ANXIOUS hours of waiting paid off as Conservative councillors increased their majority in St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s elections.

Tory candidates won 38 of 45 seats in the poll, stealing all three seats from the Liberal Democrats to increase their majority of 36 seats in the 2007 elections.

Independent candidates also did well, snatching a seat from the Green Party to increase their standing from three councillors to four.

Although the Tories dropped a seat to Labour in Haverhill South, John Griffiths, group leader of the Suffolk Conservatives, welcomed such as strong return at the polls.

“This is an excellent result,” he said.

“I am very proud that all the efforts our councillors have put in to serving the residents in St Edmundsbury have been rewarded in this way.”

There were a few upsets as the ballot papers were counted at Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre today, following a strong average voter turnout of 40.37 per cent, a dramatic increase from the 2007 election turnout of 34.09 per cent.

Independent councillor Paul Hopfensperger won a hotly-contested seat in Bury’s St Olaves ward, stealing the position from Green party councillor Mark Ereira-Guyer.

Speaking after the result, Mr Hopfensperger said he was ‘ecstatic’ at the news.

“I am elated and totally shocked,” he said. “It is the fulfilment of a goal I set myself when I was five years old and I’m going to do my best to represent the people who elected me.”

For full details, see tomorrow’s East Anglian Daily Times.

Abbeygate Ward: Paul Farmer (C)* 1007, Richard Rout (C)* 744, Pippa Judd (Gn) 448, Chris Lale (LD) 317, Tom Stebbing (L) 282, Tina Ross (L), 259. Maj: 263. Turnout: 45.38%. No change.

Bardwell: John Hale (C)* 737, James Lumley (UKIP) 223. Maj: 514. Turnout: 51.14%. No change.

Barningham: Dave Ray (C)* 727, David Bradbury (LD), 305. Maj: 422. Turnout: 50.96%. No change.

Barrow: Ian Houlder (C)*.

Cavendish: Peter Stevens (C)*.

Chedburgh: Angela Rushen (C)*.

Clare: Alaric Pugh (C)* 482, Leslie Warmington (LD) 364. Maj: 150. Turnout: 51.42%. No change.

Eastgate: Pat Warby (C)* 427, Shirley Stephenson (L) 332, Maj: 95. Turnout: 41.07%. No change.

Fornham: Beccy Hopfensperger (C)* 621, Sarah-Jane Pearce (L) 222. Maj: 399. Turnout: 49.02%. C gain from LD.

Great Barton: Sarah Broughton (C)* 751, Pervez Khan (L) 199. Maj: 552. Turnout: 54.60%. No change.

Haverhill East (First three elected): Les Ager (C)* 834, Karen Richardson (C)* 664, Gordon Cox (C)* 662, Patrick Hanlon (L) 648, Ernie Goody (L) 636, Terry McNally (LD) 260, Ken Rolph (LD) 188. Maj: 170. Turnout: 31.14%. No change.

Haverhill North (First three elected): Patricia Gower (C)* 857, Tim Marks (C)* 825, John McManus (C)* 771, Julie Jupp (L) 654, Gary Stroud (L) 600, Allyn Bignell (LD) 375. Maj: 32. Turnout: 31.50%. No change.

Haverhill South (First two elected): Maureen Byrne (L)* 428, Phillip French (C)* 395, Lisa Carr (L) 373, Clive Turner (C) 359, Mick Graham (LD) 145. Maj: 33. Turnout: 25.79%. L gain from C.

Haverhill West (first two elected): Adam Whittaker (C)* 804, Jeremy Farthing (C)* 707, Roger Andre (L) 529. Maj: 97. Turnout: 33.99%. No change.

Horringer & Whelnetham: Terry Clements (C)* 630, Robin Davies (L) 262. Maj: 368. Turnout: 51.95%. No change.

Hundon: Dorothy Whittaker (C)*.

Ixworth: John Griffiths (C)*.

Kedington: Marion Rushbrook (C)*.

Minden (First two elected): Robert Everitt (C)* 791, Clive Springett (C)* 720, Quentin Cornish (L) 524, Jonathan Hartley (L) 426, Ritchie Tennant (Gn) 340. Maj: 71. Turnout: 44.97%. No change.

Moreton Hall (First three elected): Trevor Beckwith (Ind)* 1,443, Frank Warby (C)* 1,211, Terry Buckle (C)* 990, Cliff Hind (L) 500, Kevin Waterson (L) 364. Maj: 232. Turnout: 41.49%. No change.

Northgate: Diane Hind (L)* 315, Ida Rynsard (Gn) 258. Maj: 57. Turnout: 32.12%. No change.

Pakenham: Christopher Spicer (C)* 623, Gillian Malik (L) 193. Maj: 430. Turnout: 32.43%. No change.

Risby: Helen Levack (C)*.

Risbygate (First two elected): David Nettleton (Ind)* 840, Joshua Hordern (C)* 520, Karen Richardson (Gn) 450, Neil Moffat (L) 266, Ross Taylor (L) 198. Maj: 320. Turnout: 38.46%. No change.

Rougham: Sara Mildmay-White (C)* 656, Jan Lavender (L) 236. Maj: 420. Turnout: 49.84%. No change.

Southgate (First two elected): Patrick Chung (C)* 864, Sarah Stamp (C)* 668, Richard Blyth (L) 387, Nicola Ridgeway (L) 387, Sara Rae (Gn) 341, Gordon Hughes (LD) 293. Maj: 196. Turnout: 48.51%. C gain from LD.

St Olaves (First two elected): Bob Cockle (L)* 461, Paul Hopfensperger (Ind)* 421, Mark Ereira-Guyer (Gn) 372, Kevin Hind (L) 314. Maj: 40. Turnout: 29.33%. Ind gain from Gn.

Stanton: Jim Thorndyke (C)*.

Westgate (First two elected): Stefan Oliver (C)* 929, Paul Simner (C)* 879, Sandy Carmichale (L) 501, Timothy Beech (L) 471. Maj: 50. Turnout: 47.76%. No change.

Wickhambrook: Derek Redhead (Ind)* 571, Sue Houlder (C) 395. Maj: 176. Turnout: 54.42%. No change.

Withersfield: Robert Clifton-Brown (C)*.

Key: (L) Labour, (C) Conservative,

(LD) Liberal Democrat, (Gn) Green,

(Ind) Independent.