Lib Dems celebrate fourth Horsham by-election win in 10 months

Clive Trott received 46 per cent of the vote on Thursdsay (March 24) and will be Denne’s newest representative at HDC.

He received 832 votes, ahead of the Conservatives’ David Walbank (628), Labour’s Kevin O’Sullivan (241) and the Green Party candidate Florian Yeates (107).

Mr Trott said: “I am honoured to have been elected and want to thank voters. As a Horsham resident myself, I know the value of our cherished green spaces and town facilities.

“The potential loss of the Drill Hall to our community – where I joined the Territorial Army back in 1988 – should never have been on the table.

On the council I’ll fight to protect all that makes Horsham a great place to live and a caring community, ensuring the most vulnerable are given genuine respect and opportunities. The works starts now.”

As a former UN Observer Force commander during the previous Russian invasion of Georgia he described being glad to see the Horsham community standing with Ukraine and rallying around the effort.

The by-election win is the Lib Dems fourth in Horsham over the past year.

Martin Boffey was elected in Trafalgar in May 2021, Jon Olson won in Forest in October and Sam Raby was triumphant in Roffey South in December.

Louise Potter, Liberal Democrat HDC Group Leader said: “Congratulations to Clive Trott and the team who joined Clive on the doorstep and helped deliver our positive messages to Denne residents.

“Clive’s win maintains an amazing run for the Horsham Liberal Democrats. And hopefully there’s more to come with another by-election next month in Storrington and Washington. Residents are telling us they’re fed up with being taken for granted.

“We’ll continue on our mission to protect our green spaces and deal with speeding and transport issues. Above all we need a local plan that provides the houses we need, not what developers want, for local residents across the whole district.”

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