CONSERVATIVES MAKE CLEAN SWEEP IN CHISWICK'S HOUNSLOW WARDS - LIB DEMS RETAIN SOUTHFIELD

Chiswick now unrepresented in the ruling group in either Hounslow or Ealing

• TORIES WIN EVERY SEAT IN CHISWICK (HOUNSLOW)
• LIBERAL DEMOCRATS INCREASE MAJORITY IN SOUTHFIELD
• LABOUR MAJORITY REDUCED IN HOUNSLOW
• LABOUR HOLD EALING WITH SLIGHTLY REDUCED MAJORITY
• ABEEC CANDIDATE WINS IN BRENTFORD

Overall Results for Boroughs

Ward by Ward in Chiswick

The Labour party lost its one remaining seat in Chiswick as the Tories made a clean sweep in Hounslow Borough with the Liberal Democrats in Southfield holding on to their seats. Overall in both boroughs Labour retained control.

In Chiswick Riverside, Chiswick Homefields and Turnham Green wards the Conservative's margin of victory was comfortable with their candidates all seeing increased majorities. The result sees the departure of Deputy Mayor Mel Collins and Tristan Bunnell from the Council.

One local Labour party member said, "This wasn't a huge surprise for us. The disasterous timing of the education cuts and the level of parking charges in Chiswick really put paid to any chance we might have had. It is not a good result for Chiswick to be unrepresented in the ruling group. I'm confident however that local people will be well served by the Council despite this result."

In Turnham Green ward re-elected Cllr. Adrian Lee said, ""This is the largest majority that any party has had in Turnham Green since the ward's creation in 1964. It is all the more surprising when one considers that Turnham Green was Labour-controlled between 1994 and 1998 and that we were contesting this election following boundary changes that brought in two polling districts from the former Labour stronghold of Gunnersbury."

He added that the electorate had been unimpressed with the argument that Chiswick should elect at least one Labour councillor to have "a voice in the ruling group" saying that the presence of three Labour Councillors in Turnham Green in April 1998 did nothing to prevent the Moscow State Circus debacle and Pat Sterne's membership of the Hounslow Borough ruling "Executive" did not result in a reduction of the disproportionately high cost of residential parking permits in Chiswick.

Labour maintained control of Hounslow with a much reduced majority. They lost seats to the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and independent candidates. In Isleworth ward the local community group won all the seats as controversy raged of alleged negative campaigning by their Labour opponents.

The ABeeC polled around 200 votes in the Chiswick wards but had a stunning success in Brentford with Luke Kirton being elected for one of the seats in that ward. Their spokesman admitted surprise and said that their campaign had achieved its objective by raising the profile of the club. The group has a double cause for celebration with Brentford qualifying for a play-off trip to the Millennium stadium this week.

In Southfield the Liberal Democrats held on despite ward boundary changes that some felt made the seat winnable for Labour. In fact the Liberal Democats won with an increased majority. A spokesman for Southfield Liberal Democrats said, "This is a terrific result for the focus team showing that people have noticed the hard work they have been putting in over the last 16 years. They are all looking forward to representing the people of Southfield for another term."

Overall control of Ealing remained with the Labour party.