TORY grassroots councillors have told of how national woes hit them on the doorstep in the weeks prior to the election.

Last week David Davies, in a letter to the Argus, apologised to those who felt “let down” by the Tory-led coalition.

Few of the Monmouthshire county councillors would comment on David Davies’ words, but several admitted that national problems played badly on the campaign trail.

The Tories remained the largest group but lost their majority on the council – meaning they would have to form a coalition to govern.

Cllr David Dovey, of Monmouthshire Council’s St Kingsmark ward, said it wasn’t for him to comment on Mr Davies’ words.

But he added: “The series of mishaps in the run-up to the election did nothing to help the Conservatives, and I suspect had a pretty adverse aspect on the Liberal vote.”

He pointed out comments made about the storage of petrol as “pretty quite incredible”, but wondered if Labour would do so well at the next general election.

County Cllr Geoff Burrows, for Mitchel Troy, said people were judging the government far too quickly without an understanding “of the seriousness of the situation that we’re in”.

Cllr Martin Hickman said: “Every week it did seem there was another problem we had to face on the doorstep.”

Coalition talks are continuing

TALKS were still continuing on the forming of a coalition in Monmouthshire yesterday.

The Conservative group, while the largest party in the council, did not win enough seats at last week’s election to form an administration on its own.

Simon Howarth, leader of the ten-strong Independent group, said they’d been offered “nothing at all”, and, asked if the Independents would be forming part of the opposition, he said: “I would have thought so.”

Peter Fox, Conservative group leader, said he hadn’t spoken to Mr Howarth yet, but said that he was still willing to talk to Mr Howarth.

He was confident a deal could be done by Thursday, when the council is to elect its leader, but if there was an impasse that could be deferred.

Phil Hobson, leader of the Lib Dem group, said his group was also still talking and that the county’s members were set to discuss the group’s options at a meeting yesterday.