Win one, lose one

ELECTION 2011:

IT’S as you were for the Conservatives — with a mixed bag of results.

They went into the poll with four councillors after retiring councillor Len Quinn, who won Chadderton North for the Tories in 2007, defected to Labour.

And they ended it with the same number as Graham Sheldon made it third time lucky when he broke the Liberal Democrat stranglehold on Saddleworth South.

But Eileen Hulme, wife of Conservative leader Jack Hulme, lost Chadderton Central to Labour. And the Tories failed to regain Chadderton North in the first result of the night.

Councillor Hulme said people had clearly voted on national rather than local issues.

“It is a night of mixed results as far as we are concerned,” he explained.

“Technically Chadderton North was a Labour seat because of Len Quinn so they have held that which obviously we wanted to win.

“We lost Eileen in Chadderton Central, but of course, we have gained in Saddleworth South.

“Clearly we have got to look towards the next election. This has been a very difficult year because we have been in coalition and have had to make all these cuts. It will be very interesting to see what Labour do.”

He said that he had no regrets about forming a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in Oldham and added: ‘I am quite certain that what we have done this year was for the good of the people of Oldham.

“What we have achieved, we being the collective we: five new schools, the most improved local council of the year, regarded as the best children’s department in the North-West. Also £41 million of savings without closing libraries or swimming pools.

‘I do not regret it at all. If the electorate had voted on local issues I have no doubt we would have been back in power.

Councillor Sheldon is sub-postmaster in Uppermill Post Office and said: “I am really pleased. I have tried twice before and come a close second each time.

“I am what I consider the local candidate after living in Greenfield and Uppermill for all my life.

“I think people have voted not particularly against the Liberals; we have had a good Labour candidate and a good Green Party candidate.

“My vote has remained the same but the Liberal vote has gone down.”




Eileen tribute



TORY leader Jack Hulme paid tribute to his wife, Eileen, who lost Chadderton Central.



He said: “I think, and I am not saying it because I am her husband, that she was one of the hardest working ward councillors that we had and she is going to be sorely missed by a lot of people in Chadderton.”