TORY candidate Janet Sibley has been elected as the councillor for the St Clements ward with a winning margin of 55 votes.The 56-year-old, who lives on Medway Road, scooped 645 votes to defeat Labour candidate Neil McDonald, who gained 590 votes, and Liberal Democrat candidate Robin Whitmore, who gained 465 votes.

TORY candidate Janet Sibley has been elected as the councillor for the St Clements ward with a winning margin of 55 votes.

The 56-year-old, who lives on Medway Road, scooped 645 votes to defeat Labour candidate Neil McDonald, who gained 590 votes, and Liberal Democrat candidate Robin Whitmore, who gained 465 votes.

A delighted Mrs Sibley said: "I am absolutely thrilled with the result. But I can say that it was the most nerve racking experience of my life waiting for the vote to come in."

"I have never been involved in politics before but I am really looking forward to it."

She said she was particularly interested in sorting out the traffic problems in the south east area of Ipswich.

Paul West, chairman of the Ipswich Conservative Party, said: "She has lived in the area for many years and is keen to get going in her new role as a county councillor. She knows the local issues in the area and how to tackle them."

"We are very pleased because we worked very hard on the campaign and we had a good local candidate. Janet has previously worked for Suffolk Constabulary for 30 years."

He added: "From a Conservative point of view it is an important step in making progress. When the seat was last up we lost by 500 votes. This time we won by 55 votes, which shows we are making progress."