Andy Parnham won the Armley Ward seat for Labour with a narrow 185 majority at this year’s Leeds City Council elections.
The count was held this afternoon in the First Direct Arena in Leeds following voting on Thursday.
Cllr Parnham received 1,897 votes, 185 ahead of sitting Green Party councillor Lou Cunningham, who defected from Labour in December.
Cllr Parnham said he was delighted by the result and thanked people for their support.
“The result sends a message to Armley’s representatives that every vote has to be earned. I’d like to thank every candidate who has run for council today. It shows that we have a strong local democracy.”
Cllr Parnham said he was keen to look at issues including dangerous driving, the recent rise in crime and deprivation in parts of the ward, alongside championing men’s mental health and mental health in general across the city.
Labour have had a monopoly on all three seats in Armley since seeing off the old Liberal/SDP Alliance 33 years ago.
Green Party candidate Lou Cunningham said she was pleased to have run Labour so close.
“I am pleased to have had the backing of so many in the community at the ballot box,” she said. “I am not going anywhere and will continue to work for the community and keep the flag flying for Armley.”
Here are the results:
- Lou Cunningham – Green Party 1,712
- Tamas Kovacs – Conservative Party 419
- Edana Niamh McDonald – Yorkshire Party 129
- Jim Muller – Independent 39
- Andy Parnham – Labour Party 1,897
- Dan Walker – Liberal Democrats 105
- Turnout was 25%
Can’t believe the voters in Armley and the Leeds suburbs. What as the incompetent labour council ever done for the constitutes of Leeds? More bike lanes, more pedestrian area’s, more anti social behaviour, more drugs and crime, more taxes etc. Can’t believe the voters of Leeds, this is a local election and once again we have to put up with this incompetent labour council of Leeds.
Typical Armley. People moan year after year about nothing ever changing or getting done and yet the the hardcore Labour support always drags itself out to vote for more of the same like zombies in the dead of night. You deserve everything you get for voting more of the same.
At least they were run close this year I suppose, which should at last wake them out of their coma of complacency.
Time to get the old fossil McKenna out next year…
A voter turnout of 25% and voter suppression doesn’t suggest a strong democracy to me.
For the sake of journalistic accuracy, can councillor parnham be described as having defected from the Green Party in future?
Thanks Jim, we have mentioned this on more than one occasion in our other articles previewing the election. It’s not something we’ve ignored.
For any readers wondering, Andy Parnham was the Green Party councillor for Farnley & Wortley from 2008-2010.
John Baron, editor