Labour make three gains in local elections across Wigan and Leigh

With all 75 seats up for grabs across Wigan Council, three councillors were voted into 25 wards across the borough following the election on Thursday, May 4.

The election count took place in Leigh Sports Village today (Friday, May 5) for nine wards in and around Leigh, while the results of the remaining 16 wards were revealed at Robin Park in Wigan.

The results saw a continued dominance for Labour as the party gained three councillors to make up 64 seats at the council, while the Conservatives lost five seats to make up two seats.

The Independent Network kept four seats, while five independent councillors make up the rest of the council.

READ > AS IT HAPPENED: Results from Leigh wards in Wigan Council local election results

Cllr Shelley Guest and Cllr Keith Cunliffe retained their seats in Leigh Central (Image: Leigh Journal)

With a 26.6% turnout from voters, there was not much change in the Leigh wards as Labour retained control of the council. 

Following a clean sweep in many wards, Labour retained control of Astley, Atherton South & Lilford, Golborne & Lowton West, Leigh Central & Higher Folds, Leigh South, Leigh West, and Tyldesley & Mosley Common.

The big results of the day are that Labour gained two councillors in the previously all-Conservative ward of Lowton East, with Jenny Gregory and Garry Peter Lloyd winning the seats for Labour - the latter at his sixth time of asking. Kathleen Houlton retained her seat in third place.

The Independent Network kept four seats across the Council (Image: Leigh Journal)

In Tyldesley and Mosley Common,  James Fish took the seat away from Labour for the Independent Network - with the group retaining three seats in Atherton North.

There was a couple of upsets over in Wigan, as Leader of the Council David Molyneux was pipped to second place in Ince by independent candidate Maureen O'Bern. 

However, following the results across both wards, Labour won three seats to gain further control of the council.

Garry Peter Lloyd was elected in Lowton East on the sixth time of asking (Image: Leigh Journal)

Following the big result in Lowton East, Garry Peter Lloyd said that his win will allow him to address issues that matter to other Lowton residents such as housing developments, traffic congestion, and anti-social behaviour.

Following "one of the greatest personal victories of [his] life", he said that his win highlights that the Conservatives have been complacent in the ward and that "Lowton deserves better".

Conservative MP James Grundy with Cllr Kathleen Houlton (Image: Leigh Journal)

While she was delighted to retain her seat in Lowton East, Kathleen Houlton spoke of her disappointment to lose her son and friend as Conservative councillors in the ward.

Cllr Houlton said that she will work hard to push back against the other two Labour councillors, while MP James Grundy said that the Tories "will be back next year to win back those seats".

Newly elected councillor for Tyldesley and Mosley Common, James Fish (Image: Leigh Journal)

After Joanne Marshall and Jess Eastoe were selected in Tyldesley and Mosley Common, the latter for her first term in the council, Independent Network candidate James Fish took the third place position by 39 votes.

Cllr Fish said that he will be "a councillor for everybody" and will work to push the council on issues surrounding developments in the ward.

He underlined the 1,110 home proposals in Mosley Common as a particular issue that he will fight to prevent.

Atherton South and Lilford councillors, Lee McStein, Debra Wailes, and John Harding (Image: Leigh Journal)

Another new councillor to the council is Lee McStein, who joined up with Debra Wailes and John Harding to make it another clean sweep for Labour in Atherton South and Lilford.

After a long and "emotional" day for all candidates, Cllr McStein said that he is "absolutely over the moon" to be elected in the ward he knows "very well".

He said that the result was a good indication of how Labour are performing locally, and that the party will be able to make improvements faster following the gains across the borough.