Map of the results of the 2010 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election. Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Conservatives in blue.

The 2010 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 6 May 2010 to elect members of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Background

Before the election Labour were the largest party with 23 councillors, but the council was run by an alliance between the Liberal Democrats with 19 seats and the Conservatives with 6 seats.[3] Seats were contested in all 16 of the wards at the 2010 election,[3] with Labour needing a 2-seat swing to win a majority on the council.[4]

Election result

Labour gained 5 seats to take control of the council,[5] with 28 councillors. This gave them an 8-seat majority over the Liberal Democrats with 15 seats and the Conservatives with 5 seats.[6] Labour took Bold, Haydock, Moss Bank and Town Centre from the Liberal Democrats, including defeating the Liberal Democrat cabinet member Richard Ferry in Moss Bank.[6] Meanwhile, Labour also gained Windle from the Conservatives.[6]

Following the election Labour's Marie Rimmer became leader of the council for a third time.[7]

St Helens local election result 2010[2][8]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 12 5 0 +5 75.0 48.2 39,095 +11.2%
  Liberal Democrats 3 0 4 -4 18.8 30.4 24,628 -7.3%
  Conservative 1 0 1 -1 6.3 18.3 14,827 -1.4%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0 2.9 2,373 -2.7%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 158 +0.2%

Ward results

Billinge and Seneley Green[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Susan Murphy 2,964 49.6 +7.9
Conservative Michael Hodgson 1,795 30.0 -10.1
Liberal Democrats Thomas Gadsden 1,216 20.4 +2.5
Majority 1,169 19.6 +18.3
Turnout 5,975 67.1 +31.6
Labour hold Swing
Blackbrook[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paul McQuade 2,881 57.7 +11.3
Liberal Democrats Brian Bonney 1,276 25.6 -13.4
Conservative Judith Collins 547 11.0 -3.6
BNP Gail Lawley 290 5.8 +5.8
Majority 1,605 32.1 +24.8
Turnout 4,994 59.2 +27.4
Labour hold Swing
Bold[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Gareth Cross 2,074 48.3 +6.9
Liberal Democrats Matthew Dunn 1,503 35.0 -6.0
Conservative Charmian Pyke 426 9.9 +1.6
BNP Marie Oakes 294 6.8 -2.4
Majority 571 13.3 +12.9
Turnout 4,297 57.4 +25.8
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Earlestown[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Banks 2,533 57.5 +5.5
Liberal Democrats David Smith 1,146 26.0 -13.8
Conservative Margaret Harvey 726 16.5 +8.3
Majority 1,387 31.5 +19.3
Turnout 4,405 54.3 +22.5
Labour hold Swing
Eccleston[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Pearl 2,949 45.3 -23.8
Labour Geoffrey Almond 1,940 29.8 +18.7
Conservative Kathleen Barton 1,411 21.7 +7.1
BNP David Cleverley 205 3.2 -2.0
Majority 1,009 15.5 -39.1
Turnout 6,505 70.0 +29.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Haydock[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Anderton 2,802 51.5 +6.0
Liberal Democrats Eric Sheldon 2,015 37.0 +1.4
Conservative Anthony Rigby 623 11.5 +1.7
Majority 787 14.5 +4.6
Turnout 5,440 60.1 +26.4
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Moss Bank[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jeffrey Fletcher 2,417 46.3 +18.1
Liberal Democrats Richard Ferry 2,111 40.5 -22.0
Conservative Elizabeth Black 689 13.2 +3.9
Majority 306 5.8
Turnout 5,217 60.9 +25.6
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Newton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Neil Taylor 2,441 48.3 -21.0
Labour John Perry 1,785 35.3 +14.6
Conservative Brian Honey 829 16.4 +6.4
Majority 656 13.0 -35.6
Turnout 5,055 59.7 +24.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Parr[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Terence Shields 2,779 71.5 +8.0
Liberal Democrats David Round 741 19.1 -6.6
Conservative Madeleine Wilcock 364 9.4 -1.4
Majority 2,038 52.5 +14.7
Turnout 3,884 45.2 +22.2
Labour hold Swing
Rainford[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Monk 2,356 49.3 -17.9
Labour Keith Aspinall 1,634 34.2 +14.7
Liberal Democrats Christopher Hackett 792 16.6 +10.2
Majority 722 15.1 -32.6
Turnout 4,782 71.4 +28.3
Conservative hold Swing
Rainhill[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stephen Glover 2,789 46.3 -5.3
Liberal Democrats Denise Aspinall 1,800 29.9 +16.4
Conservative Stephen Bligh 1,160 19.3 -6.7
BNP Leila Bentham 273 4.5 -4.4
Majority 989 16.4 -9.2
Turnout 6,022 66.3 +28.7
Labour hold Swing
Sutton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Stephanie Topping 2,327 44.9 -17.1
Labour Alison Bacon 2,075 40.1 +16.8
Conservative Barbara Woodcock 445 8.6 +3.2
BNP Peter Clayton 333 6.4 -2.9
Majority 252 4.9 -33.8
Turnout 5,180 57.0 +25.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Thatto Heath[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Richard McCauley 2,995 58.7 +5.5
Liberal Democrats Julie Ollerhead 1,071 21.0 -2.3
Conservative Richard Barton 684 13.4 +1.3
BNP Paul Telford 349 6.8 -4.6
Majority 1,924 37.7 +7.7
Turnout 5,099 54.7 +26.6
Labour hold Swing
Town Centre[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Carole Gill 2,176 54.0 +18.1
Liberal Democrats David Crowther 1,163 28.9 -20.0
Conservative Helen Smith 351 8.7 +3.2
BNP James Winstanley 341 8.5 -1.2
Majority 1,013 25.1
Turnout 4,031 48.9 -19.2
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
West Park[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Marie Rimmer 3,063 58.7 +8.4
Liberal Democrats Martin Johnson 1,070 20.5 -6.9
Conservative Oliver Kretay 639 12.2 +1.1
BNP Terence Oakes 288 5.5 -5.7
Independent Patricia Robinson 158 3.0 +3.0
Majority 1,993 38.2 +15.3
Turnout 5,218 58.2 +25.0
Labour hold Swing
Windle[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ellen Glover 2,188 44.0 +16.9
Conservative Kenneth Roughley 1,782 35.8 -17.1
Liberal Democrats Noreen Knowles 1,007 20.2 +7.7
Majority 406 8.2
Turnout 4,977 62.1 +27.2
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

