Mynott's Musings: The 2019 Election Results

What an incredible night for the Liberal Democrats! Our five wins here (out of 11 fought) pushed the country's Lib Dem win total over the 700 seats mark - not a bad result for a party that was being written off in recent years! I just thought I'd comment on a couple of interesting things which emerge from a closer look at the results across Brentwood.

The Brentwood Council website is stating that the Conservatives got 42% of the overall vote whereas we got 41%. However these figures actually involve rounding-off fractional percentages. By my calculations the overall number of unspoiled votes cast in Brentwood was 16,447. Of that total we gained 40.92%, whereas the Tories gained 41.56% - a wafer thin 0.64% gap. This is also a massive leap forward from last year, when the Tories got 45% of the vote and we only got 34.5%.

Furthermore in terms of the actual totals, the Tories picked up 6836 votes this year, but the Lib Dems were right behind them, on 6731. In other words we were only 105 votes short of their total across the whole borough, and, of course, whereas they stood in all 12 seats up for election, we only stood in 11.

It's also very telling that our vote across Brentwood last year was 6,149 (so we've gained 585 from a decreased turnout), whereas the Tories' vote was 8,111 (so they've lost 1,275). The Labour vote also went backwards (down from 2,491 last year (just slightly under 14%) to just 1,719 this time round (10.45%).

Where we've been strongest recently we've consolidated, with Clly Vicky Davies getting more than 70% of the vote in the Pilgrims Hatch Lib Dem fortress for the second year running; Cllr Mark Lewis getting 57% of the vote in Brentwood North (with four parties standing, as against only three in Hatch); and Cllr Sarah Cloke winning the once knife-edge Brentwood West, against an ex-Mayor standing for the third time, with 48% of the vote (after Cllr Dominic Naylor's 51% against an unknown Tory last year).

Where we've done well we've shot forward, with Cllr Jay Laplain getting 49.58% of the vote in Warley and Cllr Andy Fryd marvellously grabbing 54% in Shenfield, where we were 300 adrift last time round.

But even where we weren't successful we've advanced significantly: Darryl Sankey in Ingatestone, Fryerning & Mountnessing continuing to reel the Tories in (202 behind last year, just 73 behind this year); Brenner Munden making ground on both Labour and the Tories in Brentwood South (370 behind Labour last year, just 228 behind this time); and Hugh Gorton on 39% against the Tories' 56% this time, after 27% (against 63%) previously.

With a number of new members now looking to stand next year, and those who didn't quite make it this time still up for the fight, we are looking strong for 2020.

Cllr Philip Mynott is deputy leader of the council group and has been councillor for Brentwood North since 2010.