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2012 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election

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Map of the results of the 2012 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election. Labour in red, Conservatives in blue and Liberal Democrats in yellow.

The 2012 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside, England. One third of the council was up for election and the LabourPparty stayed in overall control of the council.[1]

At the end of the election, the composition of the council was:

Background

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Before the start of the election, Labour ran the council with 35 seats, while the Liberal Democrats had 9 seats and the Conservatives had 4 seats.[3] 16 seats were contested in 2012, with Labour defending 9, Liberal Democrats 5 and the Conservatives 2.[3]

Five councillors stood down at the election, two Conservatives, Betty Lowe and the former leader of the Conservative group Wally Ashcroft, two Labour members Leon McGuire and Eric Smith, and one Liberal Democrat, John Beirne.[3] Meanwhile, a former Liberal Democrat cabinet member, Carole Kavanagh, resigned her membership of the party over the policies of the national coalition government and defended her seat as an independent candidate.[3]

While the Conservative, Labour and the Green parties contested every seat, the Liberal Democrats only put up candidates in 9 of the 16 wards.[3][4]

Election result

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Labour gained 5 seats at the election to have 40 of the 48 councillors on St Helens council.[5] The Liberal Democrats lost 4 seats to Labour to be reduced to 5 councillors, while the Conservatives lost 1 seat to have 3 councillors.[5]

The Labour gains included defeating both the Liberal Democrat group leader and councillor for 27 years,[6] Brian Spencer, in Sutton and the Liberal Democrat deputy leader Suzanne Knight in Newton.[5] The Liberal Democrats held only one seat at the 2012 election in Eccleston, while the Conservatives held one seat in Rainford.[7] Meanwhile, after contesting every seat at the election, the Greens failed to win any seats, but did come second in Blackbrook, Thatto Heath and West Park wards.[8]

Brian Spencer, the former Liberal Democrat leader of St Helens council, was involved in an altercation with an Labour candidate, Mark Johnson, at the election count and would later in 2012 be convicted and fined for assault over the incident.[5][9]

St Helens local election result 2012[2][10]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 14 5 0 +5 87.5 62.1 26,580 +2.0%
  Conservative 1 0 1 -1 6.3 12.9 5,532 -4.2%
  Liberal Democrats 1 0 4 -4 6.3 12.5 5,338 -5.0%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 8.0 3,421 +6.0%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 3.5 1,506 +1.8%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0 0.9 391 -0.1%
  Socialist Equality 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 68 +0.2%