By-elections between 2010 and 2011

Billinge and Seneley Green

A by-election was held in Billinge and Seneley Green on 14 October 2010 after the death of Labour councillor Richard Ward.[9] The seat was held for Labour by Alison Bacon with a majority of 664 votes over Conservative Elizabeth Black.[9]

Billinge and Seneley Green by-election 14 October 2010[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alison Bacon 1,288 56.4 +6.8
Conservative Elizabeth Black 624 27.3 -2.7
Liberal Democrats Thomas Gadsden 229 10.0 -10.4
BNP James Winstanley 141 6.2 +6.2
Majority 664 29.1 +9.5
Turnout 2,282 24.8 -42.3
Labour hold Swing

Haydock

A by-election was held in Haydock on 2 December 2010 after the death of the longest serving Labour councillor in the country, Jim Caunce.[11] The seat was held for Labour by Anthony Burns with a majority of 694 votes over Liberal Democrat Eric Sheldon.[12]

Haydock by-election 2 December 2010[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Anthony Burns 1,234 62.7 +11.2
Liberal Democrats Eric Sheldon 540 27.4 -9.6
Conservative John Cunliffe 112 5.7 -5.8
BNP James Winstanley 82 4.2 +4.2
Majority 694 35.3 +20.8
Turnout 1,968 20.4 -39.7
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. ^ "St Helens". BBC News Online. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Local elections 2010". The Guardian. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Candidates for St Helens local elections published". St Helens Star. NewsBank. 9 April 2010.
  4. ^ "Local election: Labour 'confident' of reclaiming St Helens Council". St Helens Star. NewsBank. 7 May 2010.
  5. ^ "Lib-Dem losses reflect party's national nosedive". Liverpool Daily Post. NewsBank. 10 May 2010.
  6. ^ a b c "Labour's Dream St Helens night". Liverpool Echo. NewsBank. 8 May 2010.
  7. ^ "Rimmer: 'Labour council will be 'transparent and accountable'". St Helens Star. NewsBank. 27 May 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). St Helens Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Labour retains by-election seat as Lib Dems trail in third". St Helens Star. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  10. ^ "Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). St Helens Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Labour retain Haydock seat". St Helens Star. 3 December 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). St Helens Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
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