NEW Conservative councillors elected onto Dudley Council have pledged to get their teeth stuck into a raft of local issues.
Community campaigner Adam Davies (Conservative) enjoyed perhaps one of the biggest victories in the borough when he ousted Labour's Serena Craigie in Brierley Hill.
Cllr Davies, who lives in the ward, was delighted to have gained a seat on the council and to have won in a ward that had not gone to the Tories since 1975.
He said: “The feeling on the doorsteps was so positive, but to see it actually translate into this result is something else. It was worth the hard work.”
After a hectic few months of campaigning the old fashioned way - he's now looking forward to getting stuck in.
In recent weeks he's already taken up the baton to try to tackle the dog poo hotspots in the wards.
Cllr Davies, pictured below, also involved in a project that aims to breathe new life back into a Brierley Hill’s historic High Street and has been spearheading a campaign to retell the history of the Delph's well-known Nine Locks by restoring an old stable block at the landmark site.
Meanwhile, Kamran Razzaq (pictured below), who has become a first-time councillor for Amblecote after a number of earlier unsuccessful attempts to break into local politics, said he'd be busy campaigning for better facilities at Brompton Park and trying to get more benches in parks and bins installed in the ward.
He also plans to continue liaising with the police and Street Watch team to try to tackle anti-social behaviour and he added: "We are hoping to double up street watch with a speed watch programme working with locals community and PCSOs. We have a lot of plans in motion for Amblecote."
New Kingswinford North and Wall Heath councillor Shaz Saleem, who formerly stood as a Labour candidate, described his win as "surreal" and he said of the result: “The people they came out in volumes. One of the main pledges is to be an active councillor 365 days a year.”
Cllr Saleem (pictured below), founder of the Saleem Foundation and chairman of Dudley Private Hire and Taxi Association, was over the moon to become a first-time councillor - just days after he claimed to have fallen victim to a last-minute dirty tricks campaign.
He told the News he had made an official complaint to Dudley’s returning officer about an unauthorised election letter sent out to residents in the final days of the local election as well as reporting it to the police as he claims the material gave voters the impression he was standing to represent the Muslim community primarily.
He said he was "extremely outraged" by it - adding that he felt it had been"designed to insight racial hatred towards a Muslim candidate and influence voters".
But he told the News: "I’m here to represent everyone.”
Other Conservative newcomers include James Clinton who has picked up the seat occupied by fellow Tory Les Jones since 1999. His father Rob Clinton was successful in Quarry Bank - gaining the seat formerly occupied by long-serving Labour councillor Bryan Cotterill who has retired, and Dave Borley claimed victory in Lye - taking Vanessa Wale's former seat after she stood down.
Meanwhile, Tory Rebbekah Collins claimed victory in Brockmoor and Pensnett after defeating long-serving Labour councillor John Martin who had held the seat since 2012.
The full results by ward:
Amblecote:
Ellen Cobb (Labour) – 1,044
Ian Flynn (Liberal Democrats) – 119
Adrian Mabe (Green) – 123
Kamran Razzaq (Conservative) – 1,950
Jake Woodley (Independent) – 111
Turnout: 33.49 per cent
Belle Vale:
Daniel Bevan (Conservative) – 2,058
Peter Dobb (Conservative) – 1,779
Bill McComish (Green) – 290
Marjorie Pounder (Liberal Democrats) – 131
Savannah Southern (Labour) – 1,234
Andrew Tromans (Labour) – 976
Turnout: 35.05 per cent
Brierley Hill:
Claire Bramall (Liberal Democrats) – 84
Trevor Bunn (Reform UK) – 97
Serena Craigie (Labour) – 1.011
Adam Davies (Conservative) – 1,692
Turnout: 28.44 per cent
Brockmoor & Pensnett:
Rebbekah Collins (Conservative) – 1,207
