There was plenty of local political drama in three Greater Manchester boroughs last night — with more election action set to hit the region today.
Voters went to the polls yesterday (May 4) to select new councillors in all 10 Greater Manchester authorities. However, only three councils counted their votes overnight.
They were Tameside, Bolton, and Salford. Despite two of those three remaining safe Labour holds, there was still a spectacle.
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Today, counts for Manchester should be finished by lunchtime, so we will see if any party can chip into the safest Labour majority in the country. In Stockport, counting should be finished by 2pm, with a ding-dong battle continuing between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
In Bury, counting begins at noon, and we expect a result at some point in the late afternoon. That’s also when we expect results to come in for Oldham.
It will be sooner in Rochdale, as counting for the 20 seats starts this morning, as does Wigan’s totting-up. Trafford’s counting is also today, but as it is an all-out ballot, it may take a while.
Here’s what you might have missed while you were asleep.
Bolton: New council leader 'expected'
The most significant result for Greater Manchester was in Bolton, where the Conservatives lost their status as the largest party in the borough in the town’s all-out election. Going into this poll, the council was held in no overall control, and remains so.
However, Labour’s five gains puts the party firmly in the driving seat, as they have 26 out of the 60 seats. It means Bolton Labour leader Nick Peel can expect to become the boss of the council.
“I will say to the independent parties and Lib Dems that the public of Bolton profoundly rejected the Tories,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “Please don’t prop up a lame duck Tory administration that has now been rejected. If they do that then yes I do expect to form an administration.”
The Conservatives lost seven seats, with leader Martyn Cox blaming the result on independent members. He said: “We were aware of this during the campaign and failed to get our message across that it was the independents who were propping up a Conservative council.”
The other significant result came in Breightmet, where ex-Oldham council leader Sean Fielding started his political comeback. He lost his seat, in his hometown of Failsworth, in 2021.
Following his win, Mr Fielding said he was 'proud' of his election, and pledged to 'work with local people'. A statement read: "I am proud to be one of the two first Labour Candidates to win a local election in Breightmet since 2016.
"It’s no secret I’m a relative newcomer to the Breightmet political scene, but I’ve learnt a lot about the community during the campaign. Breightmet is rich in community groups, where people look out for each other, and has a strong sense pride in the neighbourhood.
"Of course, the area is not without its challenges, but I look forward to working with local people and organisations, and using the levers afforded to me through being a councillor, to help address them."
Salford: 'He will not win' say Lib Dems, before Cotswolds 'paper candidate' secures victory
In Salford, it was business as usual. With just 21 out of 60 seats up for grabs, Labour could not lose control of the council.
But business as usual, in this case, means absolutely no change to who holds which seats. History was made in the Blackfriars and Trinity ward, however, as it became the first all-female ward in the city’s history, following Emma Cammell’s victory.
The ruling party held all 18 seats it was defending, with the Conservatives holding three wards. The result means Labour have 49 seats, with the Conservatives on eight the Lib Dems on two with one independent.
One of those Lib Dems is Chris Twells, who represents Ordsall. This morning, he is toasting victory — despite not being up for election in Salford.
That’s because he stood as a ‘paper candidate’ in the Cotswolds District Council election, an authority more than 100 miles away. Questions were raised about his candidacy, but Salford Lib Dem leader Alex Warren said that it was ‘much ado about nothing’.
“His name is on the ballot paper as a paper candidacy because the Lib Dems were struggling to fill their slate,” he said last month. “He will not win.”
Mr Twells did in fact win — securing 267 votes in Tetbury with Upton ward poll — and beating out Conservative Peter Coleman, who received 207 votes.
Tameside: Is your luck in?
As Salford showed, you don’t need a change of regime to provide drama. That was also the case in Tameside.
Labour gained four seats, taking the party to 51 out of a total 57. The Tories lost two, so are now on six, with the Greens and Independents both losing their solitary presence.
But, after the early hours became the morning, there was a late twist. Two candidates for Hyde Godley were tied, dead-set, on 1,139 votes.
With it being the final seat of the three ward spots available, Andrea Colbourne (Con) and David McAllister (Lab) had to draw lots to decide who served the borough — and the incumbent Tory won.
Even with the luck of the draw, a ‘dejected’ Conservative Phil Chadwick called the result ‘heartbreaking’. “It wasn’t what we were expecting,” he said.
“We didn’t get that feeling on the door. It was quite positive. To actually see the result tonight, it’s a bit heartbreaking.
“I think in general you’re going to find local and national issues are going to intertwine, but what people forget is that it’s local issues. What Labour have been pumping out on social media and in local leaflets, they can’t affect - they can’t employ more police, they can’t employ more nurses, but what they can do is stop building on the green belt.”
National: Rishi 'hears a message'
It’s been a bruising night for the Conservatives nationally. Labour has claimed some big scalps, like putting Medway Council — in Kent — in no overall control for the first time since 1998.
It’s prompted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to say he has ‘heard a message’. Speaking to Sky News this morning, he said: “It’s always disappointing to lose hard-working Conservative councillors, they’re friends, they’re colleagues and I’m so grateful to them for everything they’ve done.
“In terms of the results, it’s still early, we’ve just had a quarter of the results in, but what I am going to carry on doing is delivering on the people’s priorities – halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting waiting lists and stopping the boats.
“That’s what people want us to do, that’s what I’m going to keep hard at doing.”
Greater Manchester local election results 2023
Here are all the local election results where you live in Greater Manchester:
- Manchester: Full local election results
- Bolton: Full local elections results
- Bury: Full local election results
- Stockport: Full local election results
- Trafford: Full local election results
- Oldham: Full local election results
- Salford: Full local election results
- Rochdale: Full local election results
- Tameside: Full local election results
- Wigan: Full local election results
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