We are The People's Independent Party.  Local people. Local priorities. Local decisions.

The Essex County Council elections on May 7th were held against the backdrop of huge national political change.

Across Essex, and across the country, Reform made major gains after a campaign heavily focused on national politics and national dissatisfaction.

Yet here in Castle Point, despite the scale of that national movement and the huge amount of money, publicity and effort invested into turning these elections into a national referendum, PIP held its own as a truly local party focused on local priorities.

And now, for the first time in our history, PIP has an elected County Councillor.

We would like to sincerely thank every resident who placed their trust in us and supported our candidates across Hadleigh, Thundersley and South Benfleet.

Congratulations go to Allan Edwards on his election to Essex County Council, and to candidates Matt Cortes and Russ Savage for their hard work during the campaign.

Despite misinformation during the campaign about what these elections were actually for, one thing remains unchanged:

• PIP still has 24 local Borough Councillors working for Castle Point residents

• And now, for the first time, we have a voice inside County Hall as well

That matters.

Because local government should never stop being about local people.

PIP has shown at Borough level that councils can be transformed through hard work, financial responsibility, accountability and a relentless focus on residents.

We will now bring that same experience and scrutiny to County level.

We congratulate Reform on their success and recognise that responsibility now comes with it. Residents will rightly expect delivery where the previous Conservative administration failed.

Our responsibility will be to scrutinise decisions properly, challenge where necessary, and ensure Castle Point’s interests are always protected.

This election may be over, but the work continues..

And that’s exactly what we intend to do.

Local people. Local priorities. Local decisions.