“TORIES WIN IN COUNTY” - but only just.

Your actual headline almost appeared to suggest a Conservative triumph, but it was far from this.

The council is new, with changed wards and many more seats, so comparison with previous results is difficult, but not impossible.

The 2017 Dorset county council (46 seats) elections results were:

Conservatives: 32 seats (70% of total), Lib Dems: 11 seats (24%), Greens: 2 seats (4%), Labour: 1 seat (2%).Conservative majority: 12.

The 2019 Dorset council. (82 seats) election results were:

Conservatives: 43 seats (52% of total), Lib Dems: 29 seats (35 %), Greens: 4 seats (5%), Independents: 4 seats (5%), Labour: 2 seats (3%). Conservative majority: 4.

Two interesting comparisons are that the Conservatives fell back from 70% of the total seats, down to 52%.

Their majority fell from 12 out of 46 seats to only 4 out of 82 seats: a slim majority in a much larger council. Still Conservative controlled, but only just. Perhaps they will now be compelled to work more by seeking consensus, than by running rough-shod over any opposition.

The reasons for the massive losses by Tories and large gains by Lib Dems, Greens and Independents were many.

Of course Brexit was important. The fact that the two main pro EU, Remain supporting parties, Greens and Lib Dems, did so well, suggests that large and increasing numbers of the electorate want to remain in the EU.

Also, as suggested by Green candidate, Jon Orrell, the fact that people are waking up to the environmental threats facing the planet, from climate change and species extinction, will have been an important factor.

John Tomblin

Littlemoor Road

Weymouth