Star date: 23rd May 2014

NO UKIP SURGE IN SALFORD AS LABOUR HOLDS ALL SEATS

The Labour Party confirmed its iron grip of Salford in today's local election count, holding onto all its seats in yet another low turnout of 29.58%. While UKIP came second in many of the seats it contested, in most it was well behind Labour. The Tories held all three seats they defended.

Meanwhile, the Green Party came second in Ordsall, TUSC came second in Little Hulton and the Reality Party almost came second in Irlam.

Full details here…

After today's local election count at the AJ Bell Stadium, all parties claimed they were pleased with the results. Labour held all the 17 seats it was defending, while the Conservative Party also held the three seats it was defending.

There was no change on the council – but lots of little sub plots, not least the so-called `UKIP surge', the debut of Bez's Reality Party and the nine candidates standing for Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts (TUSC).

The Labour Party romped home with its usual landslide victory, only seriously worried in Swinton South, where the majority over UKIP's Joe O'Neill was a mere 130 votes. The second smallest majority for Labour was in Claremont, with a majority of 326 over UKIP's Mary Ferrer. Interestingly, both of these UKIP candidates were ex-councillors who had defected from other parties with big personal votes in their wards.

John Merry, re-elected in Broughton with a whopping majority of 977, was delighted that he had doubled his majority over UKIP…

"I think it's fantastic, I think this is one of the few wards in the country that's got a swing from UKIP to Labour of 8%" he told the Salford Star "We've turned back the UKIP tide in Salford."

Told that UKIP came second in most of the wards it contested he added: "They traded on the general feeling with life that many people feel, and I don't blame people for that – we've gone through many years of unnecessary austerity, in my view, and it's having an affect on people. A UKIP surge in Salford? Not judging by my ward!"

The Tories too weren't impressed by UKIP's performance as they held onto the three seats they were defending – Worsley, Boothstown and Ellenbrook and Walkden South…

"I'm pleased that UKIP were pushed down in some cases to third place and I don't think they've made anywhere near the inroads they expected to make" said the Conservative Party's Robin Garrido "They were boasting before the count that they were going to win at least four seats from Labour. We didn't expect people in our seats to be taken in by them, and they certainly weren't taken in by them in the Labour areas."

On his own party's performance, Garrido said that defending Walkden South with a slim majority of 81 felt like a gain, after losing the same ward two years ago… "We did very well, we had three standing seats and won all three, two with convincing majorities" he said "But the one we're really pleased about was Walkden South."

Meanwhile, UKIP didn't see the results in the same light as Labour and the Tories…

"We did very well, better than expected in many cases" said Paul Doyle, who came 488 votes behind Labour in Pendleton. Even so, despite all the national publicity, UKIP failed to win any seats in Salford and had that 8% swing against them in Broughton…

"But look at the other wards where we've never stood before…Swinton South, we were about 130 votes off Labour - that's never been seen before" he explained "There were some worried faces and I think they still are worried because we're getting closer and closer. We've come very close and that's enough, ready for next year. I'm confident that come next year we'll be there."

Apart from the UKIP performance there was national interest in how the Reality Party – newly founded by Happy Mondays' Bez - would do in Irlam, where Jackie Anderson was standing against Labour councillor Roger Jones. She polled 370 votes, only 23 less than the Tories who came second…

"I'm totally over the moon" she said "We did this with only eight weeks work, so now it's onwards and upwards. I'm hoping that by the time we get a huge number of Reality Party candidates in, not only for local but also national elections next year, we'll have a substantial effect on the votes.

"I'm pleased but would have hoped perhaps that there would have been a little more support because of the fracking issue" she explained "The next task is to set up the ground work for the Reality Party nationally. This is the first blow and it's been wonderful working with the people who have helped us leaflet and everything. I've really enjoyed it."

Meanwhile, Bez, at the count to show support, declared himself surprised with the result…

"It shows you what a big job it is to actually wake people up to the fact that they're going to get fracked" he said "I thought people would want to vote to stop the earth getting poisoned and all that but because there's no media coverage on it people are totally unaware. There's an enormous job we've got to do to wake people up to the dangers of what's about to happen, a lot more work is needed to be done to get people to realise that.

"It's going to be a huge job, that's what I realise now, it's not as simple as you think" he added "But we're trying anyway. My aim is to see the back of the banking system, because until the banking system is ended we can't have genuine change. Even under a socialist system the bankers are still running the monetary system and they will still be the unelected leaders of the world. Until we can remove that influence, this big pussing sore on the side of humanity, we'll never get any true change. I won't rest until I see the back of them because I believe them to be the true evil of the world…But the revolution has started in Irlam!"

Also pushing the anti-fracking, anti-cuts agenda was the Green Party and TUSC. The Greens best showing in Salford was in Ordsall where they polled 518 votes to come second, beating the Tories into third place.

TUSC also knocked the Tories into third place in Little Hulton, polling 460 votes, and almost came second in Barton with 484 votes, just 14 votes behind the Tories.

"Overall we pulled in about 2,500 votes and everybody's pleased with the results we got" said Steve Cullen who stood as a TUSC candidate in Swinton South "We've just got to keep the pressure on…"

Altogether, the number of votes cast in the election was 52,860, with a total turnout of just 29.58% - with some really low turnouts in Irwell Riverside (21.6%), Little Hulton (22.4%) and Ordsall (23%).

Never mind the `non-UKIP surge' in Salford, the turnout shows that the majority of people are still disillusioned and disengaged with the whole political system…

For the full set of results, parties and candidates see the official Salford Council website – click here