Major Advance for Local Liberal Democrats in County Surge

12.44.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 10th Jun 2009

Nick Hollinghurst, re-elected as County Councillor for Tring, with his new colleague, Ron Tindall, elected for the first time as County Councillor for Hemel Hempstead, St Pauls watched over by Nicholas Breakspear, aka Adrian IV, Hertfordshire's only Pope (so far).

Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats were in jubilant mood last Saturday at their first group meeting after the election at County Hall in Hertford. The June 4th County Council elections for Hertfordshire saw them storming ahead. When all the results were in it was clear that Liberal Democrat representation on HCC had surged from 14 to 17 - with 1 loss and 4 gains, making them the official opposition on the County Council. Labour collapsed from 16 divisions to just 3.

In South West Herts both Nick Hollinghurst in Tring and Steve Drury in Croxley were re-elected with voting shares greater than 50%. Nick Hollinghurst was especially pleased to see his majority increase from 39 to a more comfortable 885, with one of the highest voter turnouts in the county. Meanwhile in the Oxhey Park Division, Three Rivers District Chairman, Chris Lloyd, put on a very creditable performance against tough opposition to increase the Liberal Democrat vote share by 8% and slash the Tory majority from 1164 to 435.

In the neighbouring constituency of Hemel Hempstead Ron Tindall won a three-way struggle to emerge the County Councillor for Hemel Hempstead, St Pauls. This result, together with Tring, gives the Liberal Democrats two county council divisions within the 10 that comprise the Dacorum Borough Council area. Labour have none and the remainder are Conservative.

These results firmly establish the Liberal Democrats as the main rivals to the Conservatives in South West Hertfordshire at all political levels.