Labour have won outright control of Bury Council after the final ward was decided by drawing straws.
The final result has just been declared for Ramsbottom when, after three recounts, Labour and Conservative posted the same number of votes. The two candidates then drew straws, with the Labour candidate drawing the longest one to gain an extra vote and win the seat.
That result meant that Labour won six seats at the local elections, three from the Conservatives and three from the Lib Dems.
The new balance on Bury Council is: Labour 26 seats, Conservatives 20 and Lib Dems 5.
The turnout was 40%, compared to last year’s 65% which co-incided with the General Election.
The votes were counted at Castle Leisure Centre in Bury, and the full results are: (* denotes councillor seeking re-election):
BESSES
Julie Baum (Lib Dem)…468
* Alan Matthews (Lab)…1,523
Stephen Morris (English Democrats)…209
Andrew Redstone (UKIP)…138
Ian Silvester (Con)…462
Turnout…33.74%
Lab hold
CHURCH
Andrew Garner (Lib Dem)…277
Susan Southworth (Lab)…1,551
* Jack Walton (Con)…1,975
Turnout…45.32%
Con hold
EAST
* Michael Connolly (Lab)…1,589
Maureen Davison (Lib Dem)…132
Peter Entwistle (UKIP)…433
Anjum Saddique (Con)…983
Turnout…39.63%
Lab hold
ELTON
Alan Creswell (Con)…1,600
Zadok Day (Lib Dem)…172
James Frith (Lab)…1,743
Turnout…41.23%
Lab gain
HOLYROOD
Gill Campbell (Lab)…1,508
Carl Curran (Con)…584
* Wilf Davison (Lib Dem)…1,314
Valerie Morris (English Democrats)…173
Turnout…40.71%
Lab gain
MOORSIDE
Timothy Boaden (Lib Dem)…360
Victor Hagan (Independent)…277
Azmat Husain (Con)…901
Graeme Lambert (Pirate Party)…119
* Keith Rothwell (Lab)…1,629
Turnout…36.59%
Lab hold
NORTH MANOR
Ewan Arthur (Lib Dem)…482
Glyn Heath (Green)…345
Khalid Hussain (Con)…1,868
Andrew Jones (Lab)…1,178
Lynnette Mitchell-Male (Independent)…170 Turnout…49.7% Con hold
PILKINGTON PARK
Wayne Burrows (Lib Dem)…144
* Robert Caserta (Con)…1,446
John Mallon (Lab)…1,365
Peter Redstone (UKIP)…362
Turnout…42.06%
Con hold
RADCLIFFE EAST
Matt Bailey (Lab)…1,623
Michael Bell (Lib Dem)…130
Nick McNeill (UKIP)…277
Bernard Slingsby (Con)…1,013
Turnout…35.12%
Lab hold
RADCLIFFE NORTH
Peter Bury (Lab)…1,799
Fiona Davison (Lib Dem)…176
Stuart Penketh (Con)…1,576
Turnout…40.6%
Lab gain
RADCLIFFE WEST
* Tony Cummings (Lab)…1,901
Samantha Davies (Con)…719
Kamran Islam (Lib Dem)…97
Turnout…32.1%
Lab hold
RAMSBOTTOM
Joanne Columbine (Lab)…1,822 (+1)
Helen Herd (Lib Dem)…241
Robert Hodkinson (Con)…1,822
Turnout…43.36%
Con hold
REDVALES
Emma Davison (Lib Dem)…215
Stephen Evans (UKIP)…404
Tahira Shaffi (Con)…913
* John Smith (Lab)…2,008
Turnout…39.36%
Lab hold
SEDGLEY
Michael James (Lab)…2,317
Raymond Solomon (UKIP)…181
Marilyn Vincent (Con)…688
Steve Wright (Lib Dem)…843
Turnout…45.13%
Lab gain
ST MARY’S
* Richard Baum (Lib Dem)…1,039
Noel Bayley (Lab)…1,612
Adam Greene (UKIP)…158
Beverly Sullivan (Con)…554
Turnout…41%
Lab gain
TOTTINGTON
Simon Carter (Lab)…1,323
David Foss (Lib Dem)…283
* Yvonne Wright (Con)…1,646
Turnout…40.75%
Con hold
UNSWORTH
Janice Cheetham (Con)…1,149
Chris Frost (UKIP)…209
* Joan Grimshaw (Lab)…1,875
Joanne O’Hanlon (Lib Dem)…111
Turnout…45%
Lab hold
