Wakefield Council Election Summary 2021: Labor Loses Seven Total Seats As Party Slashed Majority Yorkshire News

Labor still retained its overall control of the Wakefield Council, but its majority was reduced to 11.

They now hold 43 of the 63 council seats, and the conservative opposition’s six winnings bring their number to 17.

The Conservatives won Ossett, Pontefract South and Wrenthorpe and Outwood West from Labor.

Later large scalps were taken at Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton and Crofton, Ryhill and Walton. Both were won by painfully tight margins after tallies in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Council health cabinet member Faith Heptinstall lost her seat at Crofton, Ryhill and Walton.

The only Labor win was in Airedale and Ferry Fryston, although the party will have been pleased to keep the target seats of the Conservatives like Horbury and South Ossett and Stanley and Outwood East. They also clung comfortably to neighborhoods like Hemsworth, South Elmsall, and South Kirkby and Featherstone.

Normanton and Altofts and Whitwood, both of whom were vacant at the time of the election but had previously belonged to Labor, were also retained by the party.

Reacting to the results, the leader of the conservative group Nadeem Ahmed said: “At the local level, we have run a good campaign. All the candidates have worked well together.

“Winning Wakefield East is fantastic. All the achievements we have had are fantastic. As I said at the beginning of the campaign, Labor is not listening to the people and this result shows it.

“I think they will see that we have made progress in areas that they would not have expected us to do so. It is a worrying sign for them, but a good sign for us.”

The results were largely a reflection of the national political landscape, with Labor losing council seats across the country and losing a by-election in the once safe Hartlepool seat.

The composition of the Wakefield Council is now as follows:

Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton – Labor Conservative PROFIT

Airedale and Ferry Fryston – Independent’s Labor HOLD and GAIN (two councilors elected)

Altofts and Whitwood – Labor HOLD

Castleford Central and Glasshoughton – Labor HOLD

Crofton, Ryhill and Walton – Labor Conservative PROFIT

Featherstone – Labor HOLD

Horbury and South Osett – Labor HOLD

Knottingley – Liberal Democrats BEAT Labor

Ossett – Conservative PROFIT from work

Pontefract North – Labor HOLD

Pontefract South – Conservatives EARN FROM WORK

South Elmsall and South Kirkby – Labor HOLD

Stanley and Outwood East – Labor HOLD

Wakefield East – Labor Conservative PROFIT

Wakefield North – Labor HOLD

Wakefield West – Labor HOLD

Wakefield South – Conservative KEEP

Wakefield Rural – Conservative KEEP

Wrenthorpe and Outwood West – Labor Conservative GAIN