Local Conservatives have once again bucked the national trend by retaining 14 seats on Stoke-on-Trent City Council at Thursday's Local Elections, a result which saw a net-loss of just one seat on their 2019 Local Election results.
Whilst Labour made considerable gains and took control of the Council, the retention of 14 Conservative seats will undoubtedly ensure a strong Conservative representation on the council over the next four years.
As the results were announced, the highlight of the night came in the Tunstall Ward, where Tabrese Din took the seat from veteran councillor Lee Wanger with an increase of 35% in the Conservative voteshare.
Whilst disappointment was felt following the loss of control of the Council to Labour, a strong local campaign saw tens of thousands of doors knocked and hundreds of thousands of leaflets delivered by committed Conservative volunteers during the campaign. The local Conservative team were ably supported by local MP's Jack Brereton and Jonathan Gullis, Newcastle Conservatives and Keele University Young Conservatives. Several big hitters also lent their weight to the campaign including Robert Jenrick MP, Craig Tracey MP and Richard Holden MP.
The final results on the night across the 44 seats were:
Labour - 29
Conservative - 14
Independent - 1