Elections 2010: The morning after the evening after the morning before
Morning, all. While you slept, the Labour Party re-gained control of Lewisham Council in convincing fashion, routing 5 of our 6 Green councillors in the process.
Labour now has an absolute majority on the council.
11.40am update:
The overall make-up of the new council (with 1 ward still to declare, as it requires a re-count) is as follows:
Labour 38
Lib Dem 12
Green 1
Full details for each ward are available here.
Thanks so much to Jo, Sue Luxton and everyone else who contributed with information and comment throughout the (very long!) evening.
BC would like to wish good luck to all the newly-elected councillors, and offer thanks to all those who've lost their seats for their hard work over the years.
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11.40 Update
Those remaining ward results for you:
Blackheath ward:
Kevin Bonavia (Lab)
Amanda De Ryk (Lib Dem)
Chris Maines (Lib Dem)
Downham ward -
Duwayne Brooks (Lib Dem)
Jenni Clutten (Lib Dem)
Julia Fletcher (Lib Dem)
Rushey Green ward -
Peggy Fitzsimmons (Labour)
Helen Klier (Labour)
John Muldoon (Labour)
Grove Park ward:
recount necessary
02.30 Update
Total council seat results so far:
Labour 34
Lib Dems 7
Greens 1
14 wards down, 4 to go.
Thanks so much to Jo and Sue Luxton, whose reporting of these results we've shamelessly hijacked. Sleep well, everyone ...
02.22 Update
Telegraph Hill ward: 3 Labour:
Paul Bell - 2861
Joan Millbank - 2735
Dan Whittle - 2235
Incumbent socialists Ian Page got 1362 and Chris Flood 1216.
Catford South ward: 3 Labour:
Skip Amrani - 2703
Alan Smith - 2722
Eva Stamirowski - 1885
02.07 Update
The tipping point has been reached: LABOUR WINS ABSOLUTE MAJORITY ON LEWISHAM COUNCIL.
Lee Green ward:
Pauline Beck (Lib Dem)
Sven Griesenbeck (Lib Dem)
Jim Mallory (Lab)
Total council seat results so far:
Labour 28
Lib Dems 7
Greens 1
12 wards down, 6 to go
02.03 Update
A summary of the position so far on the all-new Lewisham Council:
Labour 27
Lib Dems 5
Greens 1
11 wards down, 7 to go (Telegraph Hill is an interesting one - can it hang onto its incumbent socialists?). I think we can all see where this is trending ... Labour are set for a clear majority. I'll keep logging results until I fall asleep, which might not be long now ...
01.50 Update
Lewisham Central ward: 3x Labour. Regular BrockleyCentral contributor Max Calo loses his bid to become a Lib Dem councillor for the ward.
01.46 Update
A summary of the position so far on the all-new Lewisham Council:
Labour 24
Lib Dems 5
Greens 1
10 wards down, 8 to go.
01.42 Update
Perry Vale ward: 3x Labour
Evelyn ward: 3x Labour
01.34 Update
Brockley ward:
Darren Johnson (Green) 2330
Vicky Foxcroft (Lab) 2632
Jimi Adefiranye (Lab) 2449
Things have quietened down a bit. If the flow of results doesn't start up again soon I'm going to nod off, so we may need to finish this off in the morning.
01.13 Update
Crofton Park ward: 2x Lab (Addison and Morrison), 1 Lib Dem (Bowen), according to Sue Luxton. Greens were in third place.
01.08 Update
Bellingham ward: 3x Labour.
Alan Hall (2380), Ami Ibitson (2269) and Ron Stockbridge (1925).
Lib Dems and Conservatives in region of 800-1200; Jenny Stewart of LPBP ahead of Greens on 318.
That's six results down, 12 more to go in the Lewisham Council elections.
BC is beginning to suspect that everyone at the BBC has gone to bed, as their local elections webpage hasn't been updated for ages and is showing incorrect totals. So no developments to bring you on that front.
01.03 Update
3 x Labour in Ladywell, Sue Luxton reports on Twitter.
