The Liberal Democrats make significant gains and take control of Guildford Borough Council

Yesterday was an exciting and important day for both Guildford Liberal Democrats and the residents of Guildford Borough as the Liberal Democrats won 25 seats giving us majority control of Guildford Borough Council!

Right across the Borough, from Ash to Effingham, Shalford to Stoughton and throughout Guildford town, local residents made the positive choice to vote Lib Dem and enthusiastically endorsed our vision of a Greener, Fairer and Thriving future for all of our communities. We are honoured by this and want to thank everyone who voted for us.

Speaking shortly after it became clear that we had taken control of the council, Lib Dem Group Leader Julia McShane said,

"It's clear that residents agree with our values for a greener, fairer and thriving future for all of the borough. This victory has been down to hard work, listening to lots of residents throughout the campaign and delivering our leaflets with your help, but it is also sad for James Steel who lost in Westborough. He has been a fantastic lead member for the environment over the past four years.

"I would also like to thank David Goodwin, Liz Hogger, Ted Mayne and Pauline Searle who have been long-serving councillors and who are now having a well-deserved retirement - and also to Will Salmon, John Askew, Richard Morris and Paul Abbey who served in this last administration. They all contributed so much to our group and gave dedicated service to their communities over the of years."

As a team, we know that there are challenges ahead of us - especially given Conservative cuts to council funding and the wider financial challenges we all face - but we are also positive about the opportunity we now have to run the council based on our Liberal Democrat values and to deliver our vision.

Of course, this fantastic result in these local elections is a really positive sign for the General Election. We know that with your support we can win here in Guildford and get Zöe Franklin elected as our Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford and our villages. But to deliver this, and a greener, fairer and thriving future for all of Guildford Borough, we need your help.

We invite you to be part of this exciting opportunity for Guildford Borough by volunteering with us, joining the party or making a donation.

Thank you again for all of your support and we look forward to working with you to deliver our vision of a greener, fairer and thriving future.