Much of the area covered by this magazine did not have local elections this month but their outcome still has an impact on people living here and on the prospects for the future direction of Government.

In BCP the Conservatives lost around 2/3 of their seats, and in other areas of the South West including New Forest, Devon and Gloucestershire the party suffered heavy defeats, reducing their numbers by around 30%. This means that they are no longer the largest party of Local Government, and many parliamentary seats will be considered more marginal than they were just last month.

A noticeable outcome from this election was something that became known as ABC – anyone but conservative. For probably the first time, the wider electorate recognised that the current system of ‘First Past The Post’ meant that tactical voting was needed to remove Conservative councils.

I have a role within the wider Liberal Democrat party, and I have good relationships with members from other parties and I can confirm there were no electoral pacts or agreements. There was a message from residents asking for the best way to achieve change, and those who did vote were clear that they wanted to send a message.
I reminded one of the MPs at the count in Bournemouth that I had experienced this myself, I had been on the receiving end in 2015. At that point there was a clear message to the Lib Dems – the country is angry with you, and they want you to know.
So, will this translate into electorate catastrophe for the Conservatives at the General Election?

That depends on two things – do they listen to the message, and do they believe the alternative is better?

I fear that they will not listen. Since the election counts came in, the Conservatives are in denial and have seen many of them lurch further to the right. There has been an absence of responsibility for where they have taken the country, and no indicators that the issues voters care about are being addressed. The parroting of Rishi Sunak’s 5 pledges is becoming tired.

What matters is properly addressing the cost-of-living crisis and lifting people out of poverty; cleaning up the sewage in our seas and restoring nature; recognising that the climate crisis is real and is already affecting us here and now; and understanding that the health and wellbeing of people of all ages is being undermined by the problems in the NHS and education systems.

Real solutions are needed, not just soundbites. This will need grown up conversations, collaboration, and compromise if we are going to make sure that everyone has a better future. The Conservatives are in the last chance saloon, but if they do not change direction soon the public will decide that any alternative is better than carrying on down this destructive route.

The Lib Dems will be building our manifesto in the coming months, and I look forward to sharing our compassionate, economically sound, and innovative solutions to the problems that we face.