Torbay MP will stay on as local councillor

Steve Darling will "see how things pan out"

New Torbay MP Steve Darling plans to keep his seat on Torbay Council for the foreseeable future.

Mr Darling was elected as the bay’s new Liberal Democrat MP last week, overturning Conservative Kevin Foster’s 17,700 majority and turning it into a 5,300 margin for the Lib Dems.

It was part of a stunning night of success for the party across Devon which Mr Darling described in his victory speech as a ‘Lib-Demolition’.

He took his seat at Westminster this week, and took the oath to serve as the MP for the 76,000 registered electors in the bay.

But he says he also plans to remain on Torbay Council, where he has represented Barton with Watcombe since 1995.

However, he has relinquished his position as the leader of the opposition Lib Dem group on the council.

Former deputy Cllr Swithin Long (Lib Dem, Barton with Watcombe) is the acting group leader, with Cllr Cordelia Law (Lib Dem, Tormohun) now acting deputy leader.

Mr Darling says he intends to carry on with his council work despite the added pressures of his Westminster workload – at least for the time being.

“I will stand down as group leader, but remain as a backbencher,” he said. “Half of the new Liberal Democrat MPs are councillors, some of them leaders or immediate past leaders, so there are plenty of us in this situation.

“We’ll suck it and see for the next few weeks.”

Mr Darling says his main focus in his first few days at Westminster has been to set up his office and begin constituency work.

“We’ll just have to see how things pan out,” he said. “It is not beyond the wit of man to be able to do both jobs. Whether you can maintain your sanity in the longer term is another matter!

“But the last thing one should do is to jump to a decision too quickly. Let’s see how it goes.”