Over at Vote UK there’s been a lot of discussion about stand-out results in various areas. I had a quick run through some local results and here’s my pick for a stand-out result in Greater Manchester:
Wigan MBC, Lowton East Ward
Jonathan Miller (Community Action) 1418 (43.17%)
Susan Greensmith (Labour) 1085 (33.03%)
Jeanette Leigh (Conservative) 782 (23.81%)
Majority 333 - Community Action Hold
James Grundy (Conservative) 1972 (53.69%, +29.88)
Sandy Franzen (Community Action) 943 (25.67%, -17.49)
James Cowley (Labour) 758 (20.64%, -12.39)
Majority 1029 - Conservative Gain From Community Action
A truly astonishing victory. A win would have been a great result, a win on that scale is almost unbelievable - especially when you consider that there has not been a Conservative Councillor in Leigh for three decades prior to Thursday night!
What’s your stand-out result this year?
On a personal note I have twwo outstanding results of the night:
Tameside MBC.
Ashton Hurst.
2004 result - Conservative majoirty of 12.
2006 result - Conservative majoirty of 19.
2007 result - Labour majority of 14.
2008 result - Conservative majority of 784!
Not only did the Conservative councillor successfully defend his seat (the first for any Conservative in Ashton since the creation of Tameside Council in the early 70s) but he got 1,905 votes - the highest of any Tory in Ashton - ever! Tne swing from Labour to Conservative was a massive 10.72%.
On Oldham MBC I am personally pleased with the Conservative gain of Failsworth West (much of which borders on Newton Heath - a Conservative in Labour’s traditional Manchester heartlands!). However, my result of the night there is the Conservative gain of Failsworth East.
2007 result:
Labour - 1476
Conservative - 825
Liberal Democrat - 96
Green - 154
Labour majority of 651
2008 result:
Labour - 1028
Conservative - 1036
Liberal Democrat - 136
Green - 173
Conservative majority of 8.
The Conservative candidate was expecting to lose, so much so he had gone home and was in bed when he was called and told to get his ass back down to the count as he had won.