VOTERS caught up in the threatened maelstrom of a bitter de-selection contest in such genteel Fenland villages as Elm, Christchurch and Friday Bridge decided it wasn’t that interesting in the first place.

Two out of every three of them stayed away from the polling stations yesterday, leaving the official Tory candidates to easily walk away with the two seats.

Cabinet member, deputy leader (and former leader) Mac Cotterell topped the poll with a massive 711 votes.

New boy on the block, former Christchurch parish council chairman Will Sutton, got 489 votes and secured the other council seat.

Ousted Cabinet member Phil Webb managed third place but with only 268 votes, indicating the electorate probably never quite got to grips with the dispute that ousted him in the first place.

Mr Webb seemed to get angrier as the election drew closer – and only announced at the last possible moment his candidature as an independent when he then promptly resigned his Cabinet role.

“I will say one thing now,” he told his 26 followers on Twitter earlier this week.

“I will NEVER EVER rejoin the North East Cambs Conservative Association (NECCA) in its present form...”

And in a parting rejoinder to former to former Tory colleague, Councillor Martin Curtis, he ‘tweeted’: “No problem Martin, at least I won’t have to put up with you, Clark, Yeulett and trying to take over group meetings any more.”

ELM AND CHRISTCHURCH

-2 seats-

Mac Cotterell (Con) 711

Robert Pinnock (Ind) 198

Nicholas Poole (Lab) 221

Verity Roscoe (Lib Dem) 118

Will Sutton (Con) 489

Phil Webb (Ind) 268

Turn out: 34.26 per cent