Council chief delighted as bigger than expected gains boost majority

Labour retained its control of Wakefield Council and now has an overall majority of 15 seats.

The Liberal Democrats no longer have a presence on the council after the Conservative’s Angela Taylor took a seat from them in Ossett.

Labour added a further five seats to its power base strengthening its control and now enjoys 39 seats on the local authority.

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The jubilant party also enjoyed gains from Independents in Featherstone and South Elmsall and South Kirkby.

Labour also swept seats from the Tories in Horbury and South Osset, Pontefract South, and Wrenthorpe and Outwood West.

In Pontefract South, Labour’s Tony Dean enjoyed a 7.7 per cent majority with a total of 2,734 votes – which represented 53.5 per cent of the votes.

Labour now has 39 seats on the council while the Tories have 21 and Independent councillors now make up the final three seats on the authority. Before yesterday Labour held 34 seats, Conservative 23 seats, Liberal Democrats one seat and Independents five seats.

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Wakefield Council Leader Peter Box said he was delighted that Labour had gained five seats in Wakefield, taking the majority from five to 15.

Coun Box said: “I was expecting some gains but this is a really good majority.”

He added: “We have made these gains because people are unhappy with the Government nationally and secondly because in Wakefield we have done our best to protect the most vulnerable services.”

He added that the Lib Dems had “clearly taken the brunt of the unpopularity of the coalition.”

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“People are blaming them for things that the coalition has done,” said Coun Box.

This year’s election in Wakefield was for a third of seats across the local authority.

Each councillor who was elected this time will serve a four-year term of office.