Zoe Franklin says "Thank You"

Zöe Franklin is the new Liberal Democrat councilor for Stoke ward after being elected on Thursday. Zöe won with an increased share of the vote (56%) and an increased majority (454).

Zöe said, "I would like to thank everyone who voted for me. I promise to be a hard-working and effective councillor for Stoke ward. Stoke is a great place to live and I'm proud of our local community but I want to help make it an even better place for everyone.

"I will work hard with Cllr Melanie Wilberforce, County Cllr Pauline Searle and Sue Doughty to get the best for Stoke ward."

The other big story was the further collapse of the Labour vote. Labour, who had held the ward for generations until losing it to the Lib Dems last year, came a distant third with just 212 votes - less than a quarter of their 2003 result and less than half of their 2007 tally.

The Conservatives put a lot of money and effort into the ward but made negligible progress. They were not helped by deciding to axe the town centre shuttle bus in the middle of the campaign.

Zöe fought a positive campaign for better youth provision, action on the state of local roads and to make Stoke ward greener, cleaner and safer.

Zöe lives locally in the ward with her family and was already involved in the community, from her work with Bellfields Residents' Association and the New Hope Centre. She has pledged to work hard all year round, help local residents with problems both big and small and to hold the Conservatives to account.

Zöe's agent Simon Grier added, "We're delighted with the result - this result is a strong endorsement of Zöe and her policies. Zöe will make a great councilor for Stoke and she was incredibly popular on the doorsteps. Local residents recognized that the Lib Dems work hard all year round and not just election time. Zöe, Melanie, Pauline and Sue will make a fantastic team working for Stoke residents.

"Local residents made a positive choice for the candidate who ran a positive campaign. The Conservatives were badly hit by axing the town centre shuttle bus just months after awarding themselves a 22% pay rise. They put a lot of effort in and seemed to be sending in activists from outside Guildford but they hardly made any progress at all. Meanwhile, the terrible result for Labour is further evidence that all elections in Guildford are a two horse race between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives."