ST PHILIP; CON GAIN: Despite a last-minute re-count, Tory Philip Sharp took the ward of St Philip.
The final result of the re-count came in just before 3am, after many councillors had left for home to either lick their wounds or celebrate.
Coun Sharp said he wondered why a re-count had been necessary as his closest rival, Labour's transport and environment spokeswoman and deputy mayor-elect Teresa Page, was 91 votes behind. St Philip was one of the town's key battlegrounds. Prior to the election it had two Labour councillors and one Tory.
Recently, the Tories had accused Labour of pushing through high-level parish precepts, giving the ward's residents some of the highest levels of council tax in the borough.
The Tories have been establishing an increasing lead, taking 40 per cent of the vote in 2002 and 45 per cent in 2003.
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