Labour has won the Burnage by-election, holding onto the seat formerly held by council leader Bev Craig. Councillor Carl Austin-Behan was elected on Thursday night, September 10, securing 1,365 votes in a race that had been expected to be very close with the Green Party. Green candidate Daoud Nawaz received 1,037 ballots.
The vote was triggered in July when Bev Craig was elected Greater Manchester mayor, requiring her to stand down as councillor for the Burnage ward and as leader of Manchester City Council.
A 'honoured' return for Austin-Behan
New Burnage Councillor Carl Austin-Behan said he felt honoured that residents had put their trust in him once again, having previously represented the ward from 2011 to 2018. He said: "One of my main priorities is the 169, people want that bus service back, as well as [tackling] speeding on Kingsway and making sure it's enforced, and not just Kingsway but the surrounding areas that have had that impact."
He added: "Also the fly-tipping, and making sure we've got more youth provision in Burnage, not just providing a building but also things for them to do there."
Labour's recovery from May losses
Labour's victory was far from certain on the night after the party lost a seat in Burnage in May's local elections. Cllr Austin-Behan said: "We were in a different place in May, especially with what had happened in the Gorton and Denton by-election and what we saw across Greater Manchester and the country."
He continued: "Andy's now become Prime Minister and is making changes from day one, that made changes to the leadership for the mayor of Greater Manchester which Bev won, and I think people are getting faith back in Labour."
'Burnham bounce' a factor, says council leader
Manchester council leader Garry Bridges said the 'Burnham bounce' was 'definitely a factor' in the result, and that Labour voters who 'deserted the party in May' are 'coming back'. Coun Bridges said: "This is a really big moment for Labour in Manchester, May was really tough, a lot of people were questioning the Labour government and whether they had the people of Manchester's interest at their heart."
He added: "This sends a really powerful message that people who were thinking about not voting Labour and looking elsewhere are coming back to the party and supporting us again."
Reacting to the result, Greater Manchester mayor Bev Craig posted on social media: "Absolutely over the moon to hear my dear friend Carl Austin-Behan has been elected in Burnage tonight. First elected together back in 2011 for Burnage, I can't think of anyone better to take over and keep fighting to improve the area."
Full results and ward context
The Workers Party of Britain finished third with 466 votes, ahead of Reform UK in fourth with 315. The Lib Dems won 31 votes and the Tories 27. The Burnage ward boundary stretches across both Levenshulme and Burnage in south Manchester with nearly 14,000 voters in total. It also falls into the Gorton and Denton constituency, which voted in Green Party MP Hannah Spencer in February.
The by-election result means Labour remains comfortably the largest party in Manchester and in control of the council with 64 seats, next to the opposition Greens with 21, seven Reform UK councillors, and four Lib Dems.
Full results from the Burnage by-election: Labour 1,365, Green 1,037, Workers Party 466, Reform 315, Lib Dems 31, Conservative 27. Total votes: 3,254. Turnout: 23.55%.
