The ex-councillor leader, Paul Bettison, has said that ‘it has been the privilege of his life to serve on one of the best councils in the UK' following his defeat in the latest elections.

On Friday, May 5 it was decided by the people of Bracknell that they were ready for Labour to take control of the council after 27 years of a conservative reign.

It was a disappointing day for both Paul and the entire conservative party as Labour and the Liberal Democrats pulled ahead within the council.

The News spoke to ex-councillor Bettison following the vote to get his views on the recent decision.

He said: “I’m very disappointed but unfortunately today wasn’t a good day for me. We came here expecting to take losses, however we didn’t expect the scale of those losses.

“We knew that a lot of the national stuff was working against us and we certainly knew the deal between labour and liberal democrats was going to make our job a lot harder today because we would have had to get half the votes to win the seats. 

“That’s a very high mountain to climb. We’ve lost some very good people which upsets me more that losing my own seat.

“I’ve had 28 years of being in the privileged position of running one of the best councils in the country and I’m so grateful for that.”

Through his run as a conservative party leader, Paul has been involved in many decisions made throughout the town including the regeneration of the town centre and the creation of The Lexicon.

The councillor added: “I’ve got some great memories. Every time I visit the Lexicon I’ll know who made that possible and I’ll get a little shiver down my spine. I’ll never forget when her majesty came and congratulated me and for doing what many people thought was impossible.

“No regrets. I’ve enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people. The borough of Bracknell Forest is populated with an incredible number of incredible people and I will always remember that."