A few days on from the local election gives a chance to properly consider and digest the results.
In Reigate and Banstead, six wards saw swings towards the Conservatives - a testament to the tireless work of our councillors and candidates all year round, not just at election time.
I'm chuffed for the new Conservative councillors elected: Kate Fairhurst, Ben Green and Jed Dwight are going to make a big and positive impact on the Council. They join Eddy Humphreys, Richard Biggsband Jerry Hudson - all well-deserved in their re-elections.
But I'm particularly delighted for James King in South Park and Woodhatch. His tireless campaigning, his upbeat nature, and his very real love for his local community was rewarded by his neighbours with a whopping 18.5% swing towards the Conservatives.
Against the challenging national picture, that's an achievement that shouldn't be underestimated. It was a genuine pleasure to help his campaign.
There's no denying that nationally it was a dissapointing night for the Conservatives. We lost far too many incredible local councillors, and in Reigate we weren't able to get some genuinely impressive candidates over the line. I know their time will come.
But it was also a significant under-performance for Labour. Their equivalent vote share was less than the best that Ed Miliband achieved, and way short of what Tony Blair managed at his peak - far off the historical benchmark for winning a General Election a year later.
Whatever happens next year, you can be sure that the Reigate and Banstead Conservatives will be out listening to local people all year round - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
Elections are a real team effort - campaigns simply cannot function without the support and enthusiasm of hundreds of passionate volunteers, all working to help our community. Every leaflet delivered, every door knocked, every penny fundraised - all contributes to our collective success.
As the great Toby Ziegler once said: "We're a team. We win together, we lose together. We celebrate and we mourn together. And defeats are softened and victories sweeter because we did them together."
Rest assured - after a short break Team Reigate and Banstead will be back out again listening to and serving our community!
