TRIUMPHANT Clare Sutton swept to victory at the Rodwell by-election in a landmark win for the Green Party.

And she is pledging to do what she can to help residents of congested Boot Hill as she outlines a plan to champion ‘community values.’

The Greens took the county council seat from Labour, who came third.

Ms Sutton becomes the first Green councillor on Dorset County Council, as well as the party’s first councillor to be elected onto a local authority representing the Weymouth area.

The Rodwell seat became vacant after Labour’s Dan Brember resigned due to work commitments.
Following the count late on Thursday night it was announced that Ms Sutton won the seat from Labour with 663 votes.

Conservative candidate Richard Nickinson was second with 561 votes. Labour’s Hazel Priest was third with 417 votes. Francis Drake for Ukip polled 174 votes and Graham Winter for the Lib Dems received 87 votes.

Ms Sutton, who is known locally for her efforts to restore access to Castle Cove Beach, says she aims to champion community values.

She said “Getting elected isn’t the end of the effort… it is the beginning. Support for the Green Party is growing all the time across south and west Dorset.”

She added: “What we now have to prove is that we are worth voting for. I will fight tooth and nail to represent all those people in Rodwell, and elsewhere, who feel ignored and excluded by endless cuts in local services.”

Ms Sutton said one of the first priorities will be campaigning on behalf of people living along Weymouth’s most polluted street – Boot Hill.

The Green Party is organising a meeting next month to give residents, who have long complained about traffic fumes and congestion, a chance to have their say directly to council officials.

Ms Sutton said: “Environmental issues sit right at the top of the Green Party’s agenda. And the plight of people living on Boot Hill shows why. They have been ignored for too long.

“We want to work with others to try to find ways of improving their lives.”

The Conservative group remains the controlling party on the county council with 27 members out of the 45 councillors. The Lib Dems have 12, Labour have four and Ukip and the Greens each have one.