STEVEN Barton may describe himself as a ‘one man band’ but sometimes those acts can steal the show.
And he did just that by ousting sitting Labour councillor Jan Jackson at Tameside Council’s local election on Thursday, May 2.
Now after winning Stalybridge North, where his opponent had sat for eight years, the hard work begins.
And he has revealed his list of priorities to The Correspondent – cleaning up the area and supporting people in their personal fight.
The now Cllr Barton is no stranger to Stalybridge after running a food bank and having a huge influence at a community hub, which later closed suddenly.
Both of those lie outside the ward he now represents but the issues remain the same, along with the way he will work.
Cllr Barton said: “I love my town and I love the people in the area. I just want it looking clean and tidy.
“If someone needs a dropped kerb or there’s a pothole, even if there’s a bag of rubbish of a bin that’s needs emptying, that’s important.
“People may live on their own and to them it’s a big thing. If my bin isn’t emptied, it’s not a big thing but to some living on their own, it is.
“I’ll make the area cleaner for a start and I’ll try and get the bus service to be better, it’s such a bad service. Another major thing is bringing in more mental health sessions.
“We lost the community centre and we’re doing it from a church – it’s not ideal and we’re paying for that. There’ll be more now.
“And people living with damp is absolutely heartbreaking. We’ll really prioritise that and I was working with Jigsaw and Tameside Council before I was elected and they were very good – I’m not a fan of everyone, though.
“But I want my area to be tidy and I want to be visible. I live in Stalybridge, for me to have a clean town and people happy is a no brainer for me.”
Cllr Barton lived up to the proverb, ‘If at first you don’t succeed’ as he narrowly lost out in 2023 before winning in 2024.
His campaign was not always smooth and opponents had plenty of spokes to put in his wheel – Stalybridge North’s Labour Party has already bared its claws since he won by 116 votes.
But he stuck true to his beliefs and the people showed their approval by giving him 1,170 compared to Labour’s 1,054.
That showed the ‘machine’ can be overcome as he added: “I was originally going to stand in Stalybridge South but we looked at the options and thought that would be difficult, but it was a tough choice.
“I thought there was a gap in Stalybridge North that would make the area better.
“You’re always going to get targeted as an independent as you’re up against everybody. It’s very difficult when you’re an independent.
“Jan was a good councillor but I was a one-man band against an organisation, I put up a good show.
“The first time I stood, I was shocked. I thought I wouldn’t have got as many votes, but the second time, I thought I’d do well against a machine.
“I gave it absolutely everything and was out every single night – all you can do is your best.
“Whether I’d won or lost, I was very proud of myself.”