Take it as red

LABOUR councillors and supporters celebrate their win. Picture: DARREN ROBINSON

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LABOUR has strengthened its political grip on Oldham on a horrendous night for the Lib-Dems and Tories.

The ruling party gained 10 seats and defended five to give them their highest number of councillors since the 1970s.

The Lib-Dems lost seven seats and the Tories three as they blamed the unpopularity of the coalition Government for costing them votes.

On an emotional evening Labour’s David Dawson overcame the grief of the sudden death from cancer of his wife Councillor Barbara Dawson to be elected to Failsworth East. The devoted mother-of-three, who died last Thursday, had also represented the ward and a by-election will be organised following her funeral on Tuesday.

Mr Dawson put his success down to his beloved wife, adding: “I am very proud and very humbled to be elected and I just hope I can be half as good as Barbara was.”

Labour’s overall majority has now increased to 27 with 43 seats, while the Lib-Dems fell to 14 seats and the Tories to just two.

Shock results saw Lib-Dem deputy leader Jackie Stanton lose her St James seat to Labour after 18 years on the council, while Chadderton Central saw a huge swing from a Conservative seat to a Labour majority of nearly 1,000 for newcomer Susan Dearden — who stood after being made redundant by Government cuts.

With no elections in the borough next year it gives council leader Councillor Jim McMahon two years to put regeneration plans in place.

He said: “I’m over the moon that people have come out and said they trust us to control this council.

“There is a lot of work to do — we are not going to become arrogant and comfortable, we now have the pressure to start to deliver.

Lib-Dem leader Councillor Howard Sykes said it had been a referendum on the national Government, adding: “Tonight I’ve lost some very good colleagues and friends.”

Conservative leader Councillor Jack Hulme, who had already decided to stand down, said: “Labour have turned it into a referendum on central Government.”





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