Winners announced in Horwich Town Council by-elections

All three Horwich and Blackrod First Independents contenders won in the elections held over the night of Thursday March 12 for three wards at Horwich Town Councill.

Cllr Tracy Rotheram will now take her seat for the Bridge ward with Cllr Andrea Finney elected for the Church ward and Cllr Gordon Stone elected for the Claypool ward.

Horwich and Blackrod First Independents leader Cllr David Grant said: “I’m pleased to see the three excellent candidates elected to the town council.

“Despite national trends HBFI still got shares of the vote between 44 and 49 per cent which shows a clear indication that local politics trumps national politics at local elections.

(Left to right) Cllrs Tracy Rotheram, Gordon Stone and Andrea Finney all emerged as winners (Image: HBFI)

“We look forward to welcoming our new councillors to the town council.

“Hopefully this will create an air of stability, and we can get on with our community agenda.”

The by-elections were called after three elected members, Cllr Ryan Bamforth, Cllr Jillian Walton and Cllr Samantha Williamson all left the town council.

All had previously been members of HBFI before leaving the party along with Cllr Charlotte Moncado-Sears, who continues to sit on the town council as an independent.

Cllr Bamforth and Cllr Williamson continue to sit on Bolton Council as independents as part of the Communities First group along with Cllr Moncado-Sears.

The ensuing triple by-election means HBFI continues as the largest party on the town council.

Cllr Rotheram won in the Bridge ward with 185 votes ahead of Reform UK on 115 votes, the Green Party with 76 votes and Labour with 36.

In the Church ward Cllr Finney, a Horwich resident who has previously represented Westhoughton North and Chew Moor at Bolton Council as a Conservative, won 287 votes.

She came ahead of Reform UK with 163 votes, Labour with 98 votes and the Greens with 87.

Cllr Gordon Stone won in the Claypool ward with 257 votes, putting him ahead of Reform UK with 132, the Greens with 80 and Labour with 55.

The Conservative and Liberal Democrats did not stand in any of the three wards.