Jonathan Harris - Lib Dem, Brixworth - after his win
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00:00Then congratulations. Thank you. Your initial reaction to retaining a seat.
00:04I'm thrilled. It's an honour and a pleasure to be elected. It's one of those things when you come to a hall like this and you see democracy at work.
00:13You don't always like the outcomes and you don't always like what you're witnessing, but it's always a testament to putting your faith in people to either return you back if they like what you're doing or maybe change their minds and do something different.
00:26Of course, there's national phenomena that get into the mix. Last time around in 2021, we had the vaccine bounce, which didn't help us particularly well in Western France.
00:37And this time around, we're seeing what's going on on a national basis with a particular party.
00:43And I think, you know, that's that's not helped us either.
00:46And as I was saying earlier on on the radio interview, the challenge is, you know, there's not a lot of wriggle room in local council these days from the finances point of view, a legal parameter point of view and a service delivery perspective.
01:01So it's very easy when you're not involved or engaged to stand by and say, we're going to do this.
01:08We're going to do that. We're going to find lots of money. The money's not there.
01:12You've got to work smart. And whoever ends up involved running the council this time around in whatever combination is going to be smart working.
01:20It's going to make it tick.
01:22And with, you know, the makeup of the council, if it was to become no overall control, are you and your team of Liberal Democrats in a good position to be able to maybe form that picture with whoever it may be?
01:36Well, too early to say at the moment, you know, I'm the only Lib Dem elected as I speak to you.
01:42So that wouldn't really make much of a difference.
01:45I think that's for another day, to be honest with you.
01:48I think today is really about just seeing where the land lies, what the final numbers look like.
01:53And that's conversations for another time.
01:56And nationally, how do you feel about the performance of the Lib Dems in the local elections?
02:00And you touched on it earlier, the surgence, if you like, of reform.
02:05Well, I'm delighted with the performance of the Lib Dems nationally.
02:09Again, one of the things that we've got used to having to do in the first pass of the post system is try and work smart,
02:14be targeted and not try and spread our resources too thinly.
02:18You know, unlike many of the other parties, every fund that we get, we have to raise ourself.
02:23We have no big sponsors in tech industry or anywhere else for that matter.
02:27So, you know, we have to use those resources effectively and looking at the results coming in.
02:32I'm from Gloucestershire originally.
02:34Gloucestershire last time I looked was looking very positive for us.
02:37So that delights me.
02:39And, you know, we see really good pockets of performance.
02:41And sadly, I think that's where we are with first pass of the post.
02:46And, of course, it's a long-standing policy of the Lib Dems to get rid of that and change it
02:50and have a decent form of proportional representation, whatever that might deliver.
02:56And you've won by quite a large majority in Brixworth.
02:59So what do you feel like made people put their confidence in you once again?
03:02I think being a local councillor, you know, we've seen a lot of campaigning on a national basis
03:09and national issues have come through on the doorsteps.
03:13And local, they've been sort of compounded and crushed together.
03:18And actually, to be a good councillor, you have to work with your community.
03:22You have to deliver.
03:23You have to be there for people.
03:25You have to respond to people.
03:26You have to help them with their difficult cases and casework.
03:30And, you know, there are some councillors of all different political persuasions
03:34that are good at doing that.
03:36And I think that's probably testament to, hopefully, what I've delivered in Brixworth.
03:41And what are your main priorities for the area moving forward now that you've been re-elected?
03:45So I think one of the...
03:46I've been working very hard on a range of issues, really.
03:49We've helped people through the cost of living crisis with a food larder
03:52that we set up about three years ago.
03:54And we want to look at developing that, growing that, and continuing that support for people
03:59because we get really good feedback that it's really helping those that are struggling.
04:03I've worked very hard on public transport.
04:05We've got an extra bus route.
04:08Partially come through funding through national government
04:10through the Bus Service Improvement Plan.
04:13I want to make sure that we grow passenger numbers and keep that.
04:16People are telling me how much difference that makes in their lives.
04:19And I think that probably the big thing that will be on the horizon
04:23is obviously West North Council working on the local plan.
04:27We've been given extra housing targets by the new Labour government,
04:30as most councils have.
04:33And Brixworth has a neighbourhood development plan,
04:36which will need to be updated and aligned with that.
04:39And that hopefully will be something that we can form a good group of people in the village
04:44to develop and move forward with.
04:45And with the national trends that we've seen throughout the day with reform,
04:49were you confident coming into today that you would hold your seat?
04:52You're never confident.
04:53You're always putting your faith in the electorate.
04:56I would have been disappointed, clearly,
04:59because I think I've worked very hard for my community.
05:02And yes, it would have been disappointing to have lost.
05:06I'm delighted to have got the margin that I've got also.
05:09And again, I'd just like to pay tribute to the people of Brixworth
05:13for having faith in me and re-electing me.
05:15And I'd like to say a further tribute to my team.
05:19I've got an amazing team around me.
05:20Could not have done it without their hard work.
05:22And finally, my wife, Christine, she is really my rock.
05:28And, you know, I could not have done any of this without her support.