George Galloway’s Workers Party has defeated Manchester Council’s Deputy leader in the biggest shock in the regions local elections
Manchester council deputy leader Luthfur Rahman has lost his Longsight ward seat to the Workers Party’s Shabaz Sarwar.
In Oldham Labour have lost overall control of the council losing four seats and gaining one
The party narrowly took the seat of Failsworth East back from but lost to an Independent in Waterhead and in Failsworth West to an Independent candidate
Two former Labour councillors had become independents in the run-up to polling day over the party’s stance on Gaza
The results mean Labour has 27 seats, Liberal Democrats nine seats, Conservatives eight and Independents 16.
In Stockport which was run by a minority Lib Dem administration, the party gained two wards from Labour Cheadle East and Cheadle Hulme North and Offerton but fell short by one seat in gaining a majority on the council holding 31 out of the 63 seats
Bolton remains in no overall control after the night’s results but Labour remain the biggest party although they are two council seats down
The council has its first ever Green Party councillor as they gain the ward of Halliwell from Labour
The party lost the wards of Farnworth South and also Kearsley to the Farnworth and Kearsley First party and lost the ward of Rumworth to an Independent candidate but gained Bradshaw from the Tories,Hulton from an Independent candidate and Westhoughton South from the Lib Dems
In the closest result of the night the Tories gained Astley Bridge from Labour by one vote – 1560 to 1559 seeing Toby Hewitt returns to the council
Labour will be breathing a sigh of relief in Rochdale as George Galloway’s workers Party only took two wards with Independents also taking two. The party had overall one net loss
The new council is Lab 44, Con 9, Lib Dems 3, Ind 2, Workers 2.
In Tameside Labour remain in control although they lost three seats,one to the Tories and two to Independent candidates
Labour gained two seats from the Conservatives in Trafford
Sir John Curtis says that the results in the local elections are ‘not far short’ of catastrophic for the Tories
They are ‘one of the worst if not the worst’ Conservative performances in local elections for 40 years.He says that Tories are losing half the seats they are contesting
