The guiding principle for our literature was to keep it local and keep it positive. This was in marked contrast to much of the Liberal Democrat material.
You need to face your most ardent critics and explain your reasons. Ignoring them, only makes things worse and raises tempers.
We promised prudent financial management practices, focusing on reducing the debt the Council has amassed on wasteful vanity projects. We would keep Council Tax rises to the absolute minimum and invite private investment into our six towns.
We selected candidates early to give them time to prove themselves as community leaders. Our two constituency associations worked well together. But it was the Lib Dems failure to deliver that gave us the opportunity to win.
I will amend the London Plan to promote an increase in affordable family homes, instead of tower blocks and one bedroom flats.
We lost over a thousand seats and there are probably a thousand reasons why we lost them. Our opponents in South Holland are the “independents.”
Our principal opposition is the Green Party. But we believe in the need for effective action, not gestures, to provide a better environment.
The pandemic forced us to work in a different way. Digitalisation has seen massive savings of £58 million.
We ran a data-driven campaign to identify our targets and ensure we could win. Our local team knows we would have made further gains if many Conservatives hadn’t decided to stay at home.
There is an unwritten rule that divided parties do not win elections. Over the last 18 months or so, there has been open rebellion within the Conservative Group.
Turnout is key. It is not necessary to convert Conservative abstainers to Conservatism. The challenge is to convert the Government to Conservatism. But the Prime Minister can not be blamed for trees being chopped down in Plymouth.
The evidence from the local elections is not that the voters are abandoning the Tories to back Reform or Ukip , but parties of the centre and the left. Their situation is bad, but it can be made worse.
Sunak deserves more time to deliver on his pledges. In any case, the decision today is about choosing councillors with a practical, value for money, approach.
We should be winning back seats lost in 2019. But I have found big dissatisfaction with the national direction of Government on the doorstep.
At times it does get a bit nasty. But the truth is if you’re not prepared for this, then being a councillor is really not the role for you.