No elections this week, but several new councillors for UKIP nonetheless.

Firstly, David Rogerson up in Corby in Northamptonshire has been co-opted on to Stanion Parish council, representing our first new council seat of 2010! Congratulations to him and best of luck to him in his work on the council.

Second, as has widely been reported, Huntingdonshire District Councillor Peter Reeve, previously the sole UKIP member of that council, will be getting some company as ward colleague Conservative Councillor Andy Monk crosses the floor. Monk had only been elected in a by election last April, ironically narrowly beating Peter Reeve, who went on to win another seat in the same ward for us with his legendary double by election victory in July.

Upon his defection, Councillor Monk remarked “I really do feel that the current leadership of the Conservative Party no longer represents real conservative values and that local Conservative leaders do not allow their councillors the freedom to properly represent the local community. In contrast UKIP strongly champions the local community and is the real voice of local people.”

Establishing a presence for our party in the council chambers of Britain is so important, as it gives us the opportunity to start to take real action for the people of Britain, to hold the Lib/Lab/Con administrations to account, and to show a different way of doing things, concerned with helping the local people, and not with partisan politics. In that spirit, Mr. Monk’s realisations and his change of heart are of course very welcome.

Thirdly, only today I have learned that independent Sutton Councillor David Theobald has joined UKIP. With our incumbent there David Pickles, that is another council we now have 2 members of. Councillor Theobald remarked “I have enjoyed many debates and conversations with Cllr Pickles over the past few years and have found that, despite opposing views on some issues we can always find common ground and a viable road forward”.

So that’s three new councillors in our fair party this week already and its only Wednesday! For those of us keeping count, we are now up 22 council seats compared to immediately before last year’s European elections. This level of UKIP success in the local government arena is unprecedented. Let’s hope that it continues.

By elections will be held in the coming weeks in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Gravesham, Telford and the Wrekin and Aylesbury. If you live near one of these places and can help, please contact the local branch.