JUST 81 people voted as Labour hung on in a by-election at Winwick Parish Council winning in one of the lowest election counts ever recorded in Warrington by just eleven votes.
Lisa Secker from Grasmere Avenue, beat Independent Andy Griffiths, from Winwick, yesterday in a dismal turnout for a seat on Winwick Parish Council. She retains the Labour seat for the ward of Peel Hall, with a turnout of just 6.77 percent.
The ward has a catchment area of up to 1,197 individual votes but freezing weather conditions were attributed to one of the lowest turnouts recorded. Elsewhere, on the same day, a referendum in Cheshire attracted only 2% of its catchment area.
With 46 votes Lisa has managed to maintain the Labour seat that has been held for decades on the parish council, against the 35 votes gained by Mr Griffiths. There were no spoilt ballots recorded.
On winning, the 46-year-old mother of four said: “It was a respectful fight. At the end of the day, we both want to see the same things for the Peel Hall Ward. I am genuinely looking forward to meeting everyone. This is something quite new to me. I am keen to stand up as much as I can and to stand up for what everyone wants.”
Andy commented: “I want to congratulate Lisa on her election to the parish council and I look forward to hearing her plans and support of the ward. I’ll continue to support the Save Peel Hall Campaign Group in the fight to ensure developers keep to their promises and to get the best result possible for local people. My campaign encompassed the entire ward and all its issues.”
Spokesperson for the Save Peel Hall Campaign Group Wendy Johnson-Taylor said: “I am really saddened by the apathy presented by local people, especially with regards to the huge development which is only just around the corner. It will impact every single one of us and I do not look forward to the day I tell them ‘I told you so.’ Residents really need to wake up and realise the seriousness of what is to come. By not voting is pathetic. I’m stunned. Despite this our group remains 100 percent committed to making sure we get the best deal we can out of this.”
Independent candidate Andy Griffiths
1 Comment
How sad that a political party seeks to dominate a local Parish Council. What we really want and desperately need is independant ‘ Local ‘ residents who want the best for the area, instead we have, once again, the majority who are only interested in doing the bid of the party. These members all voted for the Local Plan which decimates our villages by allowing Greedy developers to Land Grab what precious little Greenbelt we have left.
It is time for change and Andy was just the start we needed.So good luck Peel Hall you got what you wished for which isn’t what the majority of us wanted