THE controlling Labour Group have increased their majority on Warrington Borough Council – but their leader Terry O’Neill could face a leadership challenge as soon as Monday.
Leader of the council Terry O’Neill was one of the first councillors to be elected as the results started to come in but his leadership of the council could be under threat as soon as Monday.
The regional party have decided leadership of the Labour group should be held annually and not for four year terms.
Party insiders believe a serious challenge could come at Monday’s group meeting.
A video interview with the Labour leader can be viewed above, along with Liberal Democrat Bob Barr, who was pleased with his group’s two gains at Stockton Heath at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives, who had a miserable day, holding onto just two seats at Lymm South. Veteran councillor Sheila Woodyatt and Kath Buckley in Lymm South, are now the only Tories on the council.
Back at the polls the Labour leader did not come top at Burtonwood and Winwick. Newcomer Cathy Mitchell polled the most votes.
At Stockton Heath, Labour Laurence Murphy and Conservative Stephen Taylor both lost their seats as the Liberal Democrats made two gains.
At Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft, long-standing Conservative Sue Bland has lost her seat to Labour.
At the fiercely contested Fairfield and Howley ward rebel councillor Kevin Bennett just lost out on retaining his seat as a TUSC candidate after defecting from Labour, falling less than 80 votes short of former Peter Carey.
In Lymm North and Thelwall former Lib Dem leader Ian Marks made a comeback after a 12 month absence. He has no plans to challenge current group leader Bob Barr, who topped the poll.
At Bewsey and Whitecross a familiar name returned to Warrington town hall, Sara Hall, the daughter-in-law of the town’s former MP for Warrington South and a former leader of the council, Mike Hall.
It was also a bad night for the Tories in the parish council elections as they lost out to the Lib Dems and Labour at Stockton Heath.
A full list of Parish Council results can be seen on the Council website CLICK HERE
Appleton
Brian Axcell (Lib Dem) 2191 elected
Nick Bent (Lab); 556
David Bilton (Green);447
Sharon Harris (Lib Dem); 1640 elected
Ian Houghton (Cons); 731
Basil Mitchell (Cons); 1075
Barbara Price (Cons) 891
Judith Wheeler (Lib Dem). 2034 elected
Bewsey and Whitecross
Irina Axcell (Lib Dem) 151
Shelley Bennett (TUSC) 129
Rowland Blackstock (Cons) 235
Sara Hall (Lab) 1142 elected
Tom Jennings (Lab) 1061 elected
Pat Smith (Cons) 210
Bob Timmis (Lib Dems) 319
Judith Walker (Lib Dems) 135
Steve Wright (Lab). 1080 elected 22 per cent
Thanks to everyone who’s ever helped and to the 1,061 residents of Bewsey & Whitecross. #labourvictory #warrington pic.twitter.com/URhyOK2Eri
— Tom Jennings (@TomJennings94) May 6, 2016
Birchwood
Nigel Balding (Cons) 782
Russ Bowden (Lab) 1719 elected
John Davies (Lib Dems) 302
Chris Fitzsimmons (Lab) 1475 elected
Amy Linton (Ind) 529
Peter Linton (Cons) 618
Pauline Nelson (Lab) 1578 elected
Burtonwood and Winwick
Cathy Mitchell (Lab) 1083 Elected
Timothy Muttock (Lib Dems) 265
Terry O’Neill (Lab) 1065 Elected
Robin Sloan (Cons) 399
Chapelford and Old Hall
Allan Bird (Lib Dem) 698
Phil Hayward (Cons) 593
Anthony Kerrigan (Cons) 364
David Knapp (Lib Dems) 463
Rebeccas Knowles (Lab) 1011 elected
Steve Parish (Lab) 1161 elected
Faisal Rashid (Lab) 1489 elected
Anna Sharkey (Cons) 332
Roy Smith (Lib Dem) 397
Mike Wass (Green) 204
Ian Wilson (UKIP) 332
Get ready for a great year ahead @WDPcomms @peacecentre @BRAINWAVECENTRE @StRoccos pic.twitter.com/IHbPFcoR5W
— Cllr Faisal Rashid (@FaisalRashid6) May 6, 2016
Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft
Frank Allen (Cons) 1359
Valerie Allen (Cons) 1263
Sue Bland (Cons) 1318
Jan Davidson (Lab) 1401 elected
Joan Grime (Lab) 1609 elected
Eddie Sloane (Lib Dems) 432
Matt Smith (Lab) 1788 elected
Fairfield and Howley
Kevin Bennett (TUSC) 921
Peter Carey (Lab) 997 elected
Jean Flaherty (Lab) 1234 elected
