The leader of the Conservative group at Lichfield District Council says he is “delighted” with the local election results.
The Tories avoided some of the heavy losses felt by the party elsewhere to take 34 seats across Lichfield and Burntwood to remain in control of the local authority.
Cllr Wilcox himself avoided any slip-ups in the Alrewas and Fradley ward, elected with the second highest number of votes behind stablemate Derick Cross in a vote which also saw his wife Sonia Wilcox elected.
“I’m delighted overall with what we’ve done,” he told Lichfield Live.
“It’s disappointing for the candidates who’ve not been selected, but in the present climate with the national picture that we tried to make sure wasn’t part of our agenda at a local level I’m delighted with the outcome.”
“Really good councillors across the board”
Although the Conservatives avoided any major headaches, the opposition Labour group saw their numbers swell to 10, while the Liberal Democrats took one seat and two independents were also victorious.
It means the Tories will face a greater opposition going forward, but Cllr Wilcox insisted it would bring out the best in his own group.
“A stronger opposition can only be good for the whole district,” he said. “We’ve got some really good councillors across the board now.
“It’s now up to us to make sure we deliver for the people of Lichfield and the whole district.”
