John Pugh re-elected Southport's MP and local council results

John Pugh increased his majority to 6,024 with 21,707 votes compared to 15,683 for Conservative challenger Brenda Porter.  Labour got 4,116 votes and UKIP 2,251.

In our local Meols ward (Crossens, Churchtown and Marshside), Lib-Dem David Rimmer held his councillor seat with a bumper 3,202 votes, a majority of 1,213 over the Conservative.

Liberal Democrat councillor candidates won six out of the seven voting areas (wards) in Southport. The Tories held only one seat - Dukes ward, which covers a wide area of "shoreside Birkdale".  Even there the LibDems cut the Tory candidate's majority to 452.

Biggest upset at the count of all the Southport local council voting ereas on Friday 7 May, was the defeat of sitting Tory councillor Mark Bigley in Ainsdale, a close colleague of Cllr Brenda Porter. The victor by 228 votes was life-long Ainsdale resident Liberal Democrat Hayden Preece, well known for his role at Southport Football Club, who attracted a winning 2,931 votes.

LibDem Sue McGuire successfully defended her Cambridge ward seat with 2,910 votes, an 803 majority over the Conservative and Fred Weavers was returned in Kew with a 1,602 vote majority over the Conservative.   David Sumner chalked up another robust defence of his Norwood seat with a bumper 2,189 majority over the Tory and in Birkdale Iain Brodie Browne rounded off a very successful campaign for the LibDems with a majority of exactly 2,000, again over the Conservative.

This means that out of the 21 Southport councillors on Sefton council, just 6 are Conservatives.