THE Conservatives have only got control of Herefordshire Council because of the absurd failure of the Independents and It’s Our County (IOC) to form an election alliance.

In numerous wards, IOC and the Independents both stood, splitting the anti-Conservative vote and letting the Conservatives in.

Looking at the results, there are nine wards won by the Conservatives where they polled less than the combined vote for IOC and the Independents.

In all nine cases, this combined vote total is over 100 greater than the winning Conservative vote. In four of these wards, the combined vote total is over 300 greater than the winning Conservative vote.

If IOC and the Independents had sat down before the election and agreed a single candidate for each ward, the Conservatives would have lost control of the council.

RICHARD STOW Rowlestone