Yahoo News Labour hold off Green Party challenge to keep commanding control in Knowsley
Labour held off a spirited challenge from The Green Party to hold onto all of their council seats in Knowsley and retain a commanding control of the council.
Labour won all of the 12 seats they held going into this year's local elections with two new councillors defeating the highly touted candidates from the Green Party.
There were 15 wards going to the polls in this year's local elections with 15 seats being contested by 32 candidates - all vying to be elected representatives for their respective wards.
READ MORE: £10* unlimited day travel on Northern trains only with your ECHO
Labour has held political control of the council since Knowsley's first local election in 1973 and were favourites to retain their overall majority. Despite this, the other parties were hopeful of making gains - particularly the Green Party who won their first seat in 2018 and went into this year's election with seven seats.
Labour were always going to retain their very strong hold on Knowsley Council today, but they faced tough fights in a couple of wards and they will be very happy to have fended off off those challenges and hold all of their seats.
The challenge from the Green Party came and went after they targeted St Gabriels ward and Roby ward. Both challenges proved fruitless after new councillors Chantelle Lunt and Megan Dever won convincing victories to hold the seats for Labour.
Knowsley council Leader, Cllr Graham Morgan retained his Swanside ward seat and gave some reaction to Labour's performance. He said: "It has been an excellent day for Labour in Knowsley.
"It's been a hard battle but I think the people have trusted the Labour candidates and seen how a well run Labour council is in Knowsley up against some very challenging circumstances.
"I am absolutely proud of every one of the candidates who have won today and especially we have got younger females coming through now and that's a great endorsement for Knowsley."
One of the those mention by the Labour leader was newly elected councillor Chantelle Lunt, a well known Merseyside campaigner and the founder of the region's Black Lives Matter Alliance, who was victorious in St Gabriels ward; holding of the challenge from the Green Party candidate, Crispin Evans - himself a former Labour councillor.
The newly elected Cllr Lunt said: "I'm really humbled and I'm really thankful to everyone in the community who put their trust in me.
"I will be present in the community and they can expect me to be working on the issues that were identified during our campaign so issues around our lived environment.
"Everything from pot-holes, to flytipping, to litter and then the wider issues of coming together as a community."
The second person referenced by Cllr Morgan was another newly elected councillor, Megan Dever who won the Roby ward seat; holding of the challenge from the Green Party candidate, Carmen Escalante-Callejo. She said: "I will be there as their (constituents) voice for anything that they need and the issues that have been raised during the campaign."
Councillor for Prescot South and Leader of the Green Party, Kai Taylor responded to a mixed day for the Green Party. He said: "We're very disappointed we didn't make the gains we thought we were going to make and we'll be looking at that as a party.
Cllr Taylor added: "We are quite happy to hold the number of seats we had."
Full Knowsley Council Local Elections Results
Cherryfield Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Sean Donnelly - Labour Party: 1254
Patrick Gilmore - Greens: 237
Halewood North Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Lili Berry - Independent: 511
Alan Flute - Labour Party:1300
Halewood South Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Edna Finneran - Labour party: 978
Suzanne Harvey - Independent: 955
Northwood Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Neill Dunne - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition: 224
Russell Greenway - Greens: 146
Matthew Rawlinson - Labour Party: 1004
Page Moss Ward - LABOUR HOLD
John Carine - Greens: 419
Ruth Lee - Conservatives: 78
Ken McGlashan - Labour and Co-operatives: 1010
Prescot North Ward - LIBERAL DEMOCRAT HOLD
Tommy Grierson - Labour Party: 891
Peter Leadbeater - Conservative: 91
Ian Smith - Liberal Democrat:971
Prescot South Ward - GREEN HOLD
Diane Sedman - Labour Party: 686
Graham Wickens - Greens: 1029
Roby Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Megan Dever - Labour Party: 1383
Carmen Escalante-Callejo - Greens: 953
Shevington Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Cathy Connolly - Greens: 281
Aimee Wright - Labour Party: 1150
St Gabriels Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Crispin Evans - Greens: 852
Chantelle Lunt - Labour Party: 923
St Michaels Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Joan Lilly - Labour Party: 1154
Fames Taylor - Greens: 230
Stockbridge Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Lynn O'Keefe - Labour Party: 1086
Paul Ryan - Greens: 221
Swanside Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Jade Escalante-Callejo - Greens: 259
William Finnan - Conservatives: 83
Graham Morgan - Labour Party: 1595
Whiston and Cronton Ward - LABOUR HOLD
Olusoji Arosanyin - Conservatives: 73
Terry Byron - Labour Party: 1026
Adam Heatherington - Reform UK: 116
Michael Rutland - Greens: 761
Whitefield Ward - INDEPENDENT HOLD
Louise Harbour - Labour and Co-operative: 833
Steve Smith - Independent: 1030
Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