Darren Johnson holds his seat, but Dean Walton and Romaine Phoenix lose theirs in Brockley ward, she says.
00.57 Update
Forest Hill ward:
Alex Feakes (Lib Dem) 3144
Philip Peake (Lib Dem) 2405
Anne Affiku (Labour) 2154
Other Lib Dem and Labour around 2000 votes each. Conservatives in 900-1200 range. Greens averaging about 500 votes.
00.45 Update
Isn't it annoying that all the TV news channels choose to entirely ignore the fascinating and complex local elections picture in favour of endless moronic talking heads, repeating nonsense phrases like it's going out of fashion. Across the country, counts have been going on today, with thousands of candidates, counters, spectators and voters waiting to find out the results, and yet not a peek of any of it on the main news channels. I do understand that it's terribly important to say nothing over and over again repeatedly in a tone of increasing agitation, but still, you'd think they'd want to come up for air occasionally ...
00.25 Update
New Cross ward: 3 x Labour. Long, Maslin and Padmore 'all on approx 2,500 votes with next candidate down on 947', Jo reports.
Whitefoot ward: Pattison (Lib Dem) 2030, Foreman (Lib Dem) 1925, Daby (Labour) 2375.
'Other Lib Dem and Labour candidates around 1500 votes each. Conservative 800-900 range', Jo reports.
Sydenham ward: Best, Curren and Nisbet (all Labour).
00.00 Update
Tower Hamlets Labour (no change).
Ho hum. Would be interested in an explanation of why nearly every other council in the country has managed to declare by now, yet Lewisham hasn't.
23.25 Update
Along with Lewisham's result, we're now waiting for the following handful: Brent, Hackney, Havering, Kingston, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Westminster.
23.05 Update
Camden Labour gain from no overall control. Ealing Labour gain from Conservatives. Merton no overall control.
22.55 Update
Jo reports from the count: 'Quick update from the count. Lots of glum faces ... except the ones wearing red rosettes. The teams of counters are working their way through the ward councillor votes. Lots of split votes, so suspect results will be later than the estimated 11pm.'
Thanks, Jo, for the updates!
22.28 Update
The overall picture in London so far tonight: the Conservatives have done well at holding councils of which they already had control, but the major gains of the night have been for Labour. London's Parliamentary vote turned out strongly for Labour, and this pattern is being replicated in the local council elections too. The party has really entrenched its control across large parts of the city. To what degree is this a reaction against London Mayor Boris Johnson?
22.15 Update
Hounslow Labour gain from no overall control. Merton no overall control. Labour mayors of Hackney and Newham re-elected. Tories take Richmond from the Lib Dems. Labour takes Waltham Forest from no overall control. Labour holds Newham (winning all 60 seats) and Haringey.
21.20 Update
Some more London council results for you: Barnet is a Conservative hold; Bexley Con hold; Bromley Con hold; Croydon Con hold; Islington is a Labour gain from no overall control.
Councils whose results we're still waiting for:
Lewisham, Brent, Southwark, Camden, Ealing, Hackney, Haringey, Havering, Hounslow, Lambeth, Merton, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Westminster.
Hackney and Newham are also electing mayors; both currently have Labour incumbents who are fighting for a further term of office.
21.10 Update
The detailed position currently at this end of Lewisham:
Telegraph Hill ward: Ian Page (Socialist), Chris Flood (Socialist), Robin Cross (Labour)
Brockley ward: Darren Johnson (Green), Dean Walton (Green), Romaine Phoenix (Green)
Crofton Park ward: Jarman Parmar (Labour), Jackie Addison (Labour), Sylvia Scott (Labour)
Ladywell ward: Mike Keogh (Green), Sue Luxton (Green), Ute Michel (Green)
New Cross ward: Stephen Padmore (Labour), Madeliene Long (Labour), Paul Maslin (Labour)
We're now waiting to see which of these councillors will hold their seat, and which will be out. Gosh, BC feels a bit like Heidi Klum (that's a Project Runway reference, for the boys among you) ....
