2011 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election

Map of the results of the 2011 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election. Labour in red, Liberal Democrats in yellow and Conservatives in blue.

The 2011 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.[1]

After the election, the composition of the council was:

Background

At the last election in 2010 Labour took control of the council with 28 seats after gaining 5 seats, while the Liberal Democrats dropped to 15 seats and the Conservatives were reduced to 5 seats.[3] Labour were expected to make more gains in 2011, with the Liberal Democrats in particular expected to suffer from being in a coalition government with the Conservatives nationally.[4]

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats were defending 7 seats in 2011, while the Conservatives defended 2 seats.[5] Other candidates at the election included 4 from the Green Party, who had not put candidates up in previous elections.[5]

Election result

Labour increased its majority on the council after gaining 7 seats, including 6 from the Liberal Democrats.[6] This took Labour to 35 councillors, while reducing the Liberal Democrats to 9 seats on the council, with the only Liberal Democrat to be elected being Michael Haw in Eccleston.[6] Meanwhile, the wife of the Conservative group leader, Nancy Ashcroft, lost her seat on the council in Windle to Labour, reducing the Conservatives to 4 seats on the council.[6]

St Helens local election result 2011[2][7]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 14 7 0 +7 87.5 60.1 31,165 +11.9%
  Liberal Democrats 1 0 6 -6 6.3 17.5 9,085 -12.9%
  Conservative 1 0 1 -1 6.3 17.1 8,836 -1.2%
  Green 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 1,061 +2.0%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0 1.7 901 +1.5%
  BNP 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 524 -1.9%
  UKIP 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 247 +0.5%

Ward results

Billinge and Seneley Green[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph Pearson 1,896 52.9 +3.3
Conservative Michael Hodgson 964 26.9 −3.1
Independent Peter Peers 556 15.5 +15.5
Liberal Democrats Stephen Knowles 170 4.7 −15.7
Majority 932 26.0 +6.4
Turnout 3,586 40.1 −27.0
Labour hold Swing
Blackbrook[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Linda Maloney 2,354 77.0 +19.3
Liberal Democrats Brian Bonney 353 11.5 −14.1
Conservative Judith Collins 350 11.4 +0.4
Majority 2,001 65.5 +23.4
Turnout 3,057 36.4 −22.8
Labour hold Swing
Bold[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Anthony Johnson 1,939 70.3 +22.0
Liberal Democrats Marise Roberts 413 15.0 −20.0
Conservative Charmian Pyke 228 8.3 −1.6
BNP James Winstanley 179 6.5 −0.3
Majority 1,526 55.3 +42.0
Turnout 2,759 36.5 −20.9
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Earlestown[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Deakin 1,845 69.3 +11.8
Liberal Democrats David Smith 422 15.9 −10.1
Conservative David Skeech 394 14.8 −1.7
Majority 1,423 53.5 +22.0
Turnout 2,661 32.9 −21.4
Labour hold Swing
Eccleston[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Michael Haw 1,540 36.8 −8.5
Labour Sophie Robinson 1,401 33.5 +3.7
Conservative Kathleen Barton 904 21.6 −0.1
Green Francis Williams 336 8.0 +8.0
Majority 139 3.3 −12.2
Turnout 4,181 45.1 −24.9
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Haydock[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jeanette Banks 2,010 62.0 +10.5
Liberal Democrats Janet Sheldon 765 23.6 −13.4
UKIP Gary Robinson 247 7.6 +7.6
Conservative Robert Reynolds 221 6.8 −4.7
Majority 1,245 38.4 +23.9
Turnout 3,243 35.6 −24.5
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Moss Bank[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Fulham 2,031 54.0 +7.7
Liberal Democrats David Kent 1,199 31.9 −8.6
Independent David Lawrenson 345 9.2 +9.2
Conservative Anthony Rigby 183 4.9 −8.3
Majority 832 22.1 +16.2
Turnout 3,758 43.9 −17.0
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Newton[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sandra Dyer 1,432 46.0 +10.7
Liberal Democrats Peter Astbury 1,311 42.1 −6.2
Conservative Brian Honey 369 11.9 −4.5
Majority 121 3.9
Turnout 3,112 36.6 −23.1
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Parr[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Keith Roberts 2,026 83.9 +12.4
Liberal Democrats Paul Brown 221 9.2 −9.9
Conservative Madeleine Wilcock 168 7.0 −2.4
Majority 1,805 74.7 +22.2
Turnout 2,415 27.9 −17.3
Labour hold Swing
Rainford[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Jones 1,792 53.8 +4.5
Labour Keith Aspinall 1,184 35.5 +1.3
Green Carla Hay 255 7.7 +7.7
Liberal Democrats Frederick Barrett 102 3.1 −13.5
Majority 608 18.2 +3.1
Turnout 3,333 49.9 −21.5
Conservative hold Swing
Rainhill[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Joseph De Asha 2,569 64.7 +18.4
Conservative John Cunliffe 853 21.5 +2.2
Liberal Democrats Denise Aspinall 549 13.8 −16.1
Majority 1,716 43.2 +26.8
Turnout 3,971 44.3 −22.0
Labour hold Swing
Sutton[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Janet Johnson 2,151 63.5 +23.4
Liberal Democrats Kenneth Knowles 836 24.7 −20.2
Conservative Barbara Woodcock 218 6.4 −2.2
BNP Peter Clayton 184 5.4 −1.0
Majority 1,315 38.8
Turnout 3,389 37.3 −19.7
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
Thatto Heath[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Patricia Ireland 2,409 78.1 +19.4
Conservative Henry Spriggs 395 12.8 −0.6
Liberal Democrats Carol Pearl 282 9.1 −11.9
Majority 2,014 65.3 +27.6
Turnout 3,086 32.7 −22.0
Labour hold Swing
Town Centre[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Geoffrey Almond 1,962 73.0 +19.0
Liberal Democrats Lynn Turton 562 20.9 −8.0
Conservative Richard Barton 163 6.1 −2.6
Majority 1,400 52.1 +27.0
Turnout 2,687 32.7 −16.2
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing
West Park[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Marlene Quinn 2,293 69.3 +10.6
Conservative David Foster 386 11.7 −0.5
Liberal Democrats Ruth Watmough 245 7.4 −13.1
Green William Fitzpatrick 224 6.8 +6.8
BNP Leila Bentham 161 4.9 −0.6
Majority 1,907 57.6 +19.4
Turnout 3,309 37.1 −21.1
Labour hold Swing
Windle[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Patricia Martinez-Williams 1,663 50.8 +6.8
Conservative Nancy Ashcroft 1,248 38.1 +2.3
Green Andrew Donnelly 246 7.5 +7.5
Liberal Democrats Noreen Knowles 115 3.5 −16.7
Majority 415 12.7 +4.5
Turnout 3,272 40.6 −21.5
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

References

  1. ^ "England council elections". BBC News Online. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Local authority elections: England". The Guardian. NewsBank. 7 May 2011.
  3. ^ "St Helens". BBC News Online. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Labour expected to extend poll majority in St Helens". Liverpool Daily Post. NewsBank. 25 April 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Voters in St Helens go to the polls". St Helens Star. NewsBank. 5 May 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Bartlett, David (7 May 2011). "Lib Dems left shattered". Liverpool Echo. NewsBank.
  7. ^ 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 4 March 2015.