The Liberal Democrats achieved a by-election gain last week winning a seat back from the Conservatives.

Lib Dem candidate Gerry Jerome, 55 a director of an IT consultancy took the Nonsuch seat with 1665 votes - over half of the total 3298 ballots.

The Tory candidate Georg Braun, 41, a businessman, was second with 1329 votes.

Labour’s Marcus Papadopoulos, 30, a freelance journalist only managed a meagre 88 votes being beaten into last place by British National Party candidate Peter North, 63, a retired engineer, who obtained 211 votes.

Nonsuch ward will now be run by three Lib Dem councillors including a husband and wife team as Mr Jerome joins his wife Kirsty as councillor.

He said: “I am grateful to the people who voted for me.

“The result demonstrates that people like having a Liberal Democrat Council and a Liberal Democrat MP working for them.

“Now it’s down to work: getting action on Victoria House, pressing Mayor Johnson to get Central Road moving and working hard for everyone in Worcester Park and North Cheam.”

The seat was previously held by Conservative Councillor Chris Dunlop who died recently.

Opposition leader Paul Scully said: “It was a split ward and with two Liberal Democrats there it was always going to be nip and tuck.

“The MPs expenses played a large part of it rather than local issues.

“Nonsuch is largely a forgotton borough and this will only increase to be the case with three Lib Dem councillors.”

There were 3 spoiled papers and a turnout of 41 per cent.

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