Covid-19 has meant that this year’s local elections in Manchester will be like no other – with masked polling counters, socially distant queues at polling stations and sanitary voting booths.
Politically it is the same as always, and Labor is expected to retain a majority of its seats and influence over the City Hall.
Depending on who you speak to, the ruling party is at risk of gaining or losing a foothold on the city’s wards against the Liberal Democrats – or the Green Party.
One of the two members of the Council’s Lib Dem opposition stands for election, while the number of factions could increase if things go their way.
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The Greens are confident they will surrender their first city council since 2008 after proposing a candidate who forced the biggest election campaign in the last election.
These are the main battlefields in this year’s local elections in Manchester.
Didsbury West and Didsbury East
In the parish south of Manchester, the only Lib Dems live on the council of John Leech and Richard Kilpatrick.
Coun Kilpatrick is up for re-election in Didsbury West.
Alderman Richard Kilpatrick
(Image: Manchester Liberal Democrats)
He knocked Labour’s David Ellison off with 95 votes in 2018 – but Labor is confident that it will take a major challenge to take the place again this year.
Her candidate is grocery bank volunteer Debbie Hilal, who was accompanied on the campaign by Andy Burnham, incumbent mayor of Greater Manchester.
A party insider claims that the Labor vote “skyrocketed” in Didsbury West believes their chances could be helped by people who backed the Conservatives in the 2019 general election and did so again in the local elections .
“The way the Lib Dems are getting in is to attract Tory voters to keep Labor out,” they said.
“But the Tory vote is way stronger than in previous years across the country, and that will affect the Lib Dem vote in the Didsbury seats.”
Meanwhila, a Lib Dem source, is “cautiously optimistic” that Coun Kilpatrick will keep his seat, adding, “I would be amazed if we didn’t hold Didsbury West.”
Across the parish line in Didsbury East, the seat of Kelly Simcock has been vacated by Labor, who had been in the role for five years.
In 2019, Lib Dem candidate John Cameron came within 59 votes of James Wilson being dismissed, and the MRI nurse was selected to try again this year.
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But Labor is confident that their hopeful Linda Foley will keep the three-seat station red.
The other candidates in Didsbury West are:
- Wendy Andrew – Social Democratic Party
- Luke Bourke Costello – Conservative
- Sarika Paul – Women’s Equal Opportunities Party
- Jake Welsh – The Greens
The other candidates in Didsbury East are:
- Liberty Franey – The Greens
- Anjenarra Huque – Conservatives
Woodhouse Park
One station that is causing a headache in the Manchester Labor Group is Woodhouse Park, another three-seat station that has brought Labor Councils back since its inception in 2004.
There are real concerns that incumbent Brian O’Neil – a popular figure who has been in office for 17 years – could be ousted by an equally popular Green candidate.
The Greens are confident that Rob Nunney, a practitioner in the operations department at Wythenshawe Hospital, represents the best chance of winning her first seat on the council in 13 years.
Robert Nunney
The 771 votes he received in the 2019 Woodhouse Park local elections accounted for 35 percent of the vote and the largest vote change reported in any of Manchester.
Mr Nunney, who used to live on the station but now lives in neighboring Baguley, says he is prepared for the weight of anticipation on his shoulders after performing and organizing litter picks in the area for several years.
He says: “It’s about being present in the community and talking to the residents, working with the community, finding out what local problems there are and responding to them.
“They value my work and want me to be elected so that I can be more effective.
“The general feeling that I’m on my doorstep, that it’s too late for Labor, that people can tell, that I’ve worked hard for the community and that Labor has just woken up to the threat.”
A Labor source admits that Mr Nunney is an “effective” activist who has built substantial support over three years.
They describe him as an “untraditional green candidate” who is not as vocal on typical party questions.
“We thought he would be easier to deal with, but he’s running a pretty effective anti-Labor campaign,” they added.
