Residents for Uttlesford (R4U), the local advocacy group for towns and villages, has announced that it is made significant gains in the Uttlesford local elections.

Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) was the only party to gain seats in Uttlesford, making district council gains of 125%, with the local Conservatives seeing a drop of 26% in their seats. This was a reversal of the national trend where Conservatives actually saw a 30% increase.

John Lodge, Chairman of R4U said “A clear message has been sent to the cabinet of UDC who despite retaining their seats, did so by slim majorities; the Leader only retained his seat by 42 votes. R4U have held strong in the North of the District, sweeping all the seats in Saffron Walden and Newport with resounding wins for their candidates. After its gains, R4U is now the second party in Uttlesford.”

R4U now has 9 Uttlesford District Councillors, 12 Town and Parish Councillors, and an Essex County Councillor. It is the Second Party at Uttlesford District Council and the majority party at Saffron Walden Town Council.

The residents group lost a key seat in Dunmow South. John Lodge continued “We are obviously disappointed not to make gains in the Dunmow wards after coming so close; we would like to thank outgoing councillor Keith Mackman for his dedication and hard work on behalf of the residents of Dunmow. And we would also specifically like to thank Cllr David Watson, former Mayor and retiring R4U councillor, for his passion and commitment to Saffron Walden. But the biggest thank you goes to our supporters across Uttlesford who have helped R4U fight a spirited and successful campaign. We are looking forward to the 2017 Essex County Council elections.”

The full Uttlesford District Council election results, including a ward results map, are available on the R4U website.