Barnet Council has welcomed a young and diverse cohort of Conservative councillors in the authority’s biggest shake-up in a generation.

The Tories won six seats from Labour in the local elections on May 3 and fielded nine new candidates defending Conservative seats, meaning they have 15 new councillors in total.

Just under half of the new Conservative councillors are women, a quarter are from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, two-fifths are under 30 and 40 per cent are Jewish.

Brunswick Park councillor Roberto Weeden-Sanz is half Spanish and, at 24, one of the youngest faces on the council.

He said he was “delighted” when he found out he had been elected.

“I was very pleased with the overall result,” he continued. “It was a very nail-biting count. Having seen the first ballot, I was not expecting it. But I was disappointed that my colleague missed out by just seven votes – it is never a nice feeling to leave a man behind.

“During the campaign, I made an effort to knock on every single door. I really think the hard work we put in as a party and team, to speak to as many people as possible, really paid off.”

Cllr Weeden-Sanz said of his new role: “It is a real privilege and something I take very seriously. I have already had a flurry of messages from residents and neighbours with problems asking for my help.

“It is all about giving back – I think giving back to the community is such an important thing to do.

“Important values for me are giving back to the community, volunteering and helping people to take opportunities – giving them the freedom to live the lives they want.

“Conservative values – freedom and personal responsibility, and making sure people are able to achieve what they want out of life – really epitomise this.”

Cllr Weeden-Sanz said one of the biggest issues he wanted to tackle was crime, having heard a lot about robberies and break-ins on the doorstep.

“My priority is trying to get more police officers across the borough,” he said. “Barnet is paying more money and getting the fewest officers in return. I think we are getting short-changed.”

Hale’s new councillor Laithe Jajeh grew up in Manchester’s Moss Side – an area known for its crime and deprivation.

But despite coming from an overwhelmingly Labour-supporting region, Mr Jajeh – who is half Lebanese – has been a Conservative most of his life.

He said: “When I was a young man, I was probably more of a Labour supporter – more socialist. Then I started working, and really, Conservative values are something I share.

“I would say a ‘Tory’ is an old term – it means the old aristocracy. ‘Conservative’ is new. I am a Conservative, not a Tory.

“Election night was a tense time for me. My heart is on my sleeve – I am not able to hide my emotions very well. I truly didn’t know which way it would go. All the commentators thought the borough would go Labour.

“I had only had five hours’ sleep – when the result came through, it was a mixture of ‘now I can get to sleep’ and ‘wow, we’ve done it!’ It still doesn’t seem real.

“I have only been a councillor for just over a week, but already there is plenty of casework to be dealing with.”

Cllr Jajeh studied law at university and works on the legal team in a construction firm – and he is hoping to bring his experience to bear on the borough’s infrastructure.

He said: “I have worked on residential buildings, and I have worked in the highways industry before – roads and bridges, as well as maintenance and repair.

“For me, one of the biggest issues is the state of the roads in Barnet. I am under no illusions – there is a lot of work to be done.

“The council has a budget of £50 million to fix the roads, but in an ideal world there would be much more. It is about ensuring the people contracted to do the work do so properly.”

Cllr Jajeh also plans to look at ways of cutting congestion on the borough’s roads and is interested in creating a central hub in Hale to give it a “village-type feel”.

He added: “We know we have four years to do something. Four years is a long time – but not in terms of things we would like to do.

“Nothing has held us back in the Conservative group in Barnet, and it is because if you want to get involved, you are more than welcome. The doors will open for you if you are a good person and you care.”