Second term in Town Hall for the Lib Dems

The electors backed the party to carry on running the council until 2011.

But the win was a hard-fought one. The Lib Dems clinched nine of the 16 seats to boast a majority of two over five Conservatives and a pair of Independents.

This was in contrast to the 16-0 clean sweep of 2003. That unprecedented full house had been whittled away by defections and by-election defeats but the Lib Dems still went into the elections with ten seats, compared to two for Labour and the Independents, one Conservative and a vacancy.

Lib Dem group leader Cllr Simon McDougall was pleased his party continued to hold power after the biggest battle of the ballot box since the town council was established in 1984 with 49 candidates vying for a seat.

"My stewardship as leader of the town council has been vindicated by the support of the voters and so has my handling of the council's precept.

'I am particularly pleased with that in spite of several personal attacks on my abilities in the past month.

'As the majority group, the Lib Dems will be proposing the chairmen of all the council's committees and the town mayor at the annual meeting on Monday,' he stated.

'Our priorities during the next four years will be to look at Bognor's entry into the In Bloom competitions (where it is competing against Britain's best floral communities for the second successive year) and see how we can build on our strengths in them.

'We are also looking to form a hit squad, probably through Town Force, to see how we can make a difference to the town by making it a cleaner place and a proud place in which to live.

"As for the regeneration, we will be ensuring that the voice of Bognor's residents is heard loud and clear as the schemes progress through their various stages."

The Lib Dems' lost two seats '“ one each in Marine ward and Pevensey '“ and filled the vacancy in Orchard. One of the casualties was town mayor John Hayward who will end his year in office at the annual meeting.

For the Conservatives, the election successes provided a total contrast to those of 2003. The party failed to field a single candidate then. But it returned with a vengeance to claim its biggest representation on the town council for 20 years.

Their five councillors are the second biggest grouping. Independents maintained their two seats with Ken Scutt (Marine) being joined by Jim Brooks in place of the retired Sylvia Olliver.

Labour failed to be elected for the second set of elections in a row. Just over four years ago, it was the biggest party on the council. Roger Nash did re-introduce a presence in a by-election win two years ago but he was swept aside by the voters' move away from his party.

The British National Party's four candidates managed mid-table results among the lengthy list of candidates in the Orchard and Pevensey wards.