FRIDAY 11.50am

DEPUTY leader Roger James has been ousted from the Forest of Dean District Council as he becomes the first big name to fall during the local elections which were being declared today.

Mr James, who was the cabinet member for Finance and Governance at the authority, was beaten in the Newland and Sling ward by Green Party candidate David Wheeler who proudly declared that he was returning to the authority after 16 years.

Mr Wheeler took the seat by 139 votes in a four-way contest and said he was ‘shaking’ after taking the ward.

The big issue in the Newland and Sling ward, which includes Clearwell, was the controversy surrounding a turkey farm extension which has now been rejected by the authority.

There was another big result for the Greens in Newnham ward where Nicky Packer topped the poll ahead of Conservative Richard Boyles, who was a councillor in the last administration, by a whopping 242 votes.

Meanwhile, Conservative Roger Yeates was returned by 202 votes ahead of the Green Party’s Bob Rhodes in Dymock, while Labour held Cinderford East with Di Martin and Max Coburn winning the two seats despite a poor turnout of only 22 per cent.

More results will be added as they come in.