TOOTHILL/WESTLEA; CON HOLD: MARY Martin, who held Toothill and Westlea for the Conservatives by a convincing majority, was not taking anything for granted.
She said: "It is a tough ward to fight, because it is not full of people who normally consider themselves to be typical Conservative voters.
"I won by just 35 votes four years ago."
That the 35-vote margin has been extended to almost 400 is a testament to grassroots work as a ward councillor, she insisted.
She said: "One of the nicest things about canvassing was arriving on people's doorsteps and beginning to announce myself, only for people to tell me they already knew who I was.
"That is what you can achieve in four years.
"You have to work hard for people, and I just want to thank everybody who voted for me."
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