'Burnham bounce' sees Labour win by-election seat
Just now
Chris Gee
Local Democracy Reporter
A 'Burnham bounce' has given Labour a big by-election win in the Prime Minister's constituency in Wigan.
John Vickers triumphed in the Hindley Green by-election, held following the death of long-standing member Bob Brierley.
He topped the polls with 1,201 votes and Reform's Bonnie Clarke was second with 887 votes.
It marked the first Wigan borough election won by Labour this year, after they suffered a "wipe-out" in all 25 contested seats for the council in May's local elections.
The Hindley Green ward is wholly in the Makerfield parliamentary constituency and the by-election was seen by many as a barometer of support for the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, with polling happening in his own back yard.
In May, Reform won 24 of the 25 seats contested.
'Disillusioned'
Now, of the council's 75 seats, Labour have 43 councillors and overall control, Reform still have 25 members, and the remaining seven are independents.
Reflecting on the rapid turn in his fortunes, Vickers acknowledged that Burnham's earlier win in Makerfield, on 18 June, "had a lot to do with tonight".
He said: "People were disillusioned in May and what happened on June 18 certainly put a lot of faith back in people who had perhaps decided that the Labour Party was not going in the right direction."
Outlining his priorities for the ward, he said: "The fact that Hindley Green has no NHS facilities is something we need to put right.
"We need to get the pharmacy back to start with and take it from there to get a health centre and associated facilities," he continued.
Reflecting on the setback for his party, Wigan Reform leader Paul Watson said there had indeed been a 'Burnham bounce' in the Hindley Green by-election. He said: "We came second tonight but this is a by-election not a local election.
"Momentum maybe seems to be with Labour now, after the Burnham bounce, but come May it will be a totally different perspective," adding he was confident Reform would go on to "take control of Wigan Council".
A third of seats on the council are set to be contested in local elections in May, 2027.
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