2006 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2006 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.[1]
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16 of the 48 seats on St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council 25 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Map of the results of the 2006 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election. Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Conservatives in blue. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After the election, the composition of the council was
- Labour 23
- Liberal Democrats 19
- Conservative 6[2]
Background
editBefore the election the Labour Party needed to gain 1 seat to regain a majority on the council that they had lost at the last election in 2004.[3] Labour had 24 seats before the election, while the Liberal Democrats had 18 and the Conservatives had 6.[4] Labour was able to run the council however as the Conservative mayor had agreed not to use her casting vote.[5]
Among the councillors who were defending seats at the election was the Labour group leader Marie Rimmer in West Park ward,[3] while the seat in Blackbrook was vacant after the death of Labour councillor Albert Smith earlier in 2006.[5] 16 seats were up for election and as well as candidates from the three political parties who held seats on the council, there were also four candidates from the Community Action Party and one each from the British National Party and the Socialist Labour Party.[5][3]
Election result
editLabour remained the largest party on the council but lost one seat to the Liberal Democrats to leave the party with 23 councillors.[6] The Liberal Democrat gain from Labour came in Town Centre ward and moved them to 19 seats on the council, however the Labour council leader Marie Rimmer held her seat in West Park with a 457-vote majority.[6] Meanwhile, the Conservatives remained on 6 seats after holding the 2 seats they had been defending.[2]
Following the election Liberal Democrat Brian Spencer became the new leader of the council after an agreement between the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, with the Liberal Democrats taking 5 of the seats on the cabinet and the Conservative group leader Wally Ashcroft taking the other seat.[7] This came after Labour rejected proposals for all three parties to share power on the council and meant Labour lost power on the council after 70 years.[7]
Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | 7 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 43.8 | 40.4 | 18,549 | +1.7% | |
Liberal Democrats | 7 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 43.8 | 39.6 | 18,219 | +2.3% | |
Conservative | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 | 17.3 | 7,942 | -1.5% | |
Community Action | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 | 895 | +1.9% | |
BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 308 | +0.1% | |
Socialist Labour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 64 | +0.1% |
Ward results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Susan Murphy | 1,504 | 47.8 | ||
Conservative | David Davies | 970 | 30.8 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Charles Gadsden | 672 | 21.4 | ||
Majority | 534 | 17.0 | |||
Turnout | 3,146 | 34.8 | −6.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Paul McQuade | 1,257 | 48.7 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Ruth Smith | 712 | 27.6 | ||
Community Action | William Guest | 327 | 12.7 | ||
Conservative | Judith Collins | 221 | 8.6 | ||
Socialist Labour | Ronald Waugh | 64 | 2.5 | ||
Majority | 545 | 21.1 | |||
Turnout | 2,581 | 30.3 | −5.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Matthew Dunn | 1,087 | 48.7 | ||
Labour | Paul Pritchard | 1,001 | 44.9 | ||
Conservative | Charmian Pyke | 142 | 6.4 | ||
Majority | 86 | 3.8 | |||
Turnout | 2,230 | 30.9 | −3.2 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Charles Banks | 1,153 | 48.6 | ||
Liberal Democrats | David Smith | 953 | 40.2 | ||
Conservative | Catherine Perks | 266 | 11.2 | ||
Majority | 200 | 8.4 | |||
Turnout | 2,372 | 29.7 | −3.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Pearl | 2,666 | 67.3 | ||
Conservative | Kathleen Barton | 690 | 17.4 | ||
Labour | Martin Bond | 608 | 15.3 | ||
Majority | 1,976 | 49.8 | |||
Turnout | 3,964 | 42.8 | −6.8 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Eric Sheldon | 1,811 | 55.1 | ||
Labour | Jeanette Banks | 1,284 | 39.1 | ||
