ALMOST true to form, Alton remained staunch Liberal Democrat yellow after last Thursday's local elections – all that is save Ashdell ward where the Conservatives put in a concentrated effort to introduce a touch of blue. Beverley Carpenter will be the first Conservative councillor to sit on Alton Town Council for more than a decade, and she was "delighted" by the prospect. Supported by the Tory election machine, Mrs Carpenter canvassed her way through to take a second seat in the ward behind Lib Dem – current Alton Town mayor, David Crocker. Attracting the highest turnout for the town at 43.37 per cent, Mr Crocker was a clear front-runner, taking 440 votes with Beverley Carpenter pipping Lib Dem Christopher Lawrence (345) to the post with 369 seats. Mrs Carpenter takes the seat from former Lib Dem Paddy Mendham who stood down this time to pursue other interests. That aside there were no other upsets. In Alton's Amery ward Robert Evans and Philip Robinson, both Lib Dems, were returned in a 32.95 per cent turnout, with Lib Dems Pam Bradford and Robyn Fitzer seeing off a Labour challenge to retain Eastbrooke ward after a turnout of 24.47 per cent. In Whitedown Lib Dems Allan Chick and Pam Jones romped home in a contest which attracted a 42.55 per cent turnout, while Wooteys ward produced a 27.03 per cent turnout to witness the easy return of Lib Dems Roger Fitzer and Robert Saunders. The Lib Dem wards of Alton Westbrooke and Alton Holybourne were not subject to election, David Willoughby being returned uncontested to Holybourne and Jimmy Patel and John Smith returned to Westbrooke. Speaking on the eve of her first Town Council meeting last Wednesday, Beverley Carpenter thanked all those who voted for her, but said she was looking forward to representing the whole of the Ashdell ward. A lone voice in a well-entrenched band of Lib Dems, Mrs Carpenter said that while everybody on the council would obviously have the best interests of the town at heart it would be interesting to see how her Conservative values of "efficiency and value for money" would fit into the decision-making process.
