Conservatives win Frimley Green By-election

Following the by-election held on 14 October 2021, Stuart Black was elected as the ward councillor for Frimley Green. The count ran well into the night, and with a margin of just 19 votes, Stuart Black was elected. This is By-election has clearly shown that every vote counts and your voice does matter. The residents have clearly spoken, with a 19.6% swing towards the conservatives.

• Stuart Black (The Conservative Party) – 896 votes (Elected)
• Jacques Olmo (Liberal Democrats) – 877 votes
• Christine Eleanor Richards (Labour Party) – 76 votes

A total of 1849 votes were cast.Conservative victory is “incredible”

On Social media, the Surrey Heath Lib Dems Facebook called the loss of the seat “incredible” having lost by just 19 votes. And whilst clearly disappointed, they offered their congratulations to the Conservative candidate, Stuart Black.

Hillbers asked Stuart Black for comment who said; “I am delighted to have been elected as Borough Councillor for Frimley Green and join County Councillor Paul Deach, Surrey Heath MP Michael Gove and Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, Lisa Townsend. The close result of the election is not lost on me, so I will work hard to make sure all residents, regardless if they voted for me or not, feel represented. And I look forward to serving them.”

County Councillor for Mytchett, Frimley Green & Deepcut Paul Deach has told Hillbers that;

“Frimley Green is one of the most engaged communities in the county and residents know exactly what they want and that is elected representatives who are visible, accessible, available and willing to be held to account. Unfortunately, the three Councillors to represent them since the 2019 election have failed to meet residents expectations. In fact, one of their number, only 5 months after being elected, decided he was bored of representing residents of Frimley Green and tried his luck, unsuccessfully, in the 2019 General Election for a Parliamentary seat in Basingstoke”.

“Jacques Olmo has stood in every election since 2011, he has been a member of the Labour Party, an independent candidate and now a Lib Dem candidate, so he is an experienced election political campaigner. The moment he lost the May 2021 County Council elections, he was out campaigning in Frimley Green. During that time he was more active than the three Frimley Green Borough Councillors put together and that showed in the result. He is also a very nice guy. The Labour Candidate, Christine Richards is also a lovely lady so residents really did have a good choice when it came to candidates.”

“Stuart Black has a solid track record as a local community activist and I think residents saw him as a serious candidate who would deliver results for them by working with our MP, Michael Gove, our Police & Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend and myself as County Councillor to address the issues that really matter to the community. A good example is the Frimley Green Traffic Lights where Stuart Black Michael Gove and I worked together with lead campaigners to get the right result for residents. I am incredibly proud to have supported Stuart Black’s campaign and very excited to be working with him on behalf of local residents”.

A change of balance at SHBC

The election of Cllr Stuart Black now means that of the 33 seats, the Conservative Party now has a majority, which means they have regained control of the Surrey Heath Borough Council.