The first confirmed winner of a seat on Lichfield District Council says the result proves once and for all that the area is a Conservative one.
The Longdon ward was the first to be declared after today’s count at Burntwood Leisure Centre.
Ian Pritchard collected 818, with rivals Keith Ashby (UKIP) and Joshua Bell (Labour) polling just 278 and 204 votes respectively.
Although the ward was expected to remain in Tory hands, Cllr Pritchard said he was still relieved to hear the result.
“I never take it for granted,” he said. “But I’m really impressed with the turnout of 74.9 per cent.
“If Michael Fabricant can gain more on an already massive majority, you’ve got to accept the fact that Lichfield District is a Conservative area.”
