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www.clilheroeadvertIser.co.uk ' cntheroo Advertiser & Times,Thursday, May 13,2010' GENERAL ELECTION 2010 *.clithcroeadvcr1
iser.co.uk ClitheroeAdvertiser&Times,Thursday,May13,2010 GENERAL ELECTION 2010 mum
by Faiza Afeaar and Duncan Smith
“THIS is for you mum” — these: \ were the moving words of jubilant^ = Nigel Evans dedicating his elec tion night victory to his late moth-:
er, Betty, who died last year. = The longstanding Conservative
MP tightened his grip on the Ribble Valley by storming back for a fourth' successive term, defying the odds to : increase his majority to 14,759 — up . ‘ by598on the 2005 result. ■ He polled a total of 26,298 votes. -However, the biggest upset of the ;:
night came from Labour hopeful ■ Paul Foster, who polled 11;529 votes ■ knocking Liberal Democrat candi-"-:; date Allan Knox into third place. Mr ? Foster hailed the success as a “start to : the future”, of the Labour party in the. ^ Ribble Valley. :
. : MrKnoxpolled 10,732votes—932
less than Lib-Dem candidate-Julie - Young polled in 2005, before changes to the constituency boundary brought .■ inareas of South Ribble where Labour : ■ are traditionally strong. Meanwhile, the UK Independence
Party hopeful Steve Rush amassed 3,496 votes and first-time candidate
1”;-
• Tony Johnson, who ran as an Inde-:. pendent, polled 232 votes.
; The count began at 10 p.m. last ' Thursday at Roefield Leisure Cen tre, Clitheroe. By 12.35 a.m. the chief executive of Ribble Valley Borough - Council, Mr Marshal Scott was able to announce that the total number of votes verified was 52,365, represent ing a turnout of 67.32%. There were 73 rejected ballots. , . - The count proper then began, with
■the votes for each candidate separat ed out. It was soon apparent that Mr Evans had swept aside all competition as the Tory ballot papers were piled : higher and higher on his tables.. Looking relaxed and confident, Mr Evans, who lives in Pendleton, arrived ■
at the count at 1-10 a.m. surrounded by his supporters — both young and old. On arrival
he.admitted it had . beenalongdayforhim.. ' . ^ ^ " Although many had predicted Mr
'h',;
Evans’ majority would be reduced by the significant chaiiges to the constit-;
uency.boundary, he said he believed the people of the Ribble Valley still
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Age Concern WE’RE THERE:,Nigel Evans and his supporters celebrate his win at the eiection. A060510/3c
wanted to see a “clear Conservative victory” and had voted for it. : Meanwhile, Labour’s Paul Foster
■
was feeling justifiably pleased with the amount of ballot papers on his table. He said: “We’ve fought a good clean campaign and given it our best. . “We’ve also learnt a lot and know . which areas to target next time, b e - . cause we’re not going away.”
; . UKIP’s candidate Steve Rush, well- known in Clitheroe, said it had been difficult juggling the demands of a campaign and a full-time job. . . But he added: “We’ve had a good
reception right across the constitu ency and spent quite a bit of time over
at the Preston end, where I’m not so well known. : “It’s the first time I’ve stood as a
candidate and I did it because I’m pas sionate about this. Whoever gets in we need to get all the parties working together for the benefit of the UK.”
: The atmosphere was still tense as Mr Dennis Mendoros, the High Sheriff of Lancashire, announced the eagerly-awaited result at 1-45 a.m. As High Sheriff, Mr Mendoros can choose any constituency in Lan cashire in which to act as Returning Officer and declare the result. Asked - why he chose Ribble Valley, he said: “There are three reasons really, first
because it is an historic part of Pen nine Lancashire and closely related to the office of High Sheriff; second: because it is a wonderful part of the county; and third because I have a lot of friends and contacts here.” Loud applause and cheers from Mr
Evans’ supporters and friends ech-. oed around the hall as the T o ^ MP - was officially declared the winner.- Dedicating his victory in memory of his mother, who died in March 2009,' Mr Evans said he felt humbled by the ■
. support he had received. ■ ' .' ■: ■ “I’m incredibly humbled by the fact that this majority is bigger, than the majority I had under the old Ribble"
Mr Evans paid tribute to all the
Valley constituency, which was clearly a much safer seat. The people of Rib ble Valley voted for a clear and con cise verdict — a Conservative victory | in this seat.
■ “I cannot say what implications the
result will have nationally, but I be lieve people have voted for a change. They
want.to see an end to this La- ] hour government. : ‘ ‘T would like to thank the people
; of the Ribble Valley for the faith that they have shown in me.” fHe pledged ^to continue working hard for the people of the Ribble Val-
■
. ley,'declaring: “I promise that I will ' never let them down.”
• council staff, police and people in-' volved in the count for their hard ■
■ work: “It has been a hard long ' day for you all and I would like to thank everyone for their support, especially my entire team of coun cillors and friends who have been amazing.” Finally, he paid tribute to his
challengers saying that they all fought a very clean contest.
. . Labour candidate Paul Foster who congratulated Mr Evans on his success, added: “We have had a great turnout tonight, but the people of the Ribble Valley have
made their decision. “The Labour party was always
going to be up against it; but now ■ we are clearly the second party in the Ribble Valley and I hope this is a start for the future of the La bour party in the borough.” A short speech followed by a
clearly disappointed Mr Knox, who earlier that night said it all seemed “surreal”. Mr Knox, who lives in Clitheroe and is a county councillor as well as an ex-Clithe- roe Town Mayor, congratulated Nigel Evans on his victory. Meanwhile, UKIP’s Steve Rush had more than doubled the party’s
vote from the 2005 election. His thanked his fellow candidates for a ciean fight and paid tribute to his team saying: “We have nearly trebled our vote from last time and' that is a fantastic achievement in my eyes.” • Finally, after losing his £500 de
posit for failing to secure 5% of the total vote. Independent Tony Johnson, said: “The reason why I stood in this election was to have my say and 1 hope you all will re spect that. Congratulations to Nigel Evans and maybe one day, I will vote for the Conservative party again!”
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■ CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: High
- Sheriff of Lancashire Dennis Mendoros announces the Ribbie
.' Valley result; Lib Dem candidate Allan Knox contemplates a loom ing defeat; Labour candidate Paul Foster looks on at the election count; Independent candidate Tony Johnson and UKIP candi date Steve Rush.
;Niqei Evans (Cdn)]^iai;-26,298^^ [M il fostir | Alian1<H6x ] i ^ D e m j ^ ^ ^
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