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2006 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election

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2006 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election
← 2004 4 May 2006 2007 →
16 of the 48 seats on St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council
25 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Labour Liberal Democrats Conservative
Seats won 7 7 2
Seats after 23 19 6
Seat change Decrease 1 Increase 1 Steady
Popular vote 18,549 18,219 7,942
Percentage 40.3% 39.6% 17.3%
Swing Increase 1.7% Increase 2.3% Decrease 1.5%
Map of the results of the 2006 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election. Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Conservatives in blue.
Council control before election


No overall control

Council control after election


No overall control

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]

After the election, the composition of the council was

Background

[edit]

Before 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

[edit]

Labour 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]

St Helens local election result 2006[2][8]
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

[edit]
Billinge and Seneley Green[8]
Party 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
Blackbrook[8]
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
Bold[8]
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
Earlestown[8]
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
Eccleston[8]
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
Haydock[8]
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
Moss Bank[8]
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
Newton[8]
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
Parr[8]
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
Rainford[8]
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
Rainhill[8]
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
Sutton[8]
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
Thatto Heath[8]
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
Town Centre[8]
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
West Park[8]
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
Windle[8]
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

[edit]
Rainford by-election 23 November 2006[9]
Party 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]
  1. ^ "Local elections: St Helens". BBC News Online. 5 May 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "UK local election results". Financial Times. NewsBank. 5 May 2006.
  3. ^ a b c Coligan, Nick (4 April 2006). "Labour battle to smash hold of Lib Dems on city". Liverpool Echo. NewsBank.
  4. ^ Docking, Neil (13 April 2006). "Election campaign begins in earnest". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  5. ^ a b c Kilmurray, Andrew (3 May 2006). "Squaring up for ballot box battle". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b Kilmurray, Andrew (18 May 2006). "New face in the Leader's chair". Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside Counties Publications. NewsBank.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). St. Helens Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
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