Adam Brown, Conservative leader in West Northants
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00:00How are you feeling today going into this local election?
00:02I think at the start of the day we probably had ambitions to still be the largest party
00:08but it looks like reform have managed to squeeze both us and Labour more than we anticipated.
00:15So as things stand it looks as though the council will probably have a majority reform administration
00:21and I think that's my prediction at the moment unless some strange things happen over the course of the day.
00:26And in terms of your own campaign in the Campion Ward how has that gone for you?
00:29So the feedback that I was getting during the campaign was largely positive.
00:33The canvas returns were good.
00:37There was a lot of discontent about the record of the previous Conservative government.
00:42That came through loud and clear on the doorstep.
00:44But unfortunately the feedback that we had on the doorstep doesn't seem to be translating into the votes being counted at the moment.
00:51So it seems very very tight in my ward and we just have to wait and see what the outcome is.
00:56And are you hopeful about maintaining your councillor status on your own ward?
01:01Hopeful but not wildly optimistic right now.
01:04And if you get back in as councillor what are your main priorities moving forward specifically for the Campion Ward?
01:11So for the ward it's to continue pushing for road improvements.
01:16We're due to open the Sandy Lane Relief Road next month.
01:20That's all on course now.
01:23Dealing with parents of children with SEND issues.
01:26And just the ordinary work of a ward councillor as I don't anticipate being leader at the moment.
01:32And in terms of West Northamptonshire Council as a whole, what would be the priorities for the area as a whole?
01:38So I think one of the key priorities for any administration has got to be getting the right devolution deal for West Northamptonshire.
01:46Our priority was always the South Midlands.
01:48And I hope that that can still be pursued because the economic opportunities within that are absolutely massive.
01:56But there's always a challenge within local government of making sure that budgets are balanced.
02:00And so you can run key services safely and efficiently.
02:05And then there is the continuation of the efficiency drive that we've been undertaking.
02:09Trying to make the most of AI, modern ways of working.
02:13There's still a small piece of restructure work to be completed at the top tier of the council.
02:19So that will be pursued in the new term.
02:22So yeah, there's work still to do.
02:24And then we've also got those massive regen plans for Northampton.
02:28Hundreds of millions of pounds of investment secured already.
02:31The Women's Rugby World Cup coming to Northampton in the autumn, which is massively exciting.
02:36So I hope that there is a change of administration.
02:39Then we've built the foundations in terms of the financial stability and the culture and the expertise of the senior officers for the council to flourish, whoever's in charge.
02:50And I know you've said there that you feel like reform will get the majority.
02:54Do you think that the Conservatives will be the largest opposition party in?
02:58That still looks likely, I would say.
03:00But it's just very uncertain in there right now, you know, where we'll pick up seats, where reform will squeeze us or Labour.
03:08It's the most unpredictable and surprising set of elections I've ever been a part of.
03:12So don't ask me for a prediction right now.
03:14I couldn't even fathom one, to be honest.
03:17And if things go the way that you have predicted, why do you feel like a change like this has occurred in Western Thamptonshire?
03:24So, I mean, I think if you look across the country, there have been pretty seismic changes in terms of the mayoral elections that have taken place.
03:32Lincolnshire has gone to reform.
03:33Staffordshire has gone to reform.
03:35You know, colleagues in Northamptonshire feel that they're going to go over to reform.
03:41So we're hardly unique.
03:42And I think it goes back to what I was saying about what I heard on the doorstep.
03:46There's still a lot of anger about what happened under the last Conservative government.
03:51Labour have come in with relatively little support for a new government.
03:54And in most people's eyes fared badly.
03:57And so I think there's a feeling among a lot of voters that it's a plague on both your houses.
04:03And so there's now this protest vote.
04:07And whilst ultimately the choice that people make will determine the success or otherwise of local services,
04:13people are using this platform to voice their discontent about national issues.
04:18And generally that's been the case in the past.
04:21Local elections have always been influenced massively by the national picture.
04:25So it's benefited us in the past.
04:26So we can't complain all that much now that it's not benefiting us.