Labour has secured a significant by-election victory in the Prime Minister's constituency in Wigan, with the result being attributed to a 'Burnham bounce'. John Vickers won the Hindley Green ward with 1,201 votes, while Reform UK's Bonnie Clarke came second with 887 votes.
The victory marks Labour's first Wigan borough election win this year, following a 'wipe-out' in all 25 seats contested for the council in May's local elections. The Hindley Green ward is wholly within the Makerfield parliamentary constituency, which Andy Burnham won on June 18.
Burnham's win credited for Labour's success
Reflecting on the rapid turn in fortunes, Councillor Vickers acknowledged that Andy Burnham's earlier win in Makerfield 'had a lot to do with tonight'. He said: "People were disillusioned in May and what happened on June 18 certainly put a lot of faith back in people who had perhaps decided that the Labour Party was not going in the right direction."
He also outlined his priorities for the ward, saying: "The fact that Hindley Green has no NHS facilities is something we need to put right. We need to get the pharmacy back to start with and take it from there to get a health centre and associated facilities."
"I want to make sure the people of this ward are well represented. For me though it's more about the people of Hindley Green than the party," he added.
Reform UK's setback and future hopes
Reform UK had seen spectacular gains in Wigan almost exactly six months ago, winning 24 of the 25 seats contested. However, the party failed to add to that number on a disappointing night. In May's local election, Reform UK's Liam Clarke had won the Hindley Green seat with 1,878 votes, while John Vickers was second with 1,172 votes.
Wigan Reform leader Paul Watson acknowledged there had indeed been a 'Burnham bounce' in the by-election. He said: "We came second tonight but this is a by election not a local election. Momentum maybe seems to be with Labour now, after the Burnham bounce, but come May it will be a totally different perspective."
"I'm still confident that in May 2027 Reform UK will take control of Wigan council. The voter turnout was 26 per cent tonight, in May it was 39 per cent. Labour had 1,200 votes in both, they turned out in the same numbers," he added.
"In a borough election with a full campaign, our voters will come out. Tonight we haven't lost a seat or gained one."
Council make-up and by-election background
Following the result, Labour now has 43 councillors and overall control of the council, Reform still has 25 members, and there are seven independents. The by-election was called for a single seat on Wigan council after the death of long-standing member Bob Brierley, who was an Independent and had represented the ward for 22 years. He died in September, and his reputation for community work led to many tributes describing him as 'Mr Hindley Green'.
A third of seats on the council are set to be contested in local elections in May 2027. The full results for the November 12 by-election are: David John Burley (Liberal Democrat) 9, Bonnie Clarke (Reform UK) 887, Daniel James Jackson (Conservative) 56, Mark Prescott (Independent) 124, Rebecca Lee Shepherd (Restore Britain) 107, Nat Smith (Green) 42, and John Melville Vickers (Labour) 1,201.
