Tony Bunday, who won a council seat for Labour in the local election on Thursday (May 5), said he believes he’ll be the first ever councillor for the party in Bitterne Park ward – certainly since Southampton became a unitary authority in 1997.

▶ Labour wins back control of Southampton City Council

The ward has been represented by three Conservatives since around 2003, and Lib Dems held seats prior to that.

Speaking to bitternepark.info about the election result, which saw Bunday achieve a 255 majority over Conservative candidate Rob Harwood, he thanked voters and supporters .

 

“I am delighted to be the first ever Labour Councillor for Bitterne Park, Ward,” he said.

“I would like to thank the voters of Bitterne Park who have put their faith in me and I promise to work hard to make this ward the best it can be.

“This was also a big team effort with many supporters and volunteers helping to achieve this remarkable result.

“The turnout was good for local elections, I think showing that people are interested in local issues and that they want a local person, embedded in their community, to represent them.

“It will take a few days for a council email to be set up for me, but please feel free to contact me about any issues. I promise I will respond.”

You can see what all the Bitterne Park ward candidates, including Bunday, had to say in our pre-election interviews.

▶ Labour wins back control of Southampton City Council