LABOUR hung on to control of the council in Bury but a vote controversy meant the last three seats could not be confirmed until today.

Labour retained overall majority with 25 seats to the Tories 18 and the Lib Dems 5, with one ward left to be announced.

Last night ended in controversy as the results for Redvales could not be finalised after three recounts due to a discrepancy between the number of ballot papers registered and the number of votes counted.

Council chief executive, Mark Sanders said an announcement would be made at noon. The results indicated that two Labour candidates had gained the first and second seats by a considerable margin but the dispute involved the next three candidates who have less than 100 votes between them.

Labour started the night with 28 seats with the Conservatives holding 16 and Liberal Democrats 4. Labour made two gains in Moorside taking two seats from the Conservatives but the Tories won back one in Unsworth ousting Stella Smith, executive member for the environment and transport and deputy Mayoress. They also took all three seats in the newly created North Manor ward.

The Lib Dems won one seat from Labour in Sedgley. Boundary changes also affected the result.

Disappointed

Labour group leader, John Byrne said "There is a sense of relief because we've done so well. People have tried to make this election a referendum on the Government and I personally think the Conservatives have been over-confident based on that. But the people of Bury are seeing the way we run education and that we're the most improved council in the country. That's what they have voted on."

Coun Roy Walker, leader of the Conservative group, claimed changes to boundaries had helped Labour but admitted they had hoped to win more seats. He said: "I am very disappointed but we've won some good councillors and I don't think the boundary changes helped us at all. I am optimistic that we will make more gains next time and I feel, while we haven't won as many as we would like, we've won many arguments over the way Labour runs the council in Bury."

Labour councillors who retained their seats included: husband and wife Coun Barry Briggs and Sharon Briggs in Radcliffe North who will now become the next Mayor and Mayoress.

Barry said: "There was a bit of relief what with the Labour government going through this mid term patch and all the criticism but it wasn't reflected on the doorsteps in Bury."

The overall turnout of the election was 48.09 percent compared with 31.39 percent last year, the highest turn out figure for more than ten years.

State of the parties: Labour 25 (28), Tories 18 (16), Lib Dems 5 (4)

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