20.46 Update
And so, the final countdown. Counting for seats on Lewisham Council begins. To summarise the current position:
Labour 26 seats
Lib Dem 17
Green 6
Conservative 3
The Greens are talking down expectations. Labour increased its vote substantially in the Parliamentary elections, and gave Sir Steve Bullock a third term in office: could Labour voters sweep all before them?
20.34 Update
Lewisham Mayoral election result: Labour hold. Sir Steve Bullock has won a third term in office.
Steve Bullock (Labour) 52,531 (with 4670 second prefs)
Chris Maines (Lib Dem) 36,446 (with 10,001 second prefs)
Thanks again to Jo for the info.
19.31 Update
First round votes:
Steve Bullock (Labour) 47,861
Tess Culnane (BNP) 2,904
Graham Dare (English Democrats) 1,559
John Hamilton (LPBP) 5,964
Chris Maines (Lib Dem) 26,445
Simon Nundy (Con) 16,276
Dean Walton (Green) 6,560
Second round count between Steve Bullock and Chris Maines with 33,263 second preference votes to be redistributed.
Thanks to Jo in our comments section for providing the info.
19.15 Update
First round of the mayoral election due, according to Anon in our comments section.
How it works: Unlike the council and Parliamentary elections, the mayoral election uses the supplementary vote system. This means that voters select first-choice and second-choice candidates. In the first round of voting, first-choice votes are counted. If someone has won over 50% of the total, they are declared the winner. If no-one has achieved over 50% of the first-choice votes, all but the leading 2 candidates are rejected. Their second-choice votes are then counted, and added onto the votes already achieved by the two leading candidates. Whichever one has the highest total wins.
18.55 Update
Ladywell Green councillor Sue Luxton has just Tweeted: 'Just woken up having got back from GE count at 10am heading off to locals count soonish. Braced for total/ near total wipeout :( '
18.20 Update
A note on timing: Lewisham Council advises that the Mayoral election result will be announced some time 'after 8pm' this evening, with local council results out 'after 11pm' sometime.
18.00 Update
Greenwich Council remains in Labour hands. Wandsworth remains Tory-controlled.
Nationally, UKIP have so far lost (net) 5 councillors. BNP are down 22 councillors. Greens are down 2. Lib Dems are down 49. Labour are up 239. Conservatives are down 82.
17.45 Update
Let's review some of the London council results. Labour have taken control of Enfield from the Tories. Hammersmith & Fulham, Hillingdon and Kensington & Chelsea all remained in Conservative hands. Sutton remains Lib Dem. Lots of councils still to declare.
17.30 Update
The markets have become more wobbly during the day, as the prospect of coalition talks developed. If there isn't a clear deal by Monday morning, we could be in for a bumpy ride.
17.06 Update
The Barking & Dagenham results are in: Labour take 51 seats, BNP 0. A stunning result, and a total triumph for the Hope Not Hate campaign.
16.58 Update
Let's have a look at General Election turnout in our constituency, Lewisham Deptford. In 2005, it was 51.5%. This year it soared to 61.5%. This is still low compared to the national average, but it's a big increase. The main benefactor was winner Joan Ruddock, who took 22,132 votes in comparison to the 16,902 she polled in 2005. The Lib Dems nearly doubled their vote, and the Conservatives also saw an increase. By contrast the Greens actually lost votes: this doesn't bode well for their local elections performance.
16.30 Update
According to the BBC, a third of council results are in, and the situation is as follows:
Labour gained Hartlepool, Liverpool, Coventry, Doncaster, and Enfield.
The Tories lost control of Lincoln, Brentwood, Solihull, Hyndburn, Mole Valley, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Bury, and North Tyneside.
The Liberal Democrats lost Rochdale and Sheffield.
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As national attention remains rivetted on the process of coalition talks, local election counts are starting up around the country.
We kick off with some news which we think BC readers of all political stripes can unite in rejoicing over: the BNP's Richard Barnbrook has reportedly lost his seat on Barking & Dagenham Council. It's looking like a trouceing for the far right.
BC will be covering further developments as they happen, and of course will bring you Lewisham Council and mayoral results as we get them ... (BK is not planning on pulling another all-nighter, though, you'll be glad to hear).
