The Conservatives were left feeling blue in the local elections after losing their leader in a shock upset in Orrell. Michael Winstanley was ousted from his long held seat by Labour’s Dave Wood with a margin of just 34 votes.
Mr Winstanley said he was ‘bitterly disappointed’ to lose by such a small margin. He pointed to the national picture to explain why the Conservatives faltered so heavily on the night. “I’m obviously bitterly disappointed to lose by 34 votes, but that’s politics and you’ve just got to take it on the chin,” he said.
“I’d like to thank all the people in Orrell and Billinge who supported and voted for me. I can only assume that it’s a reaction to what’s happening nationally. But the Labour party didn’t win by much, so it just goes to show Orrell is a marginal ward, it will remain a marginal ward and I’m hoping to fight it next year in the elections.”
