INDEPENDENTS scored their first success on Fenland Council as Mark Archer held onto his Manea seat with a massive majority over his Tory opponent James Carney.
This was, of course, the seat the Conservatives had been hoping to capture with a local candidate but when Paul Fox withdrew the party turned to Chatteris and to 31 year-old James Carney to boost their chances. It was never likely to happen.
Mr Archer paid tribute to his “hard working” opponent but to the victor the spoils and Cllr Archer will be mightily relieved to be back and massively impressed with his majority and the turn out.
He said after the count: “I didn’t take it for granted at all. I have worked hard. James Carney ran a good campaign and canvassed hard and so if he had won it would have been deserved.
“The problem was he was always fighting against a local person. Manea is a very independent minded village and I’m delighted to live in it.
“I wasn’t born in Manea but they have taken me into their hearts and I’m grateful for that.”
MANEA
-1 seat-
Mark Archer (Ind) 568
James Carney (Con) 201
Turn out: 47.44 per cent
Elsewhere in Fenland it was a case of business as usual as the Tories continued their stranglehold in Whittlesey with Steve Garratt reaping a huge majority in a three way fight with Lab and Lib Dems.
LATTERSEY (Whittlesey)
-1 seat-
Paul Adams (Lib Dem) 52
Steve Garratt (Con) 453
Jess Hibbert (Lab) 162
Turn out: 35.66 per cent
MEDWORTH (Wisbech)
-1 seat-
Jonathan Farmer (Con) 364
Mark Plumb (Lab) 194
Christopher Randall (Lib Dem) 58
Turn out: 30.46 per cent
HILL (Wisbech)
-2 seats-
Simon King (Con) 797
Dean Reaves (Lab) 366
Luke Roscoe (Lib Dem) 202
Bruce Wegg (Con) 677
Turn out: 30.34 per cent
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