Phillips, with 3,075 votes and Pauline Wilkinson with 2,897 votes.