New wards leave some out of joint in major shake-up
WHILE there was no shift in power in the Second City after Labour maintained its overall control, the election was not without shocks.
A few established councillors found themselves falling victim to boundary changes which meant 120 wards were reduced to 101.
The shake-up came on the back of the Kerslake Review after years of council failure. It means the city has 37 new single-member wards and 32 double-member wards.
It resulted in long-serving councillors having to stand in slightly unfamiliar territory, while the parties had to shuffle their packs and decide who to keep in ‘safe’ seats and who to put up in marginal areas. The changes claimed a few notable scalps: Olly Amstrong ’s win for Labour in the single-member ward took down deputy Conservative group leader Randal Brew, who had served on the council for more than two decades across two separate terms.
A chartered accountant, Mr Brew has also represented the city in the prestigious role of Lord Mayor.
Northfield was something of a marginal with its previous incarnation of the same name served by two Tories and one Labour member, so it was always likely to be tightly contested. Now Tory group leader Robert Alden, who came through safely in Erdington, will have to find another deputy. The Sutton wards are traditionally Conservative strongholds but not so in Vesey as Labour candidates Rob Pocock and Kath Scott grabbed the two seats, earning the biggest cheer of the day in the declaration room. To put it into context, the three previous Sutton wards were served by nine Tories and one Labour member (Cllr Pocock). This time all of the other Sutton areas were comfortably turned blue: Sutton Four Oaks (single-seat), Sutton Mere Green (single-seat), Sutton Reddicap (single-seat), Sutton Roughly (single seat), Sutton Trinity (single seat), Sutton Walmley and Minworth (double-ward) and Sutton Wylde Green (single seat). Poor Lynda Clinton had been geared up to become just the ninth female Lord Mayor in the council’s history. But the now former Labour councillor, who had previously served in Tyseley and Hay Mills, was ousted by Conservative Suzanne Webb who earned 91 more votes. Ms Webb has been an active campaigner fighting to save development on Sutton Coldfield’s green belt land in recent years. To anyone who is apathetic about voting – or voting in local elections for that matter, this was settled by just 14 votes – not to mention the fact nine ballot papers were rejected.
Conservative Debbie Clancy, previously of the equally marginal Northfield ward, grabbed the first seat with 2,174 votes. Her Tory running partner Graham Knight probably thought he would be sitting beside her in the council chamber with a respectable 1,911 ballot papers.
But it was not to be as Labour’s Brett O’Reilly leapfrogged him with 1,925 votes. While the result would not have troubled the overall balance of power in the council if it had have gone the other way, the potential loss of Cllr O’Reilly would have been a blow to Labour who would have had to find a new jobs and skills portfolio holder.