Greens gain their first ever Tameside seat in dramatic night at local elections

There was a couple of shocks in the local elections last night as the Green Party won their first ever seat in Tameside, while Labour snatched the Hyde Werneth seat from the Tories by just five votes.

In Ashton Waterloo, Green candidate Lee Huntbach beat Labour’s Jean Drennan by 140 votes to become his party’s first councillor in the borough.

Speaking after his historic victory, Lee said: “I’m overwhelmed really. We expected it because we worked really hard for it. The residents for the last six months, after the result in the by-election, told me they were up for it. We knew we had the support but we knew we had to put the work in. The work has resonated with residents; it’s all come from them. My campaign has been led by them.”

Labour’s Jean Drennan was standing in place of Lorraine Whitehead, a former Labour councillor who defected to the Greens and was defeated in Ashton Hurst.

Lee, whose main priority now is the completion of the Christ Church 4C Community Centre, said the party will target Waterloo again next year after what he called a “green surge”.

“It’s not just me,” he said. “We had over 700 votes in Dukinfield and we didn’t even campaign there. That’s a bigger surprise than my win.

“The obvious thing is to try and get another councillor elected in Waterloo. We’ve upped our votes in almost every ward, so it’s about becoming that second party in Tameside.”

The most dramatic scene of the night was saved for the end, when Labour gained Hyde Werneth from the Conservatives after a recount.

Shibley Alam became the borough’s first ever Bangladeshi councillor, after defeating the Conservative’s Paul Molloy by just five votes. They were contesting the seat made vacant by former local Conservative leader John Bell’s retirement, who’d held it since 1975.

“I’m really excited that I won,” Shibley said. “I can’t believe it. I’d like to thank the residents of Hyde Werneth for voting for me and my campaign team for helping me.

“It means a great deal to me because to represent the Bangladeshi community in Tameside is a great achievement for me.”

Hyde Werneth saw by far the biggest turnout at 38.7%. Turnout was generally disappointing, with Ashton St. Michael’s the lowest at 22.2%.

Overall, Labour gained one seat and lost another, the Greens gained one and the Conservatives lost one. That now means Labour hold 51 of Tameside Council’s 57 seats. The Conservatives hold five while the Greens now hold one. Five new councillors were elected.

Tameside Council election results 2019:

Ashton Hurst – 28.2% - LAB hold

Ashton St Michael’s - 22.2% - LAB hold

Ashton St Peter’s - 23.5% - LAB hold

Ashton Waterloo - 27.2% - GREEN gain from LAB

Audenshaw - 27.1% - LAB hold

Denton North East - 23.7% - LAB hold

Denton South - 26.1% - LAB hold

Denton West - 26.4% - LAB hold

Droylsden East - 23.8% - LAB hold

Droylsden West - 26% - LAB hold

Dukinfield - 23.7% - LAB hold

Dukinfield Stalybridge - 27.3% - LAB hold

Hyde Godley - 25.7% - LAB hold

Hyde Newton - 22.6% - LAB hold

Hyde Werneth - 38.7% - LAB gain from CON

Longdendale – 26% - LAB hold

Mossley – 28.3% - LAB hold

Stalybridge North – 25.1% - LAB hold