THE city council’s Tory leader has expressed his delight at a number of historic Conservative gains in Worcester after the party secured overall control for the first time in five years.

Cllr Marc Bayliss, who is now leader of Worcester City Council with a Conservative majority of one, celebrated a number of big wins on Saturday (May 8) as the party secured historic victories in Gorse Hill and Warndon.

“I am really delighted, we have had a fantastic result [on Saturday] and we have taken control of the city council for the first time in five years,” he said.

“We won five seats, we were only defending three which has pushed us back over the top.

“Labour had a pretty rotten day and they must be wondering where they go from here.

“I’m delighted, I’m not entirely surprised. Our message was one that, both nationally and locally, has appealed to voters. The voters are not interested in the ‘woke’ niche issues that Labour talk about a lot. It really is pavement politics, and we were offering them something that I think they really got behind.

“We now have both city and the county seats in Gorse Hill and we have never won in Warndon or even got close so that is truly an extraordinary result in that regard.

“I’m looking forward to leading the council and we will be continuing to lead in a collegiate manner, this isn’t a mandate for one-party governance. We do have a majority and we will be delivering a Conservative manifesto but I will reach out to the Labour Party, to the Green Party and to the Liberal Democrats and where we can make common cause we will certainly try to.”

Cllr James Stanley defeated veteran Labour and Gorse Hill councillor Roger Berry on Saturday – to ensure the ward is now represented by two Tory councillors – as well as securing the Gorse Hill and Warndon seat on Worcestershire County Council the day before.

Owen Cleary also won in Warndon in another historic win for the Conservatives defeating Labour’s Ceri Stalker who had lost her Gorse Hill and Warndon county council seat to James Stanley on Friday (May 7).

Elsewhere in the city, long-standing Labour councillor Joy Squires lost her Aboretum seat to the Green Party’s Karen Lewing.

Cllr Bayliss paid tribute to the outgoing Labour councillors and thanked them for their service.

“Politics is a cruel business and people like Roger Berry, Joy Squires and Ceri Stalker gave a lot of service to the council, particularly Roger and Joy, long service, and on a personal level I feel for them and I wish them well in the future,” he added.”