09 May 2025
With the ballot boxes locked away for another year, the campaign leaflets in the recycling and the ties, scarfs and other items of clothing in party colours returned to the back of the wardrobe, the implications of last week’s elections are starting to hit home.
Reflecting national trends, the rise of Reform locally was perhaps not unexpected, but their performance in several seats certainly was. Who would have expected their candidates to be runners up in St Albans East, North and South and St Stephen’s? Unfortunately despite our efforts to contact their local representatives we were not blessed with any comments on the results, but will keep trying for future editions.
Meanwhile, Mike Hobday, Labour district councillor for London Colney and a candidate for that division on HCC, had his own thoughts about the impact of Reform locally, and whether Labour results reflected dissatisfaction with the party’s performance in national Government…
“I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet many local residents over the course of the campaign and to discuss their opinions about the local area. It was always going to be tough to win a seat that extends well beyond the Labour heartland in London Colney, but I was pleased to overtake the Conservatives, even if I did not secure enough votes to win this time.
“The new Labour Government was never going to be able to turn the country round in less than a year since the general election. We’ve had to take some really difficult economic decisions, and the message on the doorstep was that we’ve not got all of those right. We need the Labour Government to continue investing in the country’s economic growth and using the prosperity that will come to improve education and to cut waiting NHS waiting lists further.
“It’s understandable that voters will feel angry and impatient at a political system that hasn’t delivered sufficiently for them. But Reform does not offer real solutions to the country’s challenges, and I hope that their increased profile will show up the weakness of their policy offering.”
The Liberal Democrats issued a joint statement on their results, but deflected direct questions on whether the success of the Conservatives in Harpenden was a backlash against the unpopular on-street parking charges.
They said: “’The Liberal Democrats are now the largest party on Hertfordshire County Council – ending 26 years of Conservative rule. Since no party now has a majority we will be talking to other parties who we hope will support our plans to fix Hertfordshire’s broken roads and bus services, do better for children with special educational needs and make our county more sustainable.”
The result in St Albans Central saw Chris White’s majority of 2,538 smashed by the rise of the Greens in the division.
Whereas Chris polled 3,461 in 2021, JoJo Godfrey only achieved 1,795. The Lib Dems would not comment on the fact that she had previously campaigned on behalf of the Conservatives before switching her allegiance to them, and whether this could have affected the result.
Their statement said: “’Beating opposition from four parties, Lib Dems won eight out of 10 County seats – this is a remarkable achievement especially in the light of the widespread voter disillusionment apparent in the results across much of the country.
“We are delighted that Liz Needham and Ajanta Hilton, respectively, regained London Colney and St Stephens from the Conservatives and Stuart Roberts comfortably retained Harpenden North and East for the Liberal Democrats.
“Elsewhere across the city and district, a number of serving Lib Dem councillors were re-elected with thumping majorities proving yet again that we are trusted to work hard and effectively on behalf of their constituents.
“Losing the hotly contested Central division in St Albans is a disappointment. Great credit goes to our fantastic candidate, JoJo Godfrey, who won so many friends by her inspirational campaign. Succeeding Chris White, who had served the division so effectively for over 30 years, presents the Greens with a big challenge.”
Harpenden MP Victoria Collins, however, did offer a direct comment on the parking issue.
“Social care, special educational needs and the appalling state of our roads were all key issues in this election. On the issue of parking, I am pleased the district council are continuing to listen to residents’ concerns. They have already taken action to improve the functionality of the parking app and have committed to a review.”
Cllr Matt Cowley, leader of the SADC Conservative group and now a county councillor for Harpenden South West, offered his own thoughts on the results.
“Elections are a humbling experience. I promise you that I will work hard each and every day to repay the faith that people in our community have put in me to represent us at Hertfordshire County Council.
“As with so many elections in this age of multi-party politics, this election locally came down to trust. Who did residents trust to run their local public services? Who did they trust to stand up for their interests?
“I know that after 14 years of my party in Government, a lot of people in our district have – for very good reasons – lost that trust in us. I don’t blame them. For too long, the Conservative Party in Westminster was more interested in being in Government than in governing. For too long, we held up a broken political system that wasn’t delivering for people.
