Seat gains lift night of election gloom for Labour
THE national picture may not be looking so good for the Labour Party but it had a largely successful election night in Macclesfield.
Candidate Sandy Livingstone grabbed the vacant seat in Macclesfield Town Council’s Central ward, albeit with a low voter turnout of just 28 per cent.
And Judy Snowball claimed a seat on Bollington Town Council for its Central ward.
The only other local election on Thursday, May 6, saw Independent Helen Louise Ellwood win in Bollington Town Council’s East ward.
Coun Livingstone polled 893 with Green candidate John Anthony Knight his closest rival on 626 and Conservative Abhishika Srivastav gaining 520 votes.
He said: “We move out of lockdown let us build a stronger, more secure and prosperous recovery for us all.”
Labour colleague Coun Snowball won in Bollington with 464 votes. Conservative Barrie Malpas had 355 and Liberal Democrat Gareth Williams 185. Coun Ellwood came out top in a close three-horse race with 266 votes.
Next was Conservative John Mark Lowry Le Moignan on 246, followed by John William Place, Labour, on 234, and Allan Williams, no party, 63.
Coun Ellwood is already a well-known face in Bollington as she is owner of the Poachers Arms pub.
Fellow Independent councillor Amanda Stott said: “It has proved, yet again, that where there is an Independent candidate residents will support them.”
Turnout in Bollington was higher and both wards had more than 40 per cent.
One consolation for the Conservatives was that the Tory candidate John Dwyer became Cheshire’s new police and crime commissioner, beating Labour
David Keane.
In the first round – based on first preferences – he got 44.5 per cent of the vote share, short of the threshold needed to win outright. When first and second preferences were taken into account, Mr Dwyer notched up 111,962 votes, compared with Mr Keane’s 99,463 votes. rival