POLLING stations will open at 7am in Warrington tomorrow (Thursday) for what has been suggested will be the closest-fought General Election in modern times.
The Warrington South constituency – currently held by the Conservatives – is considered a key seat nationally which Labour must win if it is to obtain a majority in the House of Commons.
Six candidates are contesting the seat and there is much conjecture on what influence UKIP and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidates will have on the final result.
The six candidates, in alphabetical order, are:
Bob Barr (Liberal Democrat), Kevin Bennett (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition), Nick Bent (Labour), Stephanie Davies (Green Party), Mal Lingley (UKIP) and David Mowat (Conservative).
Town Hall chiefs are predicting the result might not be known before 5.30am on Friday.
At the last General Election in 2010, David Mowat won the seat for the Conservatives with 35.8 per cent of the vote, polling 19,641 votes to Nick Bent’s 18,088 for Labour – a majority of 1,553.
Jo Crotty for the Liberal Democrats polled 15,094.
In Warrington North – normally a rock-solid Labour constituency – the line-up is: Sarah Hayes (Green Party), Helen Jones (Labour Party), Stefan Krizanac (Liberal Democrat), Trevor Nicholls (UKIP) and Richard Short (Conservative).
At the last General Election, Helen Jones held the seat for Labour with 20,135 votes – 45.5 per cent of the poll. Paul Campbell came second for the Conservatives with 13,365 while Dave Eccles, Liberal Democrat came third with 9,196.
The Labour majority was 6,771.
Town Hall officials believe the result will be declared around 4.30am.
Borough Council
ELECTIONS are also taking place for 19 seats on Warrington Borough Council in what is likely to be the last time an election will take place for only a third of the council.
The council has already voted in favour of all-out elections in future, which would mean the next election would be for the whole council.
A total of 73 candidates will fight for the 19 seats this year, however.
Only the Liberal Democrats are contesting all 19 seats. The Conservatives are fielding 17 candidates and Labour 18.
But the United Kingdom Independence Party – UKIP _ are fielding 10 candidates and the Green Party five.
In addition, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC)– which already has one councillor at Warrington – is fielding four candidates.
There is considerable interest in whether the significant intervention by UKIP will affect any of the major parties, and whether TUSC will damage Labour.
The arrival of TUSC in Warrington is clearly related to former Labour councillor Kevin Bennett’s decision to stand as a TUSC candidate in the Warrington South General Election contest following a long and acrimonious dispute with the Labour group on the council.
Counting of the council election votes will not start until 5pm on Friday, with the results expected from around 7.30pm
The full list of candidates is as follows:
Appleton
Jonathan Levy (Cons); Peter Walker (Lib Dem).
Bewsey and Whitecross
Sonia Boggan (Cons); Mike Byrne (UKIP); Steve Parish (Lab); Bob Timmis (Lib Dem); Dan Warren (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.
Birchwood
Nigel Balding (Cons); Chris Fitzsimmons (Lab); Michael Johnson (UKIP); Christine Oliver (Lib Dem); Tracey Valentine (Green).
Burtonwood and Winwick
Frank Allen (Cons); John Joyce (Lab); Robert Littler (Lib Dem).
Culcheth Glazebury and Croft
Sue Bland (Cons); Cathy Mitchell (Lab); Eddie Sloane (Lib Dem).
Fairfield and Howley
Helena Campbell (Cons); Phil Henshaw (UKIP); Tony Higgins (Lab); Lyndsay McAteer (Green); Ann Oldbury (Lib Dem).
Grappenhall and Thelwall
Mike Biggin (Lib Dem); Constantine Biller (Cons); Tom Jennings (Lab); Andy Yelland (Green).
Great Sankey North
Stephanie Davies (Green); Mike Foxall (Cons); Mal Lingley (UKIP); Dan Price (Lab Co-op); Roy Smith (Lib Dem).
Great Sankey South
Jean Carter (Lab); Andrew Ford (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition); David Hockehull (Liberal Dem); Maxine Thomson (Cons).
Latchford East
Hans Mundry (Lab Co-op); Tim Price (Lib Dem); Harish Sharma (Cons); Sid Simmons (UKIP).
Latchford West
Shelley Bennett (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition); Rupert Budgen (Lib Dem); Ged Hall (UKIP); Phil Marshall (Cons); Maureen McLaughlin (Lab).
Lymm
Kath Buckley (Cons); Derek Clark (UKIP); Ian Marks (Lib Dem); Christine Zastawny (Lab).
Orford
Edgar Davies (Lib Dem); Kate Hannon (Lab); Ian Richards (UKIP).
Penketh and Cuerdley
Sam Baxter (Cons); Linda Dirir (Lab); Graham Gowland (Lib Dem).
Poplars and Hulme
Francine Leslie (Cons); Trevor Nicholls (UKIP); Shanise Oldbury (Lib Dem); Steve Roberts (Lab).
Poulton North
Sandra Bradshaw (Lib Dem); Graham Friend (Lab); Barbara Johnson (UKIP).
Rixton and Woolston
Paul Bretherton (Lab); Diana Grylls (Lib Dem); Geoff Siddall (UKIP); Robin Sloan (Cons).
Stockton Heath
Karen Mundry (Lab); Ann Raymond (Lib Dem); Stephen Taylor (Cons); Kenneth Wilson (Green).
Whittle Hall
Alan Bird (Lib Dem); Julian Craddock (Cons); Adam Hemsley (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition); Faisal Rashid (Lab).
Parish Councils
BY-ELECTIONS are also to take place to fill vacant seats on two of Warrington’s parish councils – and counting will take place at the same time as the borough council elections.
There are two vacant seats on Stockton Heath Parish Coucil.
In Lumb Brook ward, there will be a straight fight between Angela Fell (Labour) and Jonathan Levy (Conservative). In St Thomas’s ward there will be a three-cornered fight between Valerie Goulden (Labour), Phil Marshall (Conservative) and Dorothy Robb (Liberal Democrat).
There is one vacancy on Croft Parish Council and this will be contested by Martyn Griffiths (Conservative) and Norman Partington (Labour)
