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Tory leader visits Preston to celebrate Lancs election success
Conservative leader David Cameron was greeted with cheers when he arrived at County Hall to meet Lancashire's new leaders.
Cameron spoke of the "spectacular" manner in which Labour was ousted from power in the county.
And he underlined the importance of winning Lancashire.
In the midst of a press scrum and surrounded by Tory activists, he said: "It's great to be able to say as a Conservative leader, after 28 years, we have won control of Lancashire County Council.
He later told the Evening Post: "I think if you can't win in Lancashire, you can't win in the country and to lose in such spectacular fashion says a lot about the change in Britain.
"I've really put my back into the campaign and people really want change."
The Tories are celebrating taking control of the county council for the first time in 28 years following an election day massacre.
Labour lost 30 seats across Lancashire, leaving them with just 16 compared to the Tories' 51.
And the former Labour cabinet was decimated with seven of the nine members – including former leader Hazel Harding – voted out.
Other heads to roll included finance chief Tony Martin and community boss Marcus Johnstone.
Mr Cameron said: "It's a very, very strong and positive result for the Conservative Party and a devastating blow for the Labour Party.
"Do the Conservatives travel to the North of England? – yes we do."
And newly-crowned county council leader Geoff Driver, who lives in Fulwood, said: "The Conservatives are back in Lancashire, we're a force in Lancashire."
"It's been time for change, Labour have taken a real hammering and you can see it on their faces they are clearly shocked. The electorate have given them bloody noses."
The Liberal Democrats increased their share to 10 seats from six, though leader David Whipp lost his West Craven seat to the Conservatives.
He said: "We've done very well across the county, we've gone into double figures and I'm delighted with the gains we've made in Preston and on the Fylde.
"I think Labour have had a bloody nose in Lancashire and Labour's red rose has well and truly wilted."
Elsewhere, the British National Party's Sharon Wilkinson won the party's first county council seat by ousting cabinet member for community planning and partnership Marcus Johnstone with a majority of 201 as every seat in Burnley changed hands.
The Greens upped their tally to two while three Independents were elected and Idle Toad Tom Sharratt fought off his former colleague Barrie Yates to hold South Ribble Rural East.
In Preston Labour bucked the trend by hanging on to five seats with cabinet member Tom Burns the only candidate to be deposed, losing his Preston North West seat to Lib Dem Mark Jewell.
Labour man Carl Crompton won the bitter battle against former Labour education boss Vali Patel, who ran as an independent in Preston Central South after being deselected by the party.
Liberal Democrats Bill Winlow was in close contest with Tory Julie Buttle in Preston West.
Mr Winlow's narrow victory was declared after two recounts, during one of which Mrs Buttle fainted. He is now being mooted as a possible leader of the Lib Dems, following the shock exit of David Whipp.
Chorley turned blue as the Tories won six out of the seven seats.
Former education supremo Alan Whittaker was the most high-profile casualty, losing his seat in Chorley Rural West by a landslide to Tory Keith Iddon.
Mr Whittaker, 65, was visibly angry as returning officer Donna Hall announced that the chairman of Lancashire County Council had lost by 1,299 votes to the 57-year-old truck driver.
It ended Mr Whittaker's 12 year spell at County Hall.
The Labour man said: "I am very disappointed that the national situation was very much instrumental in deciding this area.
"I am a democrat and accept the result and people will have a lot to live up to and I hope that they can do that."
It was a significant swing in the voting as in 2005 Labour had four positions and the Conservatives three.
The solitary representative from Labour this term was Terry Brown who was elected in the vacant Chorley East seat after Don Yates stepped down.
Across South Ribble Labour was left without a single seat.
Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for sustainability, was the big name casualty of five Labour councillors.
Members of the Conservatives described the Civic Centre venue as a "lucky room" following the Tory borough council win in May 2007.
Coun Tomlinson, Labour leader for South Ribble, said he was "desperately disappointed".
Among the Labour losers on the day was Anne Brown, cabinet member for adult and community services.
It was not all plain sailing for the Tories in Fylde as voters rebelled against the Big Two.
The Conservatives lost two seats in the borough with independent Paul Hayhurst, who vowed to forgo expenses if he won, triumphing by just 23 votes in Fylde West, beating Tory Janet Wardell.
In St Annes North Coun Howard Henshaw scored victory in his fourth attempt at becoming a county councillor and became the first Liberal Democrat to represent the ward since 1927.
Fylde Council's independent opposition leader, Coun Liz Oades, stormed to an overwhelming victory by almost 1,000 votes in the hotly contested Fylde East region, retaining her seat.
>> For all the latest results from the Lancashire county elections, visit our special interactive map
>> BNP wins first Lancashire council seat - reaction
>> Labour maintains county control in Preston
See more coverage of the local elections in the Lancashire Evening Post
>> Vote in our latest web poll
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Weather for Preston
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -6 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -2 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
