HOW fickle elections are!

On May 26 we shall have the first full council meeting of new members: a few old faces, some completely new and some resurrected from earlier days. Certain results were predictable but there were upsets: only one husband and wife team was returned and the aspirations of at least two families to found a political dynasty were thwarted. Some Conservatives who are well-known locally failed to get elected. As well as the usual backlash against a party in government there was the additional local factor, the reaction against the Public Bodies Bill.

Various self-publicists were out and the poor Liberal Democrats suffered the same fate as their party colleagues nationally. There were a few close calls – the new member for Lydney North was elected by a margin of only seven votes. Just one ward was uncontested. 

As the numbers of the two main parties are so close the Independents will hold the balance of power. No mean achievement considering that they have no party machine to support them in canvassing or pay their election expenses for them. It is not possible to forecast how they will vote on a particular matter as they are individuals and hold no allegiance to a party whip. This should lead to some cut-throat debates and cliff-hanging votes.

It will be equally instructive to count how many of the recently unelected contestants occupy the public gallery to hold the council to account. If the aspirations of new candidates were serious, then this would be good experience towards standing for election in 2015. For those who lost their seats but have inside knowledge of council practices, what better way to scrutinise procedure? I recommend an onlooker's seat in the council chamber to them all.

– Dr Daphne Pearson, Redbrook.