Conservative wins Telford parish by-election
A 27-year-old Conservative has romped to a parish council by-election victory in Telford, but his opponent was not present to hear the result of the contest.
Tom Wust, a sales manager for a company based in Halesfield, polled 345 votes out of the 618 cast in the Stirchley ward to fill a vacant seat on Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council.
Mr Wust said he was "honoured and humbled" with the result and was looking forward to starting to work for local people.
The only other candidate in Thursday’s poll was non-party-aligned Andrew Michael Hughes, who was not present to hear the result read out at the Sambrook Centre in Stirchley.
Mr Hughes received 266 votes. Seven other ballot papers were returned without a vote.
Neither Labour, Reform, nor the Lib Dems had a candidate in the by-election which recorded a 16.6 per cent turnout of the ward’s total electorate of 3,734.
Newly elected Councillor Wust, who is also an official in the local Conservative organisation, said: “I’m honoured and humbled to have the confidence of Stirchley residents to serve as their local councillor.
“Having come so close to winning at the borough by-election last year in The Nedge Ward, I wanted to continue working for residents, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to do so here in Stirchley.”
Councillor Wust said his priorities include tackling local concerns quickly, improving community facilities, and supporting initiatives that bring people together.
He emphasised that he will be accessible and responsive to residents, holding regular drop-in sessions and keeping in touch through newsletters and social media updates.
He added: “I look forward to working with all other parish councillors and our clerk to make Stirchley an even better place to live.
“This is a wonderful community, and I will work hard to ensure residents’ voices are heard.”
The result restores Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council to a full slate of 13 councillors following a number of resignations.
Councillor Wust is set to join his new colleagues at his first meeting on Tuesday, August 12.
The agenda includes Telford & Wrekin Council’s boundary review under which it has been proposed that Stirchley & Brookside Parish Council should be merged.
