How Wyre Forest voted

Richard Taylor (Health Concern) 18,739

Mark Garnier (Conservative) 13,489

Marc Bayliss (Labour) 10,716

Fran Oborski (Liberal) 2, 666

Rustie Lee (UKIP) 1,074

Bert Priest (Monster Raving Loony) 303

Majority: 5,250 Turn-out: 64.2%

DR Richard Taylor has stormed to another General Election victory in Wyre Forest with a commitment to stand up for "local desires, needs and the NHS".

The former hospital consultant, elected as Health Concern MP in 2001 over the downgrading of Kidderminster Hospital, won a second term in Parliament with 18,739 votes.

The 70-year-old's majority was heavily reduced, however, from 2001's 17,630 to 5,250.

A high-profile campaign by the Conservative's Mark Garnier saw voters desert Dr Taylor to back the Tories, slashing the MP's share of the vote from 58.1 per cent to 39.9 per cent, a swing to the Tories of 13.9 per cent.

Mr Garnier brought in an extra 4,139 votes compared to last time, giving the party 28.7 per cent of the poll, an extra 9.6 per cent.

The Conservatives also triumphed over Dr Taylor's Health Concern party at Thursday's elections for Worcestershire County Council, leading a senior Tory to claim that the rival group was "finished" in Wyre Forest.

Dr Taylor's victory is, in the words of Mr Garnier, a "truly remarkable achievement" as he is the only Independent MP to be re-elected to Parliament in the modern era.

The winning candidate took to the stage at 2.50am last Friday after a tense count at Wyre Forest Glades Arena in Kidderminster.

Party members from all sides at first said the poll was too close to call, but soon it was clear who had the upper hand.

Dr Taylor told the audience: "I didn't realise until I got here tonight how much I wanted to retain the enormous privilege that you gave me four years ago of representing local people.

"I've come to regard it very much as my area and my duty to represent local people. It's been a fantastic learning experience, the first spell. Having to work out how to vote on most issues and having to speak on a variety of issues has been a huge challenge but very very interesting and enjoyable."

He said his priorities would be health and education and he had a "dream" of an industrial heritage trail for Wyre Forest.

He went on: "In 2001 we launched the Kidderminster effect which put fear into the Department of Health and we are going to go on, thanks to you, standing up for local desires, needs and the NHS."

Mr Garnier said Dr Taylor had "done a tremendous job and has worked very hard for his constituency".

He said: "When we started this campaign about a year ago, one of the targets that I set myself was that if we didn't win tonight then at least we could wake up on the morning of the sixth of May and say there was no stone unturned, there was nothing else we could have done. I think we have done absolutely everything and I think just tonight wasn't going to be for the Conservatives."

Labour's Marc Bayliss slightly increased his party's share of the vote, by 0.7 per cent.

He said: "We haven't tonight made (a) breakthrough but I believe next time we will improve and we will return. Just like Kidderminster Harriers, you can't keep a good side down."

Liberal candidate Fran Oborski, who polled 2,666 votes, said she was pleased to have "put certain issues on the agenda" while former TV chef and UK Independence Party candidate Rustie Lee said her 1,074 votes were from people who had "opened their ears and eyes to see what's happening in our country".

Monster Raving Loony party candidate Bert Priest, who took 303 votes, congratulated Dr Taylor on his victory and asked him to "keep my seat warm" until the next election.

Both Mrs Lee and Mr Priest lost their £500 deposits after each failed to gain the required five per cent of the poll.

The decline in turnout at the Wyre Forest poll that began in 1992 continued, falling to 64.91 per cent from 2001's 68 per cent.

A total of 6,862 postal votes were issued in Wyre Forest, and 5,611 were recorded at the count.