Dear Editor

Can I start by saying a massive thank you to all those who voted for me, or helped my campaign.

Very special thanks to John Thorne, who single handedly delivered my leaflets throughout the ward. Also of course my wife Joan, who thought she was married to a comedian, but is having to put up with a politician. Her consolation is that for the first time ever, she voted for someone who actually won.

I believe a vote is a precious thing. People fought long and hard to get it. I like to think that I am related to Emily Dickinson Wilding (I have no proof of any connection), who gave her life to help women gain the vote. So this next sentence will seem a bit of a contradiction:- Thank you to all of you who didn’t vote at all. I am under no illusion as to how I won this election. 500 or so of the people who would normally vote Conservative, just could not stomach the idea of supporting them again this time. Some wasted their vote entirely (104), the others abstained. Thank you for your deliberate inaction,

That does not however detract from the stunning nature of this victory. I came from nowhere and beat the sitting, long established conservative by a majestic 49 votes. So if you were one of those 49 ( and you all were ), thank you once again. Without every one of you I would not be getting this chance to change things in Penyard and Herefordshire for the better. I am looking forward to the challenge. I’d also like to thank Harry Bramer for his service to Ross and Herefordshire over the years.

This is the start of a new approach. I aim to bring in a whole host of fresh ways to tackle the problems we face. Besides learning the ropes, and getting out to meet people in the Parishes, I’m going to spend the first few weeks organising a network of trusted advisors and starting up a raft of projects I would like to personally champion over the next four years. A safe cycle path network is one example.

You can see my views on loads of stuff, and make contact with me via my website - www.williamwilding.co.uk

William Wilding

Lea