The CONSERVATIVE party has gained a majority on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, which also sees an influx of newly-elected representatives following an all-out election.

Here, we have spoken to all 16 new candidates to find out a bit about them and what they hope to bring to the role.

Former Gazette photographer Sean Dillow (Conservative, Winklebury & Manydown) is a delivery driver for Ocado. The 54-year-old said he’s “not a political man” but was keen to represent the ward as it embarks on the Winklebury Centre regeneration and Manydown projects, “to make sure it’s done right”.

Mother-of-four Abigail Compton-Burnett (Conservative, Winklebury & Manydown) lives in Wootton St Lawrence and is a governor for Hampshire Hospitals and a Besom charity trustee. The former nurse says health is top of her agenda, particularly “making communities as strong as possible so people can look out for each other.”

Lucie Follett Maitland (Independent, Whitchurch, Overton and Laverstoke) says she joined the campaign late on, as a result of her work on the Whitchurch Conservation Group, which aims to preserve the town’s green spaces from development. The community activist added that while her focus has been planning issues, she also hopes to target “social issues such as isolation which has come to light because of lockdown”.

Geoff Poland (Conservative, Tadley North, Kingsclere & Baughurst) hopes that having three Conservative candidates in the area will allow for a “united front” and says his priorities are addressing resident concerns over a new supermarket for Tadley, and litter.

Jay Ganesh (Conservative, Sherborne St John & Rooksdown) has done a lot of voluntary work in the community, but says he is excited to have the opportunity to “scale up” his role, as a councillor. He said that “preserving green space” in light of development, for example at Sherborne Fields, is high on his list of priorities.

Sajish Tom (Labour, Popley) lives on Abbey Road and says that despite his “inexperience” as a councillor, the new Labour team there is ready to “prove ourselves”. He views parking, flytipping and anti-social behaviour as key community concerns he wants to address.

Jacky Tustain (Labour, Popley) has lived in Basingstoke for 50 years and Popley for 25. She currently stays on Pershore Road and has also been elected onto Hampshire County Council. She says the team are “keen as mustard” to get out and meet residents as borough councillors.

Grant Donohoe (Labour, Popley) lives on Cleeve Road and says it’s “place before party” for him, with issues of the environment, including parks and waste, top priorities.

Aji Peter (Conservative, Kempshott & Buckskin) is an academic, who moved to Basingstoke two years ago. He said he managed to knock on most doors during the campaign period, and discovered that people in Buckskin are concerned about community safety. “We have to listen to public concerns, and work with them to find solutions,” he said.

Samir Kotecha (Conservative, Hatch Warren & Beggarwood) is a self-employed fitness instructor and brother of BBC reporter Sima Kotecha. He said he was “a little bit shocked to win” but thanks the people in his ward for “having confidence” in him. He said that his priority will be balancing housing plans with environmental and roads issues.

Samuel Carr (Conservative, Evingar) said he was “honoured, humbled and delighted” to be elected. The 26-year-old lives in St Mary Bourne. “The principle priority is to be economic recovery,” he said.

Arun Mummalaneni (Conservative, Brookvale and Kings Furlong), 45, moved to Basingstoke from India in 2001 to work as a software engineer for Motorola. He’s now a freelance IT consultant and former Chair of the Basingstoke Multicultural Forum. He wants to represent minority communities in particular, saying: “I struggled a lot to mingle here at first, and I thought why should anyone else have to go through that same initial struggle?”

Sam Jeans (Conservative, Brookvale and Kings Furlong) lives on Winchester Road. The 45-year-old grandmother works in Oncology and says she’s “not a politician” but believes strongly in community creation. She says resident concerns surrounding plans for 180 Culver Road are “close to her heart” and she plans to be “incredibly vocal” as a councillor.

Michael Howard-Sorrell (Labour, Brookvale and Kings Furlong) is originally from Buckinghamshire, but now lives in Chineham with his partner. The 26-year-old network engineer for Visa said he has been brought up around community work, and saw the transition to politics as “a civic duty”. “If you want things to change, you have to do it yourself,” he added.

Andrea Bowes (Liberal Democrat, Brighton Hill), 57, hails from the Isle of Wight but lives in South Ham. She and her husband run a radio frequency design company. She was inspired by her colleagues in Eastrop who “get things done”, and says leisure facilities, namely the Camrose, are top of her agenda. “I miss seeing the lights and hearing the people there,” she said.

Richard Court (Conservative, Kempshott & Buckskin) decided to stand for election to “carry the torch” for his wife, Cllr Anne Court, who sadly passed away last year. He runs the Kempshott Kourier community magazine and says he hopes to “have some fun” representing the new combined ward.

Derek Mellor (Conservative, Tadley & Pamber) credits his long-standing colleagues with getting him elected, but has experience on Hampshire County Council, and hopes this will help in his role for the borough. “I see some good symmetry with housing applications and highways,” he said.