Conservative | Anthony Rigby | 189 | 5.8 | ||
Majority | 527 | 16.0 | |||
Turnout | 3,284 | 36.5 | −1.2 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Richard Ferry | 1,648 | 52.3 | ||
Labour | Brian Hart | 1,269 | 40.2 | ||
Conservative | William Highcock | 237 | 7.5 | ||
Majority | 379 | 12.1 | |||
Turnout | 3,154 | 36.1 | −6.6 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Neil Taylor | 1,787 | 64.1 | ||
Labour | Stuart Hughes | 756 | 27.1 | ||
Conservative | Margaret Harvey | 244 | 8.8 | ||
Majority | 1,031 | 37.0 | |||
Turnout | 2,787 | 34.6 | −6.0 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Terence Shields | 1,384 | 66.0 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Janet Hennessy | 595 | 28.4 | ||
Conservative | Madeleine Wilcock | 117 | 5.6 | ||
Majority | 789 | 37.6 | |||
Turnout | 2,096 | 25.6 | −4.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Parr | 1,740 | 59.9 | ||
Labour | David Wood | 798 | 27.5 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Sandra Ferry | 369 | 12.7 | ||
Majority | 942 | 32.4 | |||
Turnout | 2,907 | 42.7 | −8.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Stephen Glover | 1,463 | 46.1 | ||
Conservative | Henry Spriggs | 961 | 30.3 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Christina Duncan | 749 | 23.6 | ||
Majority | 502 | 15.8 | |||
Turnout | 3,173 | 34.7 | −7.4 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Julie Jones | 1,721 | 61.4 | ||
Labour | Marlene Newman | 873 | 31.2 | ||
Conservative | Barbara Johnson | 207 | 7.4 | ||
Majority | 848 | 30.2 | |||
Turnout | 2,801 | 25.6 | −12.2 | ||
Liberal Democrats hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Richard McCauley | 1,308 | 55.9 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Carol Pearl | 453 | 19.4 | ||
Community Action | Michael Perry | 363 | 15.5 | ||
Conservative | Barbara Woodcock | 217 | 9.3 | ||
Majority | 855 | 36.5 | |||
Turnout | 2,341 | 26.7 | −7.5 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | David Crowther | 1,052 | 41.0 | ||
Labour | Margaret McLachlan | 1,005 | 39.2 | ||
BNP | Michael Pearcey | 308 | 12.0 | ||
Conservative | Jill Jones | 113 | 4.4 | ||
Community Action | Leslie Teeling | 89 | 3.5 | ||
Majority | 47 | 1.8 | |||
Turnout | 2,567 | 31.3 | −1.5 | ||
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Marie Rimmer | 1,900 | 51.8 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Stephen Broughton | 1,443 | 39.3 | ||
Conservative | Charlotte Wood | 210 | 5.7 | ||
Community Action | Tracy Lavelle | 116 | 3.2 | ||
Majority | 457 | 12.5 | |||
Turnout | 3,669 | 41.6 | +2.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Kenneth Roughley | 1,418 | 48.9 | ||
Labour | Geoffrey Almond | 986 | 34.0 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Kenneth Knowles | 494 | 17.0 | ||
Majority | 432 | 14.9 | |||
Turnout | 2,898 | 36.5 | −6.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
By-elections between 2006 and 2007
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Grice | 1,584 | 73.3 | +13.4 | |
Labour | David Wood | 484 | 22.4 | −5.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Kenneth Knowles | 93 | 4.3 | −8.4 | |
Majority | 1,100 | 50.9 | +18.5 | ||
Turnout | 2,161 | 31.5 | −11.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
References
edit- ^ "Local elections: St Helens". BBC News Online. 5 May 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ a b c "UK local election results". Financial Times. NewsBank. 5 May 2006.
- ^ a b c Coligan, Nick (4 April 2006). "Labour battle to smash hold of Lib Dems on city". Liverpool Echo. NewsBank.
- ^ Docking, Neil (13 April 2006). "Election campaign begins in earnest". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications. NewsBank.
- ^ a b c Kilmurray, Andrew (3 May 2006). "Squaring up for ballot box battle". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications. NewsBank.
- ^ a b Kilmurray, Andrew (5 May 2006). "Rimmer holds seat but Labour's grip on power loosens". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications. NewsBank.
- ^ a b Kilmurray, Andrew (18 May 2006). "New face in the Leader's chair". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications. NewsBank.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Summary of local election results - 4 May 2006" (PDF). St. Helens Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ "Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). St. Helens Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.