FIRSTLY let’s deal with the obvious, UKIP as a force in Worcester is finished.
A party which was regularly running the two main parties close four years ago has seen its share of the vote crumble both in the Faithful City and nationwide.
Their highest vote tally was just 117 and the party recorded double digit results in nine of the 12 wards contested on Thursday.
UKIP finished bottom or second from bottom in all the wards contested and saw dramatic drops in support such as 321 votes in Warndon Parish North in 2014 become just 27 votes last night.
Secondly, the Green Party strategy of targeting particular seats and thowing the kitchen sink at it works – its delivered three councillors in a row now.
Where the party goes next will be interesting because with the success of Battenhall comes some rather low vote tallies in areas such as Nunnery and Warndon.
Mel Allcott’s near miss in Claines could be seen as evidence that maybe a resurgence of the Liberal Democrats in Worcester could be on the cards.
While Claines has always been Lib Dem friendly, the scale of the party’s wipeout in the area means their effort in last night’s poll should be applauded.
As for the reds and blues, it’s clear the people of Worcester don’t come down firmly in one corner and to be honest they may never do. Did you ever think the Tories would win Gorse Hill?
Strong performances in St John’s, Andy Graham’s near miss in Warndon Parish North and the retention of Cathedral shouldn’t mask a double digit vote in Battenhall or distant second places in Bedwardine in St Peter’s Parish.
As for the Tories, they can be delighted with history making in Gorse Hill but Cathedral was winnable and the party seemingly cannot stem the Green tide in areas which once were blue.
Same again next year anyone?
