Labour on a high in Lye (From Stourbridge News)

Labour on a high in Lye

2:52am Friday 4th May 2007 in Local

LABOUR Party supporters were celebrating surprise success in council elections after a dramatic victory in Lye and Wollescote.

Mohammed Hanif scooped 40 per cent of the vote in the Black Country ward to steal the seat from Tory hands in the poll on Thursday May 3.

Ousted councillor John Donegan blamed a significant UKIP vote for the loss, in a ward that has now returned Labour candidates over Conservatives in two consecutive elections.

Cllr Hanif said: "It's fantastic, I will be working to bring the community together, this is a Labour ward and this time next year we will have three Labour Councillors."

Elsewhere, council officials are to investigate after around 500 postal votes from the Pedmore ward were unaccounted for.

Deputy returning officer Michael Williams was left unable to declare a result and the count was rescheduled for a later date.

Other results announced at the Stourbridge Town Hall count delivered no surprises, despite a higher than expected UKIP vote throughout the region.

Conservative candidates Pat Martin (Amblecote), Heather Rogers (Norton), and Margaret Cowell (Wollaston and Stourbridge Town) all returned healthy majorities.

Cllr Pat Martin believes the high UKIP vote is an indication voters are using council elections to express dissatisfaction with national policies.

Cllr Martin said: "In Amblecote UKIP took 800 votes from all parties, people like to protest - but that's politics."