Under-pressure Conservative cabinet member Andrew Grant was the biggest scalp at today’s county council elections, losing his seat to a former South Northamptonshire Council senior executive.
Mr Grant was defeated in the Towcester and Roade division by Liberal Democrat Chris Lofts, a former deputy chief executive at the district authority. He blamed a swing in the vote to UKIP for the loss.
The former cabinet member for children and young people has come under fire in recent months, following a scathing Ofsted report which labelled the county’s child protection services inadequate.
The report stated children and young people in Northamptonshire “are not effectively protected from harm,” and there were “systematic weaknesses and inconsistent and ineffective practices” in place at the authority.
Mr Grant said: “UKIP cost us the seat, it’s as simple as that. The people who went out and usually voted Conservative voted for UKIP. It’s a real shame.
“No local issues featured in the campaign at all, it was all national.”
Councillor Andre Gonzalez de Savage, (Con, East Hunsbury and Shelfleys), paid tribute to the outgoing Councillor Grant.
He said: “I’m hugely disappointed to lose a good colleague who has served the council well, and has been very committed and loyal. He has given a lot of time to the community, who have benefitted from his knowledge and skill.”
It was also the end of an era for former Northampton South MP, and borough and county councillor, Tony Clarke.
Mr Clarke was elected in 2009 as an independent, but stood on a Green Party ticket this year.
He finished second in the Castle ward to Labour’s Winston Strachan, but has vowed to continue his political career.
Mr Clarke said: “We are trying to build, but nobody likes coming second. We feel like we had our pockets picked by UKIP. They took the alternative vote.
“But I am in this for the long haul with the Greens. I am going to keep fighting. In fact, I’ve only just begun.
“I’m not going to disappear from the scene. How can you live in a place and not be involved in its politics?”