“Reform and the Liberal Democrats both won votes in this cycle from people we let down. Who gave us their trust, but who no longer trust that the Conservative Party is interested in fixing that system.
“That trust will take time to win back. It will take hard work. But I promise that our local Conservative team will keep putting in those hard yards to earn your trust back. To show you that good Conservative councillors challenging entrenched interests and groupthink can and will make a positive difference to our district and our county.
“In Harpenden, I was humbled that so many people put their trust in me and my colleagues on the town council to deliver for Harpenden. Against an enormously tough national picture, in Harpenden we saw the Liberal Democrats go from a 1,200 vote lead last May to a 600 vote deficit to the Conservatives this time out.
“That’s an enormous mandate for the work that our Conservative team have been doing to fight the Liberal Democrat parking charges on Harpenden High Street over this past year.
“Milan, Sam, John and I will work hard to use the support you have given us to continue to put pressure on the Liberal Democrats to change course.
“The electorate’s trust should never be taken for granted. This result in Harpenden reflects the Lib Dems doing just that – making the decision at Budget without consultation, rejecting the concept of consulting on Budgets generally, declaring that the decision was already decided before a consultation had taken place, ignoring the 95 per cent objection at that consultation…
“It is a playbook in how to lose the faith of the electorate.
My pledge to you is that the local Conservatives – at town, district and county level – will continue to fight not just the decision to implement these parking charges, but also a culture that is developing at the district council that councillors know better than residents. We are elected to serve your interests, not our egos. Whether you voted for us or not. We’ll keep working hard to earn back and repay your trust.”
Matt Fisher, the newly elected Green Party county councillor for the St Albans Central division, had his own thoughts on the poll.
“What an extraordinary result – close, yes (and definitely stressful!), but also absolutely perfect in what it represents. It highlights the incredible power of individuals, and the value of genuine connection. It also shows the absolute importance of making the effort to vote. This result is a testament to all of that, and more.
“This result is also a powerful metaphor – for our lives and for the environment. Everything has an impact. And sometimes, it takes a result like this to make that awareness crystal clear in our community.
“To put it in context: this seat has a long history. The Liberal Democrats first took Central St Albans from the Conservatives in 1985, and held it for 40 years. Chris White was elected here in 1993. For us to come in now and win it as Greens is nothing short of amazing.
“I’m super happy to be elected and see this as a real privilege and honour – a chance to affect and improve our local community and beyond.
“Adding to the drama of the day, there was a batch recount which followed by a full recount, which delayed the result going public for over two hours. It was certainly tense, but I want to thank the count staff and council officers for handling it all professionally. Despite the stress, it was reassuring to see such a robust and democratic process being followed and trusted.
“Success like this doesn’t come from nowhere – it comes from a team of people willing to give their time, energy, and belief. I want to sincerely thank our small but mighty local Green Party team. In particular, thank you to Lucy Swift, Marianne Jordan, Kate and Tatiana Metcalf, and Matthew Thomas – our brilliant election agent. Huge thanks also to everyone who helped deliver thousands of leaflets over the past few months and years.
“A special thank you goes to Livvy – a young Green who managed to balance university exams with a Herculean door-knocking effort in the final stretch. And to my fellow Green district councillors Juliet Voisey and Simon Grover – thank you for your brilliant support, campaign coordination, and leadership throughout. I couldn’t have done it without you.
“To all the volunteers who did a stint at the polling stations and joined in with the election fever – thank you! Your presence, commitment, and enthusiasm made a big difference on the day. And of course, and with the risk of sounding like a Brit or TV award speech… I do, of course, want to thank everyone who turned out to vote for me. It’s humbling and affirming to have had so much support and to know that they believed in me to act and advocate for them, their family and our community and environment.
“My personal mantra has always been: critical and creative thinking, followed by action. That principle is what I’ll continue to bring to this new role.
“It’s going to be busy – really busy – but that’s what it takes to drive real impact. Delegation, prioritisation, and collaboration will be key.
“This role will allow me to support, amplify and build upon the great work already being done by local teams, groups, and communities – like many of you reading this. Now more than ever, we need strategic collaboration, bold leadership, and meaningful action to address the climate and environmental crisis we face.
“Thank you so much for your support – onwards!”
