Oldham a marker for the political year ahead

By-election: 14 days to go

A PREVIEW of what may happen in a year of UK elections in 2011 comes on January 13 in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election.

This is now a crucial contest for both Tories and Lib-Dems, but with Lib-Dems’ nationwide popularity slumping, Labour is also facing fall–out locally from the row over campaign tactics.

Every area of the UK will be involved next year in the biggest mid-term voting test in its history.

The results of contests on May 5 — almost a year after the general election that led to the Conservative–Lib-Dem coalition coming to power — will be regarded as the voters’ verdict on the Government’s first year.

The main polling day on May 5 will see:

::Polls for 279 councils in England including Oldham, currently controlled by a Lib-Dem/Tory alliance

::Elections for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly

::Contests for the Northern Ireland Assembly

::Voting for elected mayors in Bedford, Mansfield, Middlesbrough and Torbay

::A UK–wide referendum on whether there should a switch to the alternative vote system in elections to the Commons.

The only previous date which could have matched this was May 3, 1979, when there was a general election combined with those for local councils, of which there were many more than now.

Councillors up for re–election next May last faced the voters in 2007 when Conservatives made more than 900 seat gains with over 500 Labour losses.

In May, Labour’s metropolitan council targets include Oldham, Bolton, Leeds, and Wolverhampton