Local elections: Fareham 'puts faith' in Conservatives as party holds council despite national scandals

The Tories gained two seats on Fareham Borough Council following the vote yesterday, which saw wins for 12 Conservative councillors, three Liberal Democrats and one Independent.

Initially, Conservative leaders felt anxious about the count against the backdrop of national scandals.

Early in the evening, Councillor Trevor Cartwright said: ‘There’s clearly going to be a protest vote.

‘I think we have to accept that as much as we try to say you’re not going to vote out the government today – it depends how big the protest is.’

Councillor Sean Woodward, Conservative leader of the council said: ‘Many people are saying they’re happy with the way we’ve run Fareham Borough Council – a number of them aren’t so happy with how the party is in government at the moment.’

However, after the Conservatives won two seats from independent councillors the mood improved.

Councillor Connie Hockley, Conservative candidate for Titchfield held her seat with a 774 majority.

She said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted and I thank the people of Titchfield for putting their faith in me once more – the conservatives work hard and we look after the people.’

After the vote, Cllr Woodward added: ‘We’ve got a net gain of two seats which is fantastic, particularly in the current climate.

‘We have dedication to the cause and are delivering the best services we can at the lowest cost.’

‘We have a real care for our locality, Fareham is a wonderful place to live, to work, to raise a family, that doesn’t happen by accident.’

‘Thank you, absolutely thank you for putting your faith in us once again.’

Follow our live blog for all the latest updates from Portsmouth and Fareham election counts here.