So, after months of hype and a bruising campaign the local elections in Medway have come and gone. The Conservative party have made history by being the first party to seize overall political control of the Council since it was formed in 1997.
What does that mean for the average person on the street, or for the average family?
I shall turn to election pledges in a moment, but above all Medway under the control of the Conservative party for the next four years means stability and an end to the constant negotiations and fudges which have been a feature of the last 6 years of no overall political.
Those who advocate that politicians "stop arguing" and act for the common good miss the point that we are often divided by fundamental beliefs on to act for the common good! Government by consensus invariably means fudge and backsliding, with the difficult decisions being put off to another day.
A single party in control will mean firm governance in Medway. It will mean a clear and decisive direction, with policies being developed and delivered. It will mean that things get done!
What will get done? It is necessary to look back in order to see the way ahead. Back to when the Conservatives fully funding the concessionary fares scheme. Back to when we abolished the charges for collecting bulky waste and went on to reduce fly-tipping, introduce new recycling measures and bring in a vast new £12 million waste contract.
Back to when we spent more every year on protecting our vulnerable and sick. Back to when we added £4.5 million to the education settlement after the government robbed our kids of the cash needed to further their education.
In that budget we agreed to provide a total of £265 million to fund our services. More money into education and social care. More and better public transport for our children. Enhanced street cleaning services. More money to be spent on repairing vandalised play areas, and better street lighting. Money to provide additional community safety wardens to assist in the fight against the yobs on our streets.
All of these things we knew were being asked for by the people of Medway, and the Conservative Contract With Medway promised to provide them whilst others abstained. They were not idle promises either, for the money to deliver them underpinned the promises.
What else can be achieved by the result on the 1st May?
The Conservative election campaign brought promises to improve the A228 where so many terrible accidents have occurred, and again the money is in place to do so. There was a promise to do everything possible to overturn the provision in the Medway Local Plan which allows Rochester Airport to be developed and closed.
What of the government‘s Cliffe Airport proposals? The election gives you a ruling party which is 100% united in it opposition to this scheme that can only be disastrous for Medway. So when the Council‘s own NO AIRPORT AT CLIFFE banners were taken down during the election campaign at the insistence of those opposing the Conservatives there again came a clear signal of where the other political groups on the Council are on this crucial issue.
The Conservatives promised to fight government plans to build on our green spaces. We are faced with a massive demand from government for increased housing, and increased housing densities which will ensure that we all live packed on top of one another.
There was a fundamental promise to tackle the yobs on our streets by working more closely with the police, by improving street lighting, and by providing more wardens.
There was a promise to put ever more money into repairing our road network, which is a promise backed up by the money to carry on with the job. This is a massive job, but the improvements began after the 2000 election and will go on and accelerate.
The result from May 1st gives us the opportunity to regenerate Medway as never before. It gives us the opportunity to kick-start the work which is sorely needed to turn Chatham town centre into a high-class retailing and entertainment centre which is sorely needed if Medway is to compete with other Kentish town centres.
Plans for this already exists, and money has been allocated, but there is a need to carry out a complete review of how that money can be best spent. That review begins now, which will allow us to get on with some meaningful improvements that will be to the benefit of all.
The task in front of the new administration is vast. There will be difficulties ahead and hard decisions to be made. But there will be firm and decisive action that will be yield tangible results for the people of Medway.
Perhaps my most poignant moment of a long and tiring day came in mid afternoon on arriving at a polling station. A young mother with her toddler in toe stopped and smiled: "I‘ve just voted for you—don‘t let me down!"
The Conservatives will not let Medway down.