CONSERVATIVE dominance on Buckinghamshire County Council will continue for another four years, following the elections.

The party now has two more members on the 54-seat council, bringing its number to 40 the figure that Tory leaders had forecast they would win.

The Conservatives gained four seats three from the Lib Dems, plus the only Independent member. But they also lost two to the Lib Dems.

So the new form of council government, by a one party cabinet of eight, will continue to be all Conservative. It will be led by David Shakespeare, of High Wycombe,who now represents Flackwell Heath, which he inherited from retiring council chairman, Ken Ross. Bill Chapple will be his deputy.

The two men should be confirmed in their posts when the full council meets on June 28.

By that time Cllr Shakespeare will have nominated the other six Conservative cabinet members who will be responsible for schools, children, care services, roads and transport, community affairs and corporate services. And given the Tory majority, they too will be approved.

Cllr Rex Lingham Wood, is expected to be the new council chairman with Cherry Aston as vice-chairman.

One man who would not have been a Conservative county councillor had it not been for the Prime Minister is the new Stokenchurch member Frank Downes. Originally Jean Teesdale was the Tory candidate, but when the election was postponed by Mr Blair because of foot and mouth, she stood down following a spat with her agent. Mr Downes took her place and the seat from the Lib Dems.

The Tories took Denham off the only Independent member left on the council, Stella Lee, and won Aylesbury northern from Lib Dem Susie Pierce.

They also won Lib Dem Michael Brand's seat in Amersham east, in a 214 vote victory for Chiltern district councillor David Meacock.

The Lib Dems in their turn won two seats from the Conservatives. In Ivinghoe Aylesbury district councillor Avril Davies took the seat by 245 votes. They also nabbed Chesham East from Conservative Noel Brown who lost by just nine votes to Patricia Lindsley. Lib Dems now have nine council members, including their leader Pam Crawford who increased her lead to 371.

Labour had five seats, all in Wycombe, before the election and it is in the same now.