Steve Edwards (Black Country Party) – 546
John Martin (Labour) – 919
Turnout: 27.8 per cent
Castle & Priory:
Margaret Aston (Labour) – 1,469
Liz Tilly (Liberal Democrats) – 116
Mark Webb (Conservative) – 1,430
Turnout: 26.35 per cent
Coseley East:
Lynette Corfield (Conservative) – 1,068
Sue Ridney (Labour) – 1,330
Helen Wimlett (UKIP) – 116
Turnout: 26.66 per cent
Cradley & Wollescote:
Natalie Neale (Conservative) – 1,395
Gaye Partridge (Labour) – 1, 232
Ryan Priest (Liberal Democrats) – 346
Sarah Smith (Black Country Party) – 199
Turnout: 33.01 per cent
Gornal:
Marian Howard (Labour) – 877
Mollie Priest (Liberal Democrats) – 68
David Stanley (Conservative) – 2,362
Stuart Turner (Social Democratic Party) – 71
Phil Wimlett (UKIP) – 75
Turnout: 33.97 per cent
Halesowen North:
Hilary Bills (Labour) – 1,498
Stuart Henley (Conservative) – 1,906
Andrew McKay (Liberal Democrats) – 107
Turnout: 38.55 per cent
Halesowen South:
Derek Campbell (Liberal Democrats) – 159
Nick Gregory (Black Country Party) – 142
Donella Russell (Labour) – 910
David Vickers (Conservative) – 2,520
James Windridge (Green) – 230
Turnout: 41.02 per cent
Hayley Green & Cradley South:
Tony Barnsley (Lab) – 838
Ruth Buttery (Con) – 2,158
John Payne (Green) – 78
Ethan Stafford (Lib Dem) – 191
Turnout: 35.86 per cent
Netherton Woodside & St Andrew’s:
Helen Betts-Patel (Labour) – 1,178
Damian Corfield (Conservative) – 1,329
Tracey Gregg (Liberal Democrats) – 65
Alexander Wright (Green) – 172
Turnout: 35.86 per cent
Kingswinford North & Wall Heath:
Phil Atkins (Conservative) – 2,358
Richard Lloyd (Labour) – 1,066
Shaz Saleem (Conservative) – 1,872
David Sheppard (Liberal Democrats) – 283
Adam Woodhall (Labour) – 1,132
Turnout: 41.88 per cent
Kingswinford South:
Elizabeth Geeves (Liberal Democrats) – 434
Luke Johnson (Conservative) – 2,465
Daniel Round (Labour) – 771
Turnout: 36.99 per cent
Lye & Stourbridge North:
Dave Borley (Conservative) – 1,426
Gary Farmer (Libertarian Party) – 273
Abdul Qadus (Liberal Democrats) – 239
Maz Qari (Labour) – 1,116
Lawrence Rowlett (Green) – 159
Turnout: 35.28 per cent
Netherton Woodside & St Andrew’s:
Helen Betts-Patel (Labour) – 1,178
Damian Corfield (Conservative) – 1,329
Tracey Gregg (Liberal Democrats) – 65
Alexander Wright (Green) – 172
Turnout: 27.48 per cent
Norton:
Pam Archer (Green) – 378
Christopher Brammall (Liberal Democrats) – 295
Laura Taylor (Conservative) – 2,660
Paul White (Labour) – 829
Tim Woodley (Independent) – 86
Turnout: 45 per cent
Pedmore & Stourbridge East:
James Clinton (Conservative) – 2,713
Simon Hanson (Liberal Democrats) – 188
Catherine Maguire (Green) – 235
Rachel Tudor (Labour) – 1.054
Glen Wilson (Black Country Party) – 133
Turnout: 45.19 per cent
Quarry Bank & Dudley Wood:
Rob Clinton (Conservative) – 1,528
Richard Priest (Liberal Democrats) – 50
Brian Roe (Labour) – 912
Jason Sprintall (Green) – 121
Turnout: 26.08 per cent
Sedgley:
Steve Beardsmore (Labour) – 779
Martin Day (Libertarian Party) – 131
Michael Evans (Conservative) – 2,530
Turnout: 36.35 per cent
St James’s:
Asif Ahmed (Labour) – 1,084
Alison Miller (Liberal Democrats) – 179
Wayne Sullivan (Conservative) – 1,471
Turnout: 27.21 per cent
St Thomas’s:
Shaukat Ali (Labour) – 1,853
Nicola Fisher (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 118
Sajid Hanif (Conservative) – 1,490
Sofie Harris (Liberal Democrats) – 153
Turnout: 34.8 per cent
Upper Gornal & Woodsetton:
Keiran Casey (Labour) – 1,313
Rich Colley (UKIP) – 50
Andy Griffin (Reform UK) – 80
Benjamin Perry (Liberal Democrats) – 43
Mark Westwood (Conservative) – 1,397
Turnout: 29.47 per cent
Wollaston & Stourbridge Town:
Jonathan Bramall (Liberal Democrats) – 164
Cat Eccles (Labour) – 1,678
Alan Hopwood (Conservative) – 2,176
Maxim Lowe (Black Country Party) – 200
Andi Mohr (Green) – 237
Turnout: 44.39 per cent
Wordsley:
Muhammed Ikhlaq (Labour) – 579
Kerry Lewis (Conservative) – 2,466
Elaine Sheppard (Liberal Democrats) – 177
Jennifer Slater-Reid (Green) – 179
Turnout: 35.06 per cent
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