It was a frustrating night for Labour in Bolton as they failed to live up to high expectations. The borough has been in no overall control since 2019, but has been run by the Conservatives through an agreement with smaller parties.
A third of the 60 seats on Greater Manchester's only Tory-led council were up for grabs this time around, and Labour were hopeful of benefiting on the back of Partygate and the cost of living crisis.
Yet the night failed to live up to its billing as Labour gained just two seats and missed out on several key targets. By the end of the night, their total number of councillors stood at 19, while the Conservatives increased their tally by one - to 23.
It means the Tories remain the largest party and the town is still in no overall control. The night began with a shock gain for the Conservatives, rather than Labour.
David Meehan won comfortably in Little Lever and Darcy Lever, a seat previously held by independent candidate David Evans.
Labour did have some causes for celebration, however, defeating hyperlocal group Farnworth and Kearsley First in Farnworth, while the night's most dramatic moment came when Emily Mort took Crompton ward after two recounts. The announcement of the Labour candidate's victory - by just 32 votes over Conservative Yusuf Davda - was greeted with a huge cheer.
Bolton's Labour leader Coun Nick Peel was also re-elected in Tonge with The Haulgh, fending off stern competition from Conservative Wesley McArdle. Yet the successes were too few and far between. Speaking afterwards, Coun Peel expressed disappointment over his party's performance.
"I would have expected us to do much better," he said. "We had two target seats from the Conservatives, one of which we just about failed to take. We had a target seat from the Lib Dems and again just about failed.
"I did expect a Labour increase in the vote much higher than we got. We need to go away and have a think about why we haven't made that bigger breakthrough."
Bolton Council leader, Coun Martyn Cox, declared himself “extremely pleased” with the outcome for the Conservatives. He comfortably held on to his seat in Westhoughton North and Chew Moor and was in defiant mood afterwards.
"Every newspaper report I read said this was going to be the bellwether seat," he said.
"All I was reading was that Bolton was going to be taken by the Labour Party tonight, and clearly it's not. They haven't taken a single seat off the Conservatives.
"Was anyone saying that the Conservatives would actually gain a seat tonight? They were fully expecting this to be the seat where we lose control of the council.
"We are still the largest party in Bolton and I'm really pleased that we gained a seat."
Coun Cox said he would be looking to enter discussions with smaller parties in the coming days to form another minority administration. Several Tories used their victory speeches to pay tribute to former Bolton Council leader David Greenhalgh, who died last year at the age of 53.
Coun Cox said his predecessor would have been "delighted" with how his party had fared. Before this election, a third of Bolton's councillors came from hyperlocal parties and independent groups such as Farnworth and Kearsley First.
The party has taken several seats off Labour in recent years but were unable to replicate that success this time around. As well as being ousted by Labour in Farnworth, they also fell short in Kearsley, where former Labour councillor Debbie Newall won for another hyperlocal party, One Kearsley.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats held on to their seats in Westhoughton South and Smithills, leaving them with five councillors in total. The results leave the Conservatives with 23 of the 60 seats on Bolton Council and Labour with 19, while six seats are held by independent candidates.
Farnworth & Kearsley First now have three councillors and Horwich & Blackrod First and One Kearsley have two each.
