David Kendall says thank you...

A personal message from Cllr David Kendall following the General Election result:

"I would like to thank the 11,872 residents of Brentwood & Ongar who came out and voted for me and the Liberal Democrats at the General Election on Thursday.

"Whilst I was delighted to come a strong second, it was very disappointing that we were unable to reduce Eric Pickles very large majority. The addition to the constituency of the Tory stronghold of North Weald following the boundary review certainly made a difference and meant we faced an even greater challenge than usual. However, that said, I know our message of fairness and real change did strike a chord with many voters and I was delighted to see a number of new members and helpers come forward to join our ranks as this will help us build for the future.

"Whilst the general election result may have been disappointing, I was delighted that we were able to gain two seats from the Conservatives and hold the two seats we were defending at the Brentwood Borough Council elections. We also managed to retain the seat we were defending in Ongar on Epping District Council.

"Fighting local elections on the same day as a general election is never easy but through sheer hard work and determination we managed to make an important break through and I was very proud of what the Liberal Democrat team was able to achieve.

"I know the new additions to the Liberal Democrat group will make us an even stronger opposition on Brentwood Borough Council and ensure that we can continue holding the Conservative administration to account."