Westminster Council - are the Tories really at risk of losing it?

[Westfacing]

Are the potential Tory losses being exaggerated in order to claim that things weren't so bad?

Wandsworth would be big news but surely Westminster would be seismic!

very unlikely to lose westm cc.
may lose a few councillors.

no

BBC clicky link.

They lost it to Labour.

And so the people will be heard. Local conservatives have, despite their best efforts, been unable to disassociate themselves from big brother

"Local conservatives" how are they different from the main party?

If you are elected official you need to follow your party line or you lose the whip/become independent.

Oh my area had difficulty getting people in the borough to stand for the Conservatives and they stopped leafleting in the last two weeks.

I'm not saying local conservatives are different. I don't believe they are at all. But the post election rhetoric is very likely to say that local government is lovely and had been undeservedly betrayed, when we put in all those extra streetlights, and never once did we get pissed in the garden with Boris Johnson.

Blimey I've just woken up to this seismic news!

I'm Croydon where it's been a hard battle between Labour (who would have been a shoe-in given state of Govt but have bankrupted the Council) as 'local Conservatives' who branded themselves as such and literally no mention was made of their relation to current Govt. For most of us it came down to least hated . .

Waiting on result for first Mayor too . .

Great news

Westminster and Wandsworth (Thatcher’s model Tory borough) both Labour now.

Both Wandsworth and Westminster lost - I'm surprised, given how people are already concerned about increasing bills and a council tax hike next time is probably the last thing most families need.

But gains elsewhere in the country

Disconnect between London (and the chattering classes) and elsewhere?

No we're not the chattering classes - just proof that the lowest council taxes in the country don't mitigate against the effects of Boris Johnson.

Southampton’s gone too. There’s no connect between a Tory Council and low council tax any more. Ours increases by the maximum possible every year in a true blue heartland. Where have there been Tory gains?

I'm shocked about wandsworth tbh

Westminster as a council area goes a lot further than you might expect.

Overall the council results so far do not seem to be as poor from a Conservative viewpoint for enough MPs to want to get rid of Mr Johnson. Perhaps some of those who historically voted Tory have just not voted, instead of voting Labour, Lib Dem or Green.

Shows how different London is from rest of country. Doesn’t seem like Labour have made much impact anywhere else? ( lots still to declare of course)

Wasn't it Westminster (under Shirley Porter) thar was the flagship?

Wandsworth was Thatcher's favourite borough - they once set a council tax of ZERO.

Lol.

Not as seismic but Conservatives have lost West Oxfordshire, which was one of Cameron's back in the day

Nope both boroughs have plenty of poor and normal people.

Also there are (political) reasons why they have historically low council tax just talk to smaller shop keepers and it isn't all TFLs fault.

Wish London could devolve from the rest of the country…..

Then you will be poorer for it especially if Scotland leave.

Tories like to talk about how Westminster council is well run, presumably because their tax rates are low, but this thing with the Marble Arch mound has really trashed their reputation with residents. There’s not enough money for essential services but they can spend millions on an astroturfed hill?