The leader of Brent Council has vowed to do more for the borough following Labour’s overwhelming landslide victory at the local elections.

Brent & Kilburn Times: The Labour Party won the council elections (Pic credit: Myron Jobson)The Labour Party won the council elections (Pic credit: Myron Jobson) (Image: Archant)

Cllr Muhammed Butt, who is now serving a second term as the council leader, has pledged to further bluster services in the borough, after Brent Labour made huge gains in the hotly contested elections.

The Tokyngton councillor said: “I feel elated that the people of Brent have decided to put their trust in Brent Labour once again and for us to continue the transformation and renewal of Brent.

“With a fantastic new team of councillors coming in I hope we can engage and work with the residents of Brent to deliver exactly what they deserve.”

The group had earmarked nine wards to add to the 40 seats they gained in the last elections in 2010.

However, the results yesterday exceeded their own predications, securing 56 seats in total out of a possible 63, and 53 per cent of votes.

The Conservative was a distant second, with six seats in the Brondesbury Park and Kenton wards which attracted 22 per cent of votes.

The Liberal Democrats, which had 17 councillors sitting as opposition to the Labour-run council, now only have newcomer Helen Carr- who was elected to represent Mapesbury ward.

She will also become the leader of the Brent Lib Dems after her predecessor Paul Lorber lost his Sudbury seat.

Barry Gardiner MP for Brent North, who attended the vote count, said he was delighted with the result but issued a stern warning to the group’s councillors.

He said: “I’m thrilled, of course I’m thrilled but we need to be very careful.

“It is a huge responsibility because a majority this big for any party means that we have to look within ourselves for the sort of scrutiny that we need of the policies that we ourselves are proposing.

“All of these people got elected because they managed to persuade voters they wanted to represent them in the civic centre on the council. They must remember their job is to represent the people to the bureaucratic of the council and not to represent the council bureaucrats to the people.

“We are here to be a critical voice to say where things are wrong and to set policy to change Brent for the better.”