Leader of West Northamptonshire Conservatives says 'we owe it to all our residents to make this work'

"We owe it to all our residents, irrespective of how you voted, to make this work."

These are the words of Councillor Ian McCord who succcessfully led the Conservative Group into last week's local elections and now hopes into the first four years running the new West Northamptonshire Council.

And Councillor McCord hailed his party's success at the ballot box taking 66 out of 93 seats available for the unitary authority.

He said his party was elected on its 16 theme policy platform which included being open and transparent and financially sensible, improving life chances for all and having long-term economic development.

The themes will be translated into a business plan for the council going forward but, in the mean time, the Conservative group is busy organising its party. On Wednesday (May 12) it will hold its annual meeting to decide its leader, deputy leader and officers.

Councillor McCord said: "Taking 66 out of 93 seats I think is very much at the upper end of how well we thought we would do.

"It was a terrific performance all round and I am extremely pleased with that outcome.

"We can now bring political stability to the west and deliver our policy objectives that we stood on to give that fresh start and bright future that we promised."

In terms of regaining the confidence of residents, Councillor McCord said it was all about looking forwards not backwards.

He said: "We always need to remember that we have good governance and a confident and competent grip on local government and never take our eye off the ball as what happened in the past.

"As firmly in the past, the electorate have also endorsed my view that it was firmly in the past. That fresh start and bright future will not be achieved by looking backwards and we will not be looking backwards.

"We can learn from those mistakes and those structures, policies and procedures will always reflect the fact that where they were deficient, those deficiencies have been remedied, but they have been remedied now for a number of years and without doubt, we now look forward and this will be a fresh start and bright future, it is not about looking backwards.

"And I think as well this is probably a message for our opposition colleagues, that they really have to stop looking backwards and they now have to start looking forwards and making this administration, making this new council, work for everybody.

"Because we owe it to all our residents, irrespective of how you voted on Thursday, to make this work.

"We have to have a good and environmentally friendly council. We have to deliver care where it is needed. We have to deliver growth for our local economy.

"We have to do those sensible services that people rely on like emptying the bins and sweeping the streets.

"These are the things that just have to be done and, irrrespective of party, irrespective of anything else and now we all need to pull together and make this new council work in the interests of our residents, our businesses, our visitors and everybody else that will be associated with West Northamptonshire."