I have lost the election in Seaton and Colyton, by 145 votes
Results:
Marcus Hartnell, Conservative, 2321 (1782 in 2017, when independent Conservative Jim Knight also got 414) 44.6%
Martin Shaw, Independent EDA, 2176 (1824 in 2017) 42.8%
Labour, 306 (224) 5.9%
Lib Dem, 160 (524) 3.1%
‘Democratic Network’, 95, 1.8%
‘Freedom alliance’ (anti-lockdown), 84, 1.6%
TORY MAJORITY: 145 (1.8%)
I congratulate Marcus on his election and thank everyone who voted for me, and especially those who helped the campaign. We did all we could but it was not quite enough.
This result and the similarly close results in Axminster and Sidmouth obviously need careful analysis, which I will return to in due course.
It has been an honour to represent the people of Seaton and Colyton over the last four years. I shall continue to work with everyone in the area to change things for the better.
Seaton & Colyton MATTERS 
May 7, 2021 at 6:57 pm
I’m very sorry to hear this, Martin. Thank you for all you’ve done during your tenure and I wish you all the best for the future.
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May 8, 2021 at 9:14 am
A great shame. Sadly, many seem to have voted on national issues and under the very mistaken view that the Conservatives have managed the pandemic well. The reality is that their mismanagement has cost many thousands of avoidable deaths and many thousands of avoidable job losses. I shudder every time I hear people say the pandemic could not have been predicted and that no one could have done better, as I know that to be nonsense. Pandemic has been at the top of the Government’s Risk Register under Cameron’s, May’s and Johnson’s governments. I know that at the start of Cameron’s coalition the work to prepare for a pandemic, which began in 2004/05, was continuing, yet by 2020 the Government was as ill prepared as they were at the end of the last Century! Then Johnson failed to follow best practice, or took far too long to do so, and we all know the tragic result. The vaccine rollout may have been successful, but that cannot make up for the monumental failures that made it so vital. I guess that until people wake up to that reality they will continue to be taken in by Tory lies and cover up.
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