The first Liberal Democrat councillor to take up a seat on West Lothian Council has said she is looking forward to fighting for local residents.
Sally Pattle will take up her seat after a nail-biting contest which saw the Tory favourite eased off the leader board early - and she admitted the tension had been so unbearable she hadn't been able to watch the final moments of the count.
The result meant Linlithgow elected its first Lib-Dem representative since the days of Lothian Regional Council. There has been a strong Lib Dem organisation in the town which has actively contested elections at all levels.
READ MORE: West Lothian Council Election 2022: Lib Dems claim Tory seat as Conservatives squeezed
Mrs Pattle told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We knew we'd run a well-received campaign on the ground, and we could see from the start of the count that we were definitely in the race, but as the morning went on it got closer and closer - in the end I just waited for the announcement by Graham Hope as I couldn't watch the screens anymore.”
Honoured to be elected as “local champion” Mrs Pattle, who runs the bookstore, Far From the Madding Crowd, in the town’s High Street said she would fight for all in the town. Highlighting the current “hot button” issues for Linlithgow such as high street parking, she said: “I'll fight to get the best deal for everyone who lives and works here.”
Now keen to get started, Mrs Pattle said: “Across West Lothian, I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that where new developments are approved, there is adequate infrastructure to cope with the increased demand.
“I also want to support and promote the work of the voluntary sector any way I can, they do such important work and have shown through the pandemic that local groups are often best placed to deal with local problems as they can react more quickly.”
Mrs Pattle said the Liberal Democrats have a “fantastic track record in local democracy”.
She added: “I am incredibly proud to be the first elected Lib Dem Councillor since West Lothian Council was formed in 1996. I can't wait to get started on the real work of being a councillor for the Linlithgow ward.
“I aim to strike a good balance with the new Administration by working together with them on the many issues where we agree to get positive outcomes for everyone in Linlithgow, and of course West Lothian as a whole.”
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
