Election 2008

With 1,162 votes Mike Garrett will take his place as a Deputy for the Castel on the 1 May. We spoke to him about how he felt about the results.

Garrett was late to put his name in for the election and thought it would be close: "I knew I would be on the borderline because I knew of the standing members in the parish, but I knew that if I had a good campaign then I stood a good chance."

Mike Garrett felt he had a successful campaign, but what made him think so: "The responses on the doorsteps and also from the hustings. I was very lucky to have a really good hustings, must just have been on good form that night, from there on it's gone up."

Turnout in the Castel was down 10% on 2004 and Garrett thinks this is linked to apathy: "A lot of the electorate were fed up with things and I know a lot of people who said I'm not going to vote because nothing's going to change. Even if you get in it will just be more of the same. Much as I tried to convince them new blood and new teamwork might change all that."

As for the problems with the electoral roll Mr Garrett was directly affected as his wife disappeared from the roll in between the two elections and she was unable to cast her vote. Fortunately her husband didn't need that one vital vote as he secured the final place in the Castel by 106.