Tony Higgins (Lab) 1008 elected
Simone Johnson (Cons) 332
Lyndsay McAteer (Green) 344
Ann Oldbury (Lib Dem) 240
Grappenhall
Ryan Bate (Lib Dem) 1119 elected
Mike Biggin (Lib Dem) 1306 elected
Iona Gillis (Cons) 421
Andy Heaver (Lab) 380
Olivia Reilly (Cons). 565
Great Sankey North & Whittle Hall
Arthur Booth (Cons) 660
Christine Booth (Cons) 668
Stephanie Davies (Green) 332
Mike Foxall (Cons) 698
Jan Hart (Lab) 1321 elected
Dan Price (Lab) 1265 elected
Cliff Taylor (Lib Dem) 330
Tony Williams (Lab) 1217 elected
Great Sankey South
Sonia Boggan (Cons) 403
Jean Carter (Lab) 1154 elected
Peter Elton (Cons) 494
Andrew Ford (TUSC) 138
Tim Harwood (Lib Dem) 227
Sue Jenkin (Cons) 546
Amanda King (Lab) 1432 elected
Hitesh Patel (Lab). 1193 elected 28 per cent
Latchford East
Rupert Budgen (Lib Dem) 123
Julian Craddock (Cons) 192
Sue Hayes (TUSC) 83
John Lappin (Green) 85
Hans Mundry (Lab Co-op) 929 elected
Karen Mundry (Lab Co-op) 822 elected
Tim Price (Lib Dem) 140
Ken Scates (Cons) 145 23 per cent
Latchford West
Dave Cundy (TUSC) 88
Michael Haworth (Cons) 321
Celia Jordan (Lib Dems) 272
Maureen McLaughlin (Lab) 991 elected
Les Morgan (Lab) 1068 elected
Ann Raymond (Lib Dems) 283
David Woodyatt (Cons). 312
Lymm North and Thelwall
Bob Barr (Lib Dem) 2027 elected
Derek Clark (UKIP) 530
Wendy Johnson (Lib Dem) 1685 elected
Ian Marks (Lib Dem) 1943 elected
Harish Sharma (Cons) 679
Jonathan Smith (Cons) 857
Kevin Yates (Cons) 735
Chris Zastawny (Lab). 895
Lymm South
James Ashington (UKIP) 233
Kath Buckley (Cons) 879 elected
David Cockayne (Lab) 466
Ed Gough (Lib Dem) 780
Graham Gowland (Lib Dem) 668
Sheila Woodyatt (Cons) 925 elected
Orford
Dion Challinor (UKIP) 392
Mike Hannon (Lab) 1493 elected
Clive Lawrinson 117
Pam Marks (Lib Dems) 137
Kerri Morris (Lab) 1374 elected
Ian Richards (UKIP) 420
Sid Simmons (UKIP) 392
Morgan Tarr (Lab) 1234 elected
Jan Woning (Cons) 154
Penketh and Cuerdley
Sam Baxter (Cons) 1317
Allin Dirir (Lab) 1486 elected
Linda Dirir (Lab) 1511 elected
Matt Jones (Cons) 1030
David Keane (Lab) 1622 elected
Denis McAllister (Lib Dems) 254
Kevin Morton (Cons) 1087
Poplars and Hulme
Mike Byrne (UKIP) 463
Hilary Cooksey (Lab) 1103 elected
John Kerr-Brown (Lab) 1196 elected
Francine Leslie (Cons) 222
Mal Lingley (UKIP) 440
Brian Maher (Lab) 1090 elected
Trevor Nicholls (UKIP) 450
Pam Todd (Lib Dem) 142 23 per cent
Poulton North
Diana Bennett (Lab) 1413 elected
Philip Eastty (Cons) 696
Graham Friend (Lab) 1411 elected
Chris Oliver (Lib Dem) 726
Russell Purnell (Lab) 1222 elected 32 per cent
Poulton South
Maureen Creaghan (Lab) 678 Elected
Colin Froggatt (Lab) 882 Elected
Dave Hockenhull (Lib Dem) 167
Emma Sloan (Cons) 324
Bob Taylor (TUSC) 360 30 per cent
Rixton and Woolston
Paul Bretherton (Ind) 717
Bill Brinksman (Independent) 882
Mark Chapman (Cons) 560
Andrew Hill (Lab) 1214 elected
Howard Klein (Cons) 460
Tony McCarthy (Lab) 1314 elected
Isaac Tweedale (Cons) 411
Paul Wenlock (Lib Dem) 168
Pat Wright (Lab). 979 elected
Stockton Heath
Sandra Eaves (Lab) 522
Harry Gibbins (Green) 147
Jonathan Levy (Cons) 581
Laurence Murphy (Lab) 614
Stephen Taylor (Cons) 675
Peter Walker (Lib Dem) 1089 Elected
Graham Welborn (Lib Dem) 813 Elected
Disappointing results for @Conservatives in Warrington and I’m particularly sorry for my fellow Stockton Heath candidate, @stevietcllrwbc.
— Jonathan Levy (@JLevyUK) May 6, 2016
Westbrook
Jeff Butler (Lib Dem) 460
Judith Guthrie (Lab) 606 elected
John Joyce (Lab) 477
Stefan Krizanac (Lib Dem) 827 elected
Alex Leslie (Cons). 272 23 per cent
Congratulations to all our candidates today, especially to our Culcheth team and to @Morgan_Tarr, @andrewhill1993 and @CathyMitch!!
— Helen Jones MP (@HelenJonesMP) May 6, 2016
VIDEO interviews with @WarringtonBC leader Terry O’Neill and Lib Dem leader @CllrBobBarr https://t.co/d4rnMuNQwF pic.twitter.com/E6OwTVm6LI
— warrington-worldwide (@warringtonworld) May 6, 2016
Nipped out to vote last night and look what I spotted @warringtonworld pic.twitter.com/A8jfNH1xFd
— Natasha Coates (@NatashaCoatesGB) May 6, 2016