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Labour has fight on its hands to retain control of authority
LABOUR last night appeared to
have a fight on its hands as it battled
to retain control of Durham
County Council.
The party has dominated politics
in Durham since it first won
control of the county in 1919, but
all the indications were that its
majority on the authority was
likely to be cut in last nights election.
At the last county election, in
2005, Labour won 53 seats, ahead
of the Lib Dems on five, the independents
on three and the
Tories on two C leaving Labour
with a commanding 43-seat majority.
This time, two county councillors
will be elected in each division
to create a 126-member authority,
which will become a new
unitary authority next year.
Labour insiders seemed confident
last night that they would
ease past the 64-seat winning
post, but there was a growing
feeling that the partys big majority
would be dramatically cut,
and even speculation in more optimistic
opposition circles that
the authority could move to no
overall control.
The independents were hopeful
of emerging as the main opposition
grouping, and were expecting
to win seats in
Derwentside, Teesdale and Wear
Valley.
The other two main parties
By Tony Kearney
tony.kearney@nne.co.uk
were hoping to break out of their
political ghettos. The Liberal Democrats,
whose five seats are all
in Durham City, where the party
has run the city council since
2003, were targeting seats across
the county, but particularly in
Easington, Wear Valley and Derwentside.
The Tories held only two seats
going into yesterdays election
C both of them in Teesdale C but
were hopeful of picking up seats
in traditional Labour heartlands,
including the likes of Seaham
and Chester-le-Street.
However, many eyes will be on
Sedgefield, where the British National
Party harboured hopes of
taking its first seat, with Chilton
looking the most vulnerable.
In all, the BNP was fielding 30
candidates across the county, including
18 in Sedgefield and eight
in Durham City.
ö For full results and reaction to
the elections, see The Northern
Echo tomorrow.
8:12am Friday 2nd May 2008
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