“But our candidate Brian O’Neil is incredibly well known, he worked at Wythenshawe Hospital like Rob Nunney, and we are just very happy to have him as a top candidate.”
The other candidates at Woodhouse Park are:
- Anna Hablak – Liberal Democrats
- Ken Wedderburn – Conservative
Coats and Beswick
Over the past year, Lib Dem activists in Ancoats have become a strong voice against developments in the world’s first industrial suburb, Ancoats.
The party’s election candidate, Alan Good, opposed the development of “New Islington Green” and criticized the council’s approach to green spaces, affordable housing and bicycle infrastructure.
Alan Good (24)
(Image: Joel Goodman)
He also supported the community campaign against the council’s plans to build a parking lot at Central Retail Park, which was successfully challenged in the High Court.
Gut became known in the Ancoats community, but some in his party still believe that beating Labor may not be enough.
A Lib Dem insider believes this is difficult to say as activists have been unable to advertise as much due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
They said, “I think we’d come in a good second and Labor might get a little sweaty, but I don’t think there is enough foundation to last long enough.”
In the 2019 elections, Labor Majid Dar was expected with a 55.6 percent share of the vote. Jane McQueen of the Lib Dems received 11 percent of the vote.
This year is Labor candidate Marcia Hutchinson, who has already called on the Council to define a clearer strategy for the conservation of green spaces.
Marcia Hutchinson
According to Ms. Hutchinson, residents’ demands for five new green spaces along the Medlock River have received the fundamental support of Council Chairman Sir Richard Leese.
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A labor camp member said, “There’s a lot of noise in Ancoats, where there are more middle-class voters, but the community has a huge part of Beswick that doesn’t appear on the news that often.
“But we are not complacent. The Lib Dem activist is a nice guy and a good candidate and we just fight hard. “
The other candidates in Ancoats and Beswick are:
- Alexander Bramham – Conservative
- Ryan Johns – The Green Party
Withington
In 2019, just 103 votes separated Labors Becky Chambers and April Preston from the Lib Dems, with Withington residents giving the former back.
Preston will fight for the seat again this year, facing Labor’s Chris Wills, who has been a city councilor since 2016.
Unlike the Didsbury seats, the Lib Dems see Withington as a tougher nut to crack with a younger population than the neighboring parish.
“A big part of the Labor strategy is the student vote, which has not yet properly returned to Manchester and without which we may have a chance,” said an insider.
“Tuition fees were barely mentioned on the doorstep, and April received some recognition and worked on it for a very long time, so it only depends on the day.”
On the other side of the political divide, Labor is confident that the younger people will vote for Mr Wills because of Andy Burnham’s popularity.
A source said, “I was on my doorstep and if you mention Burnham to the younger crowd it’s absolutely jackpot.”
The other candidates in Withington are:
- Cameron Cosh – Conservative
- Sam Easterby-Smith – The Greens
Deansgate
Another race took place at the station in the city center in 2019, in which William Jeavons of Labor was re-elected with just 48 votes.
John Bridges was the challenger to Lib Dem at the time, and he will face reigning Marcus Johns again in hopes of a different outcome.
A popular figure since his election in 2018, Coun Johns has grown into a powerful voice against controversial developments in his community.
But, with such fine margins denying them a city council in the last election, are the Lib Dems confident to be angry?
“It’s just so hard to say that you can’t deliver on canvas and in the same places because there are so many homes that you can’t get into,” a source said.
“The problem, like with Withington, is that turnover is so high that it’s really difficult to keep historical voting data.
“Deansgate could be ours, we did it pretty hard, but so did Labor, and I think we gave them a shock in 2019.
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“Marcus Johns is a more popular candidate, but it has a lot less impact than people think.”
As in Withington, Labor believe their candidate’s strength – and the Burnham jackpot – will mean they have what it takes to turn another councilor back on May 6.
The other candidates in Deansgate are:
- Samantha Davies – Women’s Equality Party
- James Flanagan – Conservative
- Chris Ogden – The Greens