Ward results

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Billinge and Seneley Green[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alison Bacon 1,802 63.3 +10.4
Conservative Michael Hodgson 536 18.8 −8.1
Independent Peter Peers 371 13.0 −2.5
Green Susan Rahman 140 4.9 +4.9
Majority 1,266 44.4 +18.4
Turnout 2,849 31.8 −8.3
Labour hold Swing
Blackbrook[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Cunliffe 2,005 77.6 +0.6
Green Ellen Finney 321 12.4 +12.4
Conservative Judith Collins 258 10.0 −1.4
Majority 1,684 65.2 −0.3
Turnout 2,584 30.8 −5.6
Labour hold Swing
Bold[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Thomas Hargreaves 1,560 74.3 +4.0
Liberal Democrats Marise Roberts 220 10.5 −4.5
Green David Hughes 177 8.4 +8.4
Conservative Barbara Woodcock 144 6.9 −1.4
Majority 1,340 63.8 +8.5
Turnout 2,101 27.0 −9.5
Labour hold Swing
Earlestown[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Preston 1,676 72.1 +2.8
Liberal Democrats David Smith 239 10.3 −5.6
Conservative David Skeech 218 9.4 −5.4
Green Brian Banawich 192 8.3 +8.3
Majority 1,437 61.8 +8.3
Turnout 2,325 28.2 −4.7
Labour hold Swing
Eccleston[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Teresa Sims 1,961 52.0 +15.2
Labour Mark Johnson 1,122 29.8 −3.7
Conservative Kathleen Barton 365 9.7 −11.9
Green Francis Williams 323 8.6 +0.6
Majority 839 22.2 +18.9
Turnout 3,771 40.6 −4.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Haydock[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Anthony Burns 2,132 78.6 +16.6
Conservative Anthony Rigby 310 11.4 +4.6
Green Andrew Brownlow 270 10.0 +10.0
Majority 1,822 67.2 +28.8
Turnout 2,712 30.0 −5.6
Labour hold Swing
Moss Bank[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Paul Lynch 1,628 53.9 −0.1
Independent Carole Kavanagh 1,135 37.6 +28.4
Green Ian Donnelly 144 4.8 +4.8
Conservative Margaret Harvey 115 3.8 −1.1
Majority 493 16.3 −5.8
Turnout 3,022 35.0 −8.9
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Newton[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Severiano Gomez-Aspron 1,453 46.8 +0.8
Liberal Democrats Suzanne Knight 1,349 43.4 +1.3
Conservative Brian Honey 168 5.4 −6.5
Green Ann Shacklady-Smith 138 4.4 +4.4
Majority 104 3.3 −0.6
Turnout 3,108 36.1 −0.5
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Parr[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Andrew Bowden 1,601 84.2 +0.3
Liberal Democrats Paul Brown 120 6.3 −2.9
Green Carys Claffey 104 5.5 +5.5
Conservative Madeleine Wilcock 76 4.0 −3.0
Majority 1,481 77.9 +3.2
Turnout 1,901 21.0 −6.9
Labour hold Swing
Rainford[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rupert Nichols 1,381 53.7 −0.1
Labour Keith Aspinall 980 38.1 +2.6
Green William Fitzpatrick 210 8.2 +0.5
Majority 401 15.6 −2.6
Turnout 2,571 38.5 −11.4
Conservative hold Swing
Rainhill[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Barrie Grunewald 2,088 67.1 +2.4
Conservative Robert Reynolds 685 22.0 +0.5
Green Sandra Banawich 341 11.0 +11.0
Majority 1,403 45.1 +1.9
Turnout 3,114 35.0 −9.3
Labour hold Swing
Sutton[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Donald Jackson 1,765 59.7 −3.8
Liberal Democrats Brian Spencer 901 30.5 +5.8
BNP Peter Clayton 124 4.2 −1.2
Green David Parr 106 3.6 +3.6
Conservative Charmian Pyke 61 2.1 −4.3
Majority 864 29.2 −9.6
Turnout 2,957 32.5 −4.8
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Thatto Heath[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sheila Seddon 1,857 74.8 −3.3
Green Karen Atherton 187 7.5 +7.5
Conservative Henry Spriggs 178 7.2 −5.6
BNP Paul Telford 136 5.5 +5.5
Liberal Democrats Carol Pearl 124 5.0 −4.1
Majority 1,670 67.3 +2.0
Turnout 2,482 25.7 −7.0
Labour hold Swing
Town Centre[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jo-Ann Willmitt 1,502 70.3 −2.7
Liberal Democrats Julie Ollerhead 239 11.2 −9.7
BNP Leila Bentham 131 6.1 +6.1
Conservative Richard Barton 102 4.8 −1.3
Green Winifred Brodie 96 4.5 +4.5
Socialist Equality Danny Dickinson 68 3.2 +3.2
Majority 1,263 59.1 +7.0
Turnout 2,138 25.9 −6.8
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
West Park[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Ayres 1,992 73.5 +4.2
Green Alison Donnelly 286 10.5 +3.7
Conservative David Foster 248 9.1 −2.6
Liberal Democrats Mandy Stanley 185 6.8 −0.6
Majority 1,706 62.9 +5.3
Turnout 2,711 30.6 −6.5
Labour hold Swing
Windle[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sophie Robinson 1,417 56.9 +6.1
Conservative John Cunliffe 687 27.6 −10.5
Green Andrew Donnelly 386 15.5 +8.0
Majority 730 29.3 +16.6
Turnout 2,490 30.8 −9.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

By-elections between 2012 and 2014

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Windle

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A by-election was held in Windle on 2 May 2013 after the death of Labour councillor Pat Martinez-Williams.[11] The seat was held for Labour by David Baines with a majority of 717 votes over Conservative Robert Reynolds.[11]

Windle by-election 2 May 2013[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour David Baines 1,329 58.1 +1.2
Conservative Robert Reynolds 612 26.8 −0.8
Green Francis Williams 345 15.1 −0.4
Majority 717 31.4 +2.1
Turnout 2,286 28.2 −2.6
Labour hold Swing

Billinge and Seneley Green

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A by-election was held in Billinge and Seneley Green on 28 November 2013 after the resignation of Labour councillor Alison Bacon.[13][14] The seat was held for Labour by Dennis McDonnell with a majority of 494 votes over UK Independence Party candidate Laurence Allen.[14]

Billinge and Seneley Green by-election 28 November 2013[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Dennis McDonnell 936 50.7 −12.6
UKIP Laurence Allen 442 24.0 +24.0
Conservative John Cunliffe 248 13.4 −5.4
Green Sue Rahman 94 5.1 +0.2
BNP Alan Brindle 73 4.0 +4.0
Liberal Democrats Noreen Knowles 52 2.8 +2.8
Majority 494 26.8 −17.6
Turnout 1,845 19.8 −12.0
Labour hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ "Vote 2012". BBC News Online. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Election results 2012: Metro". The Guardian. NewsBank. 5 May 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e "St Helens Council set for injection of fresh blood". St Helens Star. NewsBank. 12 April 2012.
  4. ^ "Lib Dems in fight for future". Liverpool Echo. NewsBank. 30 April 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "Scuffles as Lib Dems suffer in St Helens". Liverpool Echo. NewsBank. 4 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Labour confident as the counts under way". Liverpool Echo. NewsBank. 4 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Election latest: Lib Dem leader led away by police after alleged election night scuffle". St Helens Star. NewsBank. 4 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Greens grows in stature". St Helens Star. NewsBank. 18 May 2012.
  9. ^ "Ex-St Helens council leader fined after election assault". BBC News Online. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). St Helens Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Labour holds Windle ward following by-election". St Helens Star. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). St Helens Council. Retrieved 7 March 2015.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Vacancy for councillor in Billinge ward". St Helens Council. Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  14. ^ a b c "Declaration of Result of Poll" (PDF). St Helens Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
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