THE soon-to-be leader of Christchurch council has rejected the idea there are too many Tory members.

Cllr Ray Nottage, who is ward member for Purewell and Stanpit, said he did not think the number of Conservative councillors would be detrimental to the council, saying he would like the members to be thought of as “community workers”.

At last week’s elections, the Conservatives gained four seats, increasing their majority to 21 out of 24 on Christchurch council.

The Liberal Democrats lost three seats, meaning the main opposition on the council is now the two Independents, represented by councillors Fred Neale and Colin Bungey.

Cllr Nottage, who was elected leader of the Conservative group on Saturday and will be confirmed as the leader of the borough council at the annual council meeting on Tuesday, said: “There will be no big changes.

“We will be seeking more efficiencies, seeking ways of working smarter and looking closely at all the work we can do to make this easier.

“There is a new and exciting atmosphere triggered by the result, which was a clear statement from the residents that the work we have done is good.

“As to whether there are too many Conservatives, I do not see that as a problem at all.

“We are all community workers, who will be listening to the residents and hearing what they want.

“We have some clear goals but right at the top of our list is that we will work with the community.”

Cllr Nottage said that although he was expecting a gain for the Tories in last week’s election, winning a seat in the town centre ward, which was for years a Liberal Democrat stronghold, was “tremendous”.

He added: “One of our priorities will be the redevelopment of the town centre in terms of marketing Christchurch to bring new business and make it a better place to live.”