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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Lisa Rand

Labour keep seat in by election after councillor's death

Sefton Labour have held onto a seat in Linacre ward after a by-election brought about by the death of long-standing councillor Gordon Friel.

Cllr Friel had represented Linacre ward in Bootle for 28 years before his death aged 69 in July.

Following an election held yesterday, November 24, Dan McKee has been announced as the new councillor for the ward. The Labour candidate won with an 82% share of the vote.

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Dan McKee had only one challenger to the seat – independent candidate Ian Smith, who garnered an 18% share of the vote.

In total 780 votes were casts of which five ballot papers were rejected. With an electorate of 8883, the turnout was in the region of just 11%.

Linacre ward is also represented by two fellow Labour councillors, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for locality services Cllr John Fairclough and Cllr Christine Maher.

The ward, one of the most southerly in Sefton, taking in the area that includes Bootle town centre. It is also one of the most deprived areas of the UK., with one in two children in Linacre ward receiving free school meals. There are also significant levels of unemployment and health inequalities.

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