ELECTIONS: Labour largest group on Lancaster City Council as Greens gain record number of seats

Labour are again the biggest group on Lancaster City Council after results were announced on Friday.

They won 24 seats in total including sweeping all three seats available in Skerton, Scale Hall, Heysham South, West End, Westgate and Carnforth and Millhead.

Labour councillors Robert Redfern, Phillip Black, Margaret Pattison, Colin Hartley, Jean Parr, Jason Wood, Sandra Thornberry and David Whitaker were all re-elected, and the group had many new councillors elected too.

They included Matthew Black, John Hanson and Chris Harris who took all three seats in Westgate, Joanne Ainscough in the West End, Erin Hall in University ward, Geoffrey Gawith in Skerton, Ruth Colbridge in Scale Hall, Phil Bradley and Catherine Potter in Heysham South, and Royal Lancaster Infirmary nurse Sophie Maddocks in Scotforth East.

Labour have consistently won the most seats at Lancaster City Council elections in recent times.

It was also a great day for the Greens who achieved 21 seats - a record number for the group in the city council elections.

The Greens won all available seats in Castle, Marsh, Halton-with-Aughton and Kellet, and Bulk wards, as well as in Bowerham where Labour group leader, county councillor and former city council leader Erica Lewis was defeated by Greens Sarah Punshon, director of the Dukes Theatre 'Play in the Park' productions, and Hamish Mills.

Hamish's mum Abi was also re-elected in Scotforth West, although her daughters Rosie and Nancy missed out on election - Nancy losing to Labour's Jason Wood by just three votes in Scotforth East. (The Mills family is pictured below).

Current council leader Caroline Jackson clearly retained her seat in Bulk ward, although it now remains to be seen if she will remain leader as thoughts turn to the make-up of a new Lancaster City Council cabinet.

Green group leader Gina Dowding told Beyond Radio that she was hoping for a 'rainbow alliance' of Labour, Greens and Liberal Democrats, who also made gains.

Lib Dems Joyce Pritchard, the most recent mayor of Lancaster, and Ross Hunter retained their Lune Valley seats, Gerry Blaikie hung onto his seat in Bare, Peter Jackson was elected in Lower Lune Valley, William Greenwell succeeded his wife June in Silverdale beating Conservative and Lancashire County Council leader Phillippa Williamson, and there was a changing of the guard in Poulton in Morecambe as Paul Hart and John Livermore (pictured below) won the most votes.

They defeated cabinet member and former council leader Tricia Heath of the Morecambe Bay Independents, who lost her seat and with it her role as mayor-elect. A new mayor of Lancaster will now be determined at a later date.

Another long-standing MBI councillor, Geoff Knight, also lost his seat in Heysham Central as Catherine Armistead and Susan Penney were elected for Labour.

The MBIs though did take both seats in Torrisholme through Brett Cooper and Roger Dennison.

As for the Conservatives, their performance mirrored that of other local elections across the country, where they lost 48 councils and more than 1,000 councillors.

Their number of Lancaster City Council members has now been cut to five, the lowest for many years.

Tory group leader Andrew Gardiner (pictured below) retained his seat in Overton, and councillors Keith Budden and John Wild, joined by Paul Newton, swept the board in Bolton and Slyne.

But Peter Yates and Mel Guilding lost their seats in Carnforth and Millhead, as Labour took all three spots with new councillors Louise Belcher and Chris Hanna, and former councillor Paul Gardner who was re-elected. Stuart Morris also lost his seat in the newly-merged ward of Halton-with-Aughton and Kellet, Richard Austen-Baker lost his seat in Ellel as did Joan Jackson in Lower Lune Valley.

The Tories did gain a seat in Bare through Kate Sarah Knight, where MBI Martin Bottoms was also elected.

In Heysham North, independent councillor Roger Cleet was re-elected, while Labour's Claire Cozler returned as a councillor.

Overall turnout for the Lancaster City Council elections was 30.56%.

LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL (61 seats)

NUMBER OF SEATS WON

Labour 24

Greens 21

Lib Dems 7

Conservatives 5

Morecambe Bay Independents 3

Independent 1

You can see the full results here.

