Excellent local election results for Southport Liberal Democrats

5.23.59am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 4th May 2007

Carmel Preston gained a Tory seat in Southport

Southport Liberal Democrats celebrated late into the night after their stunning results in the local elections on May 3rd. The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Carmel Preston gaining a seat in Cambridge ward from the Conservatives, unseating the sitting Mayor of Sefton in the process. In the four seats retained by the Lib Dems their majorities ranged from 584 to a whopping 1,128.

Sefton Cabinet member Cllr David Tattersall increased the Lib Dem majority in Meols ward from 668 to 827. This was despite a cynical last minute attempt by the Tories to spread disaffection over the introduction of alternate weekly collections for the bins.

Veteran councillor Brian Rimmer increased the majority in Norwood Ward from 681 to 1,128. In Kew ward, new Lib Dem candidate Mike Booth successful defended the seat of retiring councillor Terry Francis. Simon Shaw successfully defended his Birkdale seat.

Across the Southport Parliamentary constituency the Lib Dems won five seats to the Tories two. The total votes cast in this marginal Lib Dem / Tory constituency were Liberal Democrat 10,483 to Conservative 9,123.

The full local election results for Southport on May 3rd 2007 are:

AINSDALE WARD

Terry Jones (Conservative) 2,484 (64.5%)

Ann Hindley (Liberal Democrats) 1,078 (28.0%)

Frank Warner (Labour) 292 (7.6%)

BIRKDALE WARD

Simon Shaw (Liberal Democrats) 1,604 (48.6%)

Janet Rowell (Conservative) 1,020 (30.9%)

Terry Durrance (UKIP) 406 (12.3%)

Frank Robinson (Labour) 270 (8.2%)

CAMBRIDGE WARD

Carmel Preston (Liberal Democrats) 1,939 (47.0%)

Tommy Mann (Conservative) 1,542 (37.4%)

David Cobham (Southport Party) 447 (10.8%)

Muriel Langley (Labour) 200 (4.8%)

DUKES WARD

Les Byrom (Conservative) 1,742 (51.3%)

Bill Hibbard (Liberal Democrats) 845 (24.9%)

Harry Forster (Southport Party) 481 (14.2%)

Catherine Cookson (Labour) 326 (9.6%)

KEW WARD

Mike Booth (Liberal Democrats) 1,405 (51.1%)

Adam Kennaugh (Conservative) 678 (24.6%)

John Lee (Southport Party) 468 (17.0%)

Steve Jowett (Labour) 201 (7.3%)

MEOLS WARD

David Tattersall (Liberal Democrats) 1,899 (53.1%)

Mike Swift (Conservative) 1,072 (30.0%)

Margaret Brown (Southport Party) 435 (12.2%)

Maureen Stoker (Labour) 171 (4.8%)

NORWOOD WARD

Brian Rimmer (Liberal Democrats) 1,713 (54.4%)

Jaine Chisholm Caunt (Conservative) 585 (18.6%)

Mike Nolan (Labour) 318 (10.1%)

Jim Ford (Southport Party) 317 (10.1%)

Carol Atherton (BNP) 214 (6.8%)

VOTE TOTALS FOR SOUTHPORT CONSTITUENCY

Liberal Democrats 10,483 (43.4%)

Conservative 9,123 (37.8%)

Southport Party 2,148 (8.9%)

Labour 1,778 (7.4%)

UKIP 406 (1.7%)

BNP 214 (0.9%)