The largest opposition group on Liverpool Council has hailed its performance in the Warbreck by-election as “a foretaste of things to come” in next year’s all-out elections.
Labour’s Sam East clung on to the seat after seeing off a challenge from Liberal Democrat Karen Afford by just 36 votes. Group leader Cllr Richard Kemp said the swing to his party - who were beaten by just 2% of the vote - put “dozens of new wards in play” when the city votes next year.
He said: “The swing to the Lib Dems was of epic proportions, exceeding our swings in the parliamentary by-elections last year. It puts literally dozens of the new wards in play for next year.
READ MORE: 'Rebel' Liverpool Labour members issue ultimatum - resolve our cases or we quit
“If in six weeks we can increase the vote by 38.3% just think what we can do in the next 12 months where we are going to be campaigning in wards across the city.” Ms Afford has vowed to stand for the seat again next year after running Labour so close this time.
The party almost doubled its votes on the May 2021 result when it secured 460. Ms Afford narrowly missed out on becoming the 13th Liberal Democrat at the Town Hall with 874.
Cllr East held the seat for Labour with 912 votes. Labour’s performance has prompted discussion into why the poll was so close.
Fellow Warbreck councillor Alan Gibbons took to Twitter to say that the green bin charge had hit Labour’s vote share in the ward. He said: “When turnout is low, a single issue can make a big impact.
“In Warbreck that issue was the green bin charge. It has created a lot of anger and focused attention on trends already there.”
Cllr Gibbons, who is suspended by the Labour Party for breaking the whip in March over the city council budget, added that “Labour’s vote was demotivated” and “A bad policy like the green bin charge on the back of two years of significant issues for Liverpool Labour had an impact.”
The party had a more comfortable night in Everton as Ellie Byrne held onto her father Ian ’s former seat after he stepped down in January to focus on his role as MP for West Derby. The new Cllr Byrne took 62% of the vote, with a 20% going away from Labour to second place Kevin Robinson-Hale of the Green Party.
Both Cllr East and Byrne will face the electorate again in 12 months time as the city holds all out elections in May 2023. A by-election will be held in Fazakerley in due course after the resignation of Labour councillor Lindsay Melia last month.
