The Mancunian Way: Local election special

Hello,

We’re in for a big weekend of local election results. Yesterday, all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester saw voters go to the polls, electing both local councillors and mayors.

The first results for Greater Manchester came just before 4am in Wigan, where Labour kept control of the council, losing one seat and gaining one seat from the Conservatives.

Labour also kept hold of Tameside council, but did lose three seats - two to independents and one to the Conservatives.

In Stockport and Bolton, both councils remain in no overall control. The Lib Dems fell one seat short of a majority in Stockport, and in Bolton, Labour stayed as the largest party, gaining three seats but losing five.

But in many ways, the big story from the region so far has been in Oldham, where Labour lost control of the council, gaining just one seat and losing four. Labour had a majority of just one before the night began.

Oldham’s fall to no overall control has been linked to dissatisfaction over the Labour party’s approach to the war in Gaza in the area - as was George Galloway’s by-election win in Rochdale just a few months ago. On a night of national positives for the party it won’t be top of their talking list, but it’s an undeniable message from some voters that they want to see the party shift their policies on the conflict.

Manchester, Rochdale, Trafford, and Bury are all set to announce results today (May 3). Salford will be the last Greater Manchester borough to announce their results on Sunday afternoon.

We’ll also see the mayoral election results on Saturday, with Andy Burnham hoping to win a third consecutive term as Greater Manchester’s mayor. Results from the Salford City mayoral election are also expected to come through on Saturday evening.

The M.E.N team will be with you the whole way through, keeping you up to date with all the latest developments. You can follow our live blog here.

The significance of Gaza in Oldham’s Labour loss

The biggest story from the region’s local elections so far is undoubtedly Labour’s loss of its overall majority in Oldham council for the first time in thirteen years.

Although they gained two seats in Hollinwood and Failsworth East, the party saw seven seats go to independent candidates.

Many have suggested that the UK Labour leader’s stance on Gaza could be to blame - especially in wards such as St Mary’s, Alexandra and Coldhurst where there are large Asian and Muslim populations.

A number of independent candidates in these areas ran on ‘boycott Labour’ campaigns, while others used the colours of the Palestinian flag on their leaflets to show their support.

But reacting to the results this morning, council leader Arooj Shah argued the issue is not that simple. She claimed that ‘bad actors’ in Oldham - and British politics - were ‘exploiting’ the issue to sow division amidst residents who already feel disenfranchised by the cost of living crisis and cuts to local spending.

You can read the full story here.

The story behind the chaos

If you read yesterday’s Mancunian Way, you’ll know that Manchester’s newest arena was forced to turn fans away at the door on Wednesday night after an eleventh hour ‘technical issue’.

It follows weeks of chaos at Co-op Live, with capacity slashed at a test gig among emergency services concerns, and Peter Kay’s opening gigs pushed back prior to Wednesday night’s disaster.

But the day before American rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was due to perform, bosses were insistent that the arena WOULD open on Wednesday, despite the prior concerns. So what exactly happened?

The M.E.N understands that, for all intents and purposes, the venue was cleared to open by officials ahead of the gig. But during the rapper’s soundcheck, a nozzle from an air conditioning unit fell from the ceiling within the arena’s bowl.

It has led to further cancellations, including Olivia Rodrigo’s scheduled concerts on Friday and Saturday night, and Keane’s gig on Sunday. And embarrassingly for the £365m venue, their rivals the AO arena have stepped in to host A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and a run of Take That gigs.

Adam Maidment, Ethan Davies, and Maisie Lawton have the full story behind the last few days’ chaos here.

May in Manchester

Despite today’s grey skies, we’ve had a week of warmer weather and it is finally starting to feel like spring.

And as tourism writer Liv Clarke points out, May is the only month of the year to be bookended with bank holiday weekends, so it’s a good idea to make the most of it.

She’s picked out the best things for you to do while out and about in Manchester this month. You can read all about them here.

'Bus driver didn't mean to kill my wife and friend’

The husband of a woman who died after a ‘careless’ bus driver accidentally accelerated into her has called for drivers to receive more training.

Joyce Bacon, 60, was hit by a bus in Manchester city centre in July 2022. A court heard driver Baruania Baros was helping a disabled passenger leave the bus when he mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. The bus jolted forward and crashed into Ms Bacon and her friend Adele Boylin, 55, causing fatal injuries.

Baros, 35, avoided jail after a judge heard that he had a clean driving record and no previous criminal convictions. Ms Bacon’s husband Mr Bacon told Manchester Crown Court: "Would it benefit Mr Baros going to prison?

"In my opinion, I'm not so sure. I believe that the main responsibility lies with Stagecoach for their lack of detailed training and not considering the safety of passengers waiting to alight the bus."

Mr Bacon continued: "The driver of the bus clearly had no intention of killing my wife and our friend. I believe that the culpability lies with Stagecoach." He claimed that drivers are given 'woefully little additional training' following initial training.

You can read the full story from Andrew Bardsley here.

Weather etc

Saturday: Heavy rain changing to overcast by late morning. 13C.

Roadworks: A57 Church Street in both directions closed due to gas main work between Eccles Cenotaph and The Show Market.

Manchester headlines

• Hit and run: Terrifying footage has captured the moment a car ploughed into a group of people outside a polling station in Tameside yesterday. More here.

• Two in hospital: A boy and a man were taken to hospital after a crash near Manchester Airport on Thursday evening. More here.

• Court: A nursery worker accused of killing a baby girl having allegedly swaddled her and put her face down on a bean bag told a court she complained to management about the 'sheer volume' of children compared to staff. More here.

Worth a read

We’ve all got a favourite local chippy - but is yours a fully fledged chippy restaurant with an in-house pianist?

Turns out Paddy McGuinness’ is. He has often sung the praises of Bolton's iconic Olympus, which boasts both a traditional takeaway and a restaurant. Emma Gill went to give it a go - you can read her verdict here.