Labour holds grip on power on a night of little drama in Rochdale

Labour consolidated its grip on power on a night of little drama in Rochdale.

A third of the council’s 60 seats were up for grabs, but with Labour holding a huge majority it would have taken something remarkable for the party to lose its hold on the town hall.

As it happened Labour held onto all 15 seats they were defending and won the vacant Balderstone and Kirkholt seat.

Yet on a night where the Conservatives made gains in the North East and Midlands, the Tories failed to make any in-roads in the borough.

The party had been hoping to pick up seats in Heywood and Middleton following Chris Clarkson’s installation as the constituency’s first ever Tory MP at the 2019 General Election.

But in the end Labour held all seven seats it was defending in the two towns.

The result means Labour now have 45 seats, with the Conservatives on 10 and the Lib Dems on three.

There are also two independent councillors.

Council leader Allen Brett, who was re-elected to his Milkstone and Deeplish seat, said he believed the Labour vote held up in Rochdale because people had voted on ‘local issues’.

Coun Brett revealed he expected to face a leadership challenge in the coming days but refused to be drawn further.

Rochdale Conservative leader Ashley Dearnley said it had been a good night for the Tories – tempered by the fact his party had not made inroads in Heywood and Middleton.

Covid restrictions meant the count was split across two venues – Rochdale Leisure Centre and Heywood Sports Village – with limited numbers allowed into the venues.

The election saw the departure of two-time council leader Richard Farnell who did not contest the Balderstone and Kirkholt seat he has held since 2012.

Coun Farnell stood down as Labour council leader in 2017 after coming under pressure after a report found he lied to the Independent Inquiry into Child Abuse – a finding he has always denied.

His predecessor in the top job and former Labour colleague Colin Lambert also failed in his bid to rejoin the council.

He stood as an independent but was beaten by Wendy Ann Cocks who held the West Heywood seat for Labour after the retirement of Peter Malcolm.

Some 78 candidates stood across the borough’s 20 wards.

Overall turn-out was 34.6 per cent.

It is the first time local elections have taken place in two years after last year’s ballot was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As well as electing local councillors, voters have also been going to the polls to elect the Greater Manchester mayor. Results are expected from this election on Saturday.