New Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Ray insists he wants to ensure his voice is heard.
The party retained their sole seat on Lichfield District Council at a by-election in the Chadsmead ward last week.
The result meant the ruling Conservative group failed to increase their already sizeable numerical advantage in the council chamber, while the opposition Labour group also missed out on a chance to add to its number.
But despite being a lone voice, Cllr Ray says he is determined to hold the ruling Tory group to account.
“This is still a Conservative council, but I want to be a voice,” he said. “I’m a good communicator and I’m a passionate communicator, so I want to make sure I do just that and hold the council to account.
“There are some big decisions coming down the line. The budget has to be handled responsibly and any cuts in service should be done with the people who rely on those services fully considered.”
Cllr Ray says the by-election victory – which saw him beat Labour into second and the Conservatives into third, with UKIP and the Greens fourth and fifth respectively – showed that local people were backing the Liberal Democrat message.
He said: “We knew we were in with a fighting chance, but that comes from the strong platform Marion Bland, the previous Lib Dem councillor had created.
“We were a good machine and fought a strong election campaign with lots of support.
“There was a whole team of people out and about getting the message across. It was a strong Liberal Democrat message which clearly had resonance with voters.”
