Published: 29 July, 2010
by RICHARD OSLEY

A BY-ELECTION winner has dedicated his thumping victory to the former leader of Camden’s Conservative Party whose sudden death triggered the poll.

New Tory councillor Giovanni Spinella trounced his rivals in Thursday’s vote in Frognal and Fitzjohn’s ward, stamping out the hopes of Liberal Democrats seeking to make ground in some of the strongest streets in the borough for the Conservatives.

The one-sided ballot was held after Councilor Martin Davies died suddenly at his Belsize Park home just weeks after becoming the group’s leader in May. 

The 45-year-old had been credited with putting in motion plans to revolutionise care home provision for elderly people in Camden.

Cllr Spinella said: “I am obviously very happy to be elected as councillor but any celebrations have to be tempered with sadness and thoughts of Martin Davies. They are not circumstances that anybody wants to be elected councillor in. 

“The result here is testament to the work he and other Conservative councillors have done over the years.”

The ward is considered the Tory’s safest council constituency in Camden after it elected three Conservative councillors at the boroughwide poll in May. 

Turnout was unsurprisingly low – the last vote was held on the same day as the general election – but Cllr Spinella was still well clear of his closest opponent, Lib Dem David Bouchier.

He said he had not taken the win for granted during the campaign.

“Already, I am concerned that the new Labour administration has stopped ‘area forum’ meetings which gave members of the public the chance to have their say,” he said. 

“People must be part of the debate. In that respect I am also concerned that the new administration has not taken seriously concerns about the shortage of primary school places in the north of the borough. 

“We will hold them to account.”