Labour's Ian Stewart promises 'social change', as he becomes Salford's first ever directly elected mayor
By Alex McIntyre & Mary Maguire
Labour’s Ian Stewart has become Salford’s first ever directly-elected mayor.
Mr Stewart won the election with 23,459 votes (2996 on second choice) after having to go head to head with Conservative candidate Karen Garrido in a second count after the first failed to produce a clear majority.
The first count did, however, see Mr Stewart take a dominating lead of 29% over Ms Garrido.
Upon hearing the news, Mr Stewart praised the equanimity and integrity of the competitors.
He said: "Whether we like it or not, we will have civil, political and social change."
The result caps a strong performance for Labour in the local elections in and around Manchester, including taking complete control of Manchester City Council.
It also caps a poor performance from the Liberal Democrats, particularly for mayoral candidate Norman Owen who only managed to secure 4.79% of the vote at the Salford mayoral election after losing his seat on Salford Council last night.
Ms Garrido got 10,071 votes, with 2016 on second choice.
Jonathan Tonge, Politics Professor, University of Liverpool said: "Most of the powers of a council leader have been transferred to the mayor.
"Labour will be stronger now because they only need one third of the full council's support to push through policies."
Advertisement
Results from reporters on scene: Ben Burrows, Sean-Paul Doran, Najeeb Rehman & Mary Maguire
Make sure you follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the most up-to-date election coverage in Greater Manchester.
Post new comment