FULL LIST OF COUNCILLORS

BARE: Martin Bottoms (MBI), Kate Sarah Knight (Con), Gerry Blaikie (Lib Dems); BOLTON and SLYNE: Keith Budden (Con), John Wild (Con), Paul Newton (Con); BOWERHAM: Hamish Mills (Green), Sarah Punshon (Green); BULK: Caroline Jackson (Green), Jack Lenox (Green), Sam Riches (Green); CARNFORTH and MILLHEAD: Louise Belcher (Labour), Paul Gardner (Labour), Chris Hanna (Labour); CASTLE: Dave Brookes (Green), Shelagh McGregor (Green), Paul Stubbins (Green); ELLEL: Sally Maddocks (Green), Paul Tynan (Green); HALTON-WITH-AUGHTON and KELLET: Sarah McGowan (Green), James Sommerville (Green); HEYSHAM CENTRAL: Catherine Armistead (Labour), Susan Penney (Labour); HEYSHAM NORTH: Roger Cleet (Independent), Claire Cozler (Labour); HEYSHAM SOUTH: Phil Bradley (Labour), Catherine Potter (Labour), Colin Hartley (Labour); JOHN O'GAUNT: Suhir Abuhajar (Green), Grace Russell (Green); LOWER LUNE VALLEY: Peter Jackson (Lib Dems), Joyce Pritchard (Lib Dems); MARSH: Mandy Bannon (Green), Gina Dowding (Green), Nick Wilkinson (Green); OVERTON: Andrew Gardiner (Con); POULTON: Paul Hart (Lib Dems), John Livermore (Lib Dems); SCALE HALL: Phillip Black (Labour), Ruth Colbridge (Labour), Jean Parr (Labour); SCOTFORTH EAST: Sophie Maddocks (Labour), Jason Wood (Labour); SCOTFORTH WEST: Tim Hamilton-Cox (Green), Abi Mills (Green); SILVERDALE: William Greenwell (Lib Dems); SKERTON: Geoffrey Gawith (Labour), Robert Redfern (Labour), Sandra Thornberry (Labour); TORRISHOLME: Brett Cooper (MBI), Roger Dennison (MBI); UNIVERSITY: Tom Fish (Green), Erin Hall (Green); UPPER LUNE VALLEY: Ross Hunter (Lib Dems); WARTON: Sue Tyldesley (Green); WEST END: Joanne Ainscough (Labour), Margaret Pattison (Labour), David Whitaker (Labour); WESTGATE: Matthew Black (Labour), John Hanson (Labour), Chris Harris (Labour)

The Morecambe Bay Independents enjoyed a much better result in the Morecambe Town Council elections.

They became the largest group with control of the council, winning 14 seats.

City councillors Roger Dennison and Martin Bottoms were elected, Geoff Knight became a town councillor after earlier losing his city council seat, and newly-elected town councillors included former Potts' Pies shop owner and hairdresser Russell Walsh, and local insurance broker Clark Kent.

The Lib Dems had been the largest group previously but saw their number of seats halved from eight to four. Labour won seven seats including a clean sweep of five seats in Harbour ward, while independent councillor and West End cobbler Trish Clarke retained her seat.

Some senior councillors on the town council lost their seats including chair Cary Matthews of Together for Morecambe, who also lost her seat on the city council, MBI Tricia Heath, Lib Dem leader Bill Jackson, and Together for Morecambe's John Bates.

MORECAMBE TOWN COUNCIL (26 seats) 

NUMBER OF SEATS WON: FINAL RESULTS

Morecambe Bay Independents 14

Labour 7

Liberal Democrats 4

Independent 1

FULL LIST OF COUNCILLORS:

BARE NORTH: Martin Bottoms (MBI), Lee Bradbury (MBI), Russell Walsh (MBI); BARE SOUTH EAST: Roger Dennison (MBI); BARE SOUTH WEST: Geoff Knight (MBI); HARBOUR: Christian Ainscough (Labour), Joanne Ainscough (Labour), John Hanson (Labour), Margaret Pattison (Labour), David Whitaker (Labour); HEYSHAM NORTH: Trish Clarke (Independent), Claire Cozler (Labour), Clark Kent (MBI); LOWLANDS ROAD: Jason Slater (MBI); LUNE DRIVE: Jim Pilling (Lib Dems); OUT MOSS LANE: John Goodrich (Labour); POULTON: Paul Hart (Lib Dems), John Livermore (Lib Dems), Monika Stenneken (Lib Dems); TORRISHOLME: Brett Cooper (MBI), Hannah Cooper (MBI), Jackie Rogerson (MBI); WESTGATE: Dan Blacow (MBI), Wayne Dixon (MBI), Keri Gee (MBI), Debbie Knight (MBI)

The election count took place at Lancaster Town Hall on Friday following the vote on Thursday.