THE Conservative Party’s one gain in the Tameside local election was a major scalp, Leigh Drennan who was civic mayor in 2019-20.
He lost his Ashton Hurst seat to Tory Dan Costello who claimed victory by a majority of 154 votes.
And though Labour held on to 16 of the 17 seats they defended, it was a close-run finish in three of the wards.
None more so than in Dukinfield/Stalybridge where executive cabinet member Leanne Feeley held on to power by only 13 votes.
There were three recounts with the result the last to be announced as Conservative Kurt McPartland almost snatched another notable victory.
Another executive cabinet member, Cllr Joe Kitchen also endured a nervous time as he held on to Hyde Godley by 52 votes as he was run close by Conservative Andrea Colbourne.
And in Audenshaw, sitting Labour councillor Teresa Smith held off a robust challenge by Conservative Danny Mather, winning by 82 votes.
Tameside Conservative group leader Cllr Doreen Dickinson, who successfully defended Stalybridge South by taking 60 per cent of the vote, was pleased with the party’s showing in the borough.
Cllr Dickinson said: “The party has performed really well holding my seat, Hyde Werneth by a good margin and gaining Ashton Hurst while three others could have gone our way as we lost by small margins.
“One was after a recount by 13 votes against an executive member (Leanne Feeley) which was so sad.”
Cllr Dickinson believes Tameside needs more Conservative councillors to form a strong opposition which she said is needed to challenge the ruling Labour group.
She said: “I definitely think we can use this as a springboard going forward.
“The Labour Party has definitely lost its message and does not listen to people on the ground floor.”
Labour’s vote generally held up well in the other wards.
Naila Sharif, who succeeded long-serving Brian Wild in Dukinfield, held on to the seat after claiming 53 per cent of the vote cast.
“I am the first female Asian to represent Dukinfield which is a proud moment and I thank people for the trust they have shown in me,” she said.
Cllr Sharif believes Labour, who struggled in many other places, performed well in Tameside because of their record in the community locally.
She explained: “Labour has done a wonderful job and there is a good connectivity which is why people trust us.
“Before I became a councillor, I saw the previous good work done by Brian Wild, Jackie Lane and John Taylor which is why there was trust shown by the community.
“Here is Tameside the MPs and councillors in every ward work hard and that is why we have done well.”
Jacqueline North, who won Longdendale for Labour taking 53 per cent of the vote, is another first-time councillor.
“It is a big responsibility that number of people voted and put trust their trust in me,” she explained.
She spoke about the challenges of canvassing during the Covid-19 pandemic: “We were worried what people would think when we knocked on doors as people have been socially distancing for more than 12 months.
“We did it slowly, but the response was very positive and heart-warming, especially among some of the elderly residents who had not spoken to many people and not been able to get out to the hubs which have been closed.
“They were happy to have a chat and that was fine. It was a good experience, but I expected it to be a good experience because they are my neighbours as I have lived in various parts of Longdendale for the last 28 years.”
Cllr North was pleased with the way Labour’s vote held up in Tameside saying it underlined the public’s “degree of trust and understanding” about the way the council was being run in the wake of budget reductions from Government.
The Green Party failed to secure a second seat after Lee Huntbach became their first-ever Tameside councillor in 2019 when he won Ashton Waterloo.
They targeted Waterloo again but their hopes were dashed as they finished a distant second to Labour’s Sangita Patel.
Though the Green Party’s share of the vote in Tameside fell from 16 per cent in 2019 to 11 per cent, Cllr Huntbach was not disheartened.
He said: “We were bitterly disappointed to lose Waterloo which had been our main target.
“However, we had three second-placed finishes and are the third largest party in Tameside.
“Colleagues elsewhere have done well which has lifted us, and it is not doom and gloom.”
Cllr Huntbach pointed out that 53 per cent of their candidates in Tameside were women as against 42 per cent nationally by the Greens.
“When women are on the wane in politics, that is a positive and something we are proud of,” he said.