So now what?

Are we disappointed about the by-election result? Yes, of course we are and for four reasons.

1. Whatever Mr. Davey and his party may have said in the campaign, the voice of Surbiton Hill will be even more muted in the future than it has been since May last year. Anyone who saw Nick, Janet and myself in action knows that we were always determined fighters for our constituents. What one gets from the new councillors is a willingness to accept whatever answer officers palm them off with and/or handwringing about ‘Im not very experienced in these things!’
2. Mr. Ayles, too, is ‘not very experienced in these things’ and has evidently done little in 25 years to rectify that state of affairs.
3. The Lib Dem victory will be taken by them as validating the strategy of disinformation which characterised their campaign throughout.
4. Nick Kilby’s election would have added strength to the Council as a whole. He was without doubt one of the ablest Councillors on either side of the Chamber during his four year stint, as honest Lib Dems would concede – and there are some!

So what now? We shall continue to do the best we can to help any residents of the ward who want our assistance – as we have since May 2010. We shall continue our constructive scrutiny of our opponents. We may even help them if they ask us to – but we will not go away!