Former chair of Bucks Council among high profile councillors who lost seats in elections

Conservative Councillors Nathan Thomas and Tony Green missed out on re-election by just 301 and 20 votes respectively in their wards of Penn, Tylers Green & Loudwater and Terriers & Amersham Hill last week.

Councillor Green is one of the most experienced councillors to lose their seats, having first been elected in 1982 in the London Borough of Lambeth and then spending more than two decades in local government in Wycombe.

In total, 100 existing councillors chose to stand for re-election last week, but only 69 were voted back onto the council, reduced from 147 to 97 members due to boundary changes.

Other big names ousted in the May 1 vote include council chair Councillor Mimi Harker, High Wycombe Town Committee chair Councillor Paul Turner and Strategic Sites Committee chair Councillor Alan Turner.

Councillors Diana Blamires and former Gerrards Cross mayor Andrew Wood also lost their seats, having both ditched the Tories to stand as Independents ahead of the elections.

Councillor Thomas said he was ‘proud’ of multiple achievements over the last four years, including numerous pieces of private case work on behalf of residents.

At just 18 years of age, he became Buckinghamshire’s youngest councillor when he was elected in 2021 just two days after his first A-level exam.

Now 22, the young Conservative also pointed to his defence of the Gomm Valley from development, resurfacing roads and getting double yellow lines down in Tylers Green as other victories for him.

The Tory also helped designate the Derehams Inn as an asset of community value to give the people of Loudwater longer to help determine the closed pub’s future in the face of its potential redevelopment.

He told the LDRS: “Despite losing, they are still meaningful achievements. Obviously, it is a tough one to lose any seat. There are quite a few councillors who have been councillors for a long time.

“I was the youngest and I have spoken about making sure young people have their voice heard on the council.”

Councillor Thomas was one of the 674 Tory councillors to lose their seats across the country at last week’s elections, losses inflicted in part by the popularity of Reform UK.

The outgoing councillor was also asked about the future of his party, which is led nationally by Kemi Badenoch.

He said: “My personal view, not speaking as ex-councillor or as mayor, is that locally we have some strong governance.

“Steve Broadbent is the right man to lead this council. Martin tett has done an amazing job. Everyone can speculate and give their opinion. As the Conservative Party, we just need to do the simple thing of listening.”

Councillor Broadbent was unanimously elected as the new leader of the Conservative Bucks councillors on Sunday following the decision by Councillor Tett – the council leader – to step down as group leader after the Tories lost their majority on the council.