This is to say a big Thank You to everyone who voted to re-elect me to Mendip District Council as a councillor for Frome College ward in last week’s local elections. Thanks also to people for voting for Alex Shingler and other Lib Dem candidates. Alex would have made an excellent councillor but missed out this time and I hope he will be successful in future. I also thank the other candidates for conducting a fair campaign. It has been a privilege and an honour to serve local people on Mendip for 4 years, and on Frome Town Council for the past 18 months.

Congratulations to the Independents For Frome on their success in taking every seat on the Town Council. There is much to learn from their successes. With great power comes great responsibility, and I trust they will use it wisely for the common good.

Lib Dems won 11 seats at Mendip, including 5 in Frome, which is remarkable given what happened nationally. There has been no wipeout here. I will now continue to work to get Mendip and Frome Town Council working better together, and help steer the improvements to the Leisure Centre and old Showfield through, as well as to improve and protect local sports facilities, play areas and green spaces, get more effective action against flytipping, litter and flygrazing, ensure housing and other development is planned properly, and win more devolution for Frome. People can get in touch with me at cllr.boyden@mendip.gov.uk and see news and views at www.adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk.

On election night / morning I was at the count in Kingswood constituency, and came 4^th as expected. It was a good experience to be part of a parliamentary campaign. I will not forget the nightmare which unfolded in the TV room, as seeing fantastic and inspiring MPs like Tessa Munt, Steve Webb and lots more, all losing one by one, and previously safe Lib Dem seats like Bath going blue, as well as Somerton & Frome, was shocking and heartbreaking. But this has only strengthened my resolve to work for a free, fair and open society, for liberty, equality and community, tolerance, for our environment and for social justice, and against poverty, ignorance and conformity. These values are Great British values that will never be surrendered.

While the Conservatives won over a majority of seats in Parliament, and every seat around here, they only won 36.9% of the vote. This is not proportional representation, and we really need a fairer voting system. Mistakes were made in the coalition, including on tuition fees and the NHS, but with the Tories now free to run the country by themselves I hope people will realise the force for good that the Lib Dems were in Government.

We are now seeing this with an extraordinary post-coalition surge in Lib Dem support. Over 10000 people have joined since the election. People can join at www.libdems.org.uk/join – every member will soon be able to help choose our new leader and a new direction. The fightback has begun, so please join us, Britain needs you more now than ever.

Adam Boyden

Re-elected Mendip District Councillor, Frome College ward (Lib Dem)

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