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Labour defector Martin Weir became a Tory hero in Cherwell when he ousted former colleague and long-standing councillor Surinder Dhesi from her seat on the district council.

Mr Weir switched from Labour to Conservatives in March and stood in Banbury's Neithrop ward against Labour.

In another turn-around, Labour stalwart Patrick Cartledge fell to Tory newcomer Patricia Tompson. Mr Cartledge blamed his defeat on the downturn in fortunes of Labour nationally.

Overall, it was a bleak day for Labour, who now have only two seats on Cherwell District Council. In the 17 wards contested, it was a clean sweep for the Tories who won all of them - gaining two from Labour in the process.

The other 15 wards were already Conservative held. The balance of power is now: Conservative 44; Lib Dem 4; Labour 2. None of the four Lib Dem seats were up for grabs this year.

Mr Weir said: "It was a lot of hard work by a lot of people behind the scenes. The Tory Party is co-ordinated and organised - and that's why I won.

"It's a double celebration for me. I'm a Glasgow Rangers supporter and they reached the UEFA cup final."

Mrs Tompson, who said her aim was to make Banbury a better place, said: "I want to do something about the graffiti and the general look of the place.

"Banbury isn't just the town centre - it's the estates as well and they will be my priority."

Mr Cartledge said: "We were hoping to hold the two seats in Banbury, but sadly we didn't.

"It's national politics again - the 10p tax rate, fuel prices and the cost of living going up were all doorstep topics.

"What should come out of this is that people will eventually realise the Government has got the economy straight and we will come through this global downturn better than the Tories did in the 1990s.

"I'm not finished. I'm still a county councillor and I'll be back to contest the district again."

In Bicester, Lawrie Stratford returned to the council after four years. He lost his seat in 2004, then failed by one vote last year in Bicester South, but came back this time to win in Bicester East.

He said: "It's a good result locally, but also reflects the national trend."

11:40pm Friday 2nd May 2008

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