1994 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

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Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 5 May 1994, with one third of the seats up for election. Prior to the election, Labour had defended their seats in two by-elections for Abram and Hindley. The election suffered from a mixture of a poor contesting rate and low voter turnout. The number of candidates contesting was just 50, the lowest since 1975, with four wards going unopposed, and Lib Dems back to fighting a half of the seats, and the Conservatives less than two-thirds. The only other opposition standing were three Independent Labour candidates, one of which was the previous - but since deselected - Labour incumbent for the seat being fought in Worsley Mesnes. Voter turnout rose from the previous election's nadir, but at 30.4%, still well below average.

Map of the results of the 1994 Wigan council election.

Labour achieved their highest vote share to date, with an overwhelming 70.3% of votes cast. Conversely the Conservatives obtained both their lowest vote share, and lowest vote figure, on record. The Lib Dems, whilst suffering a drop to 16% - a figure below average for results in recent years - witnessed nothing as dramatic. Party seat totals remained unchanged, with Labour and the Lib Dems gaining a seat from each other. The Lib Dem narrowly gained (by just four votes) their third in Beech Hill, turning a ward entirely represented by Labour from the early to mid eighties, into solely Lib Dem for the first time. Labour elsewhere regained a seat in Hope Carr, returning that to entirely Labour.[1]

Election result

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Wigan Local Election Result 1994
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 23 1 1 0 95.8 70.3 41,704 +14.6%
  Liberal Democrats 1 1 1 0 4.2 16.0 9,520 -4.1%
  Conservative 0 0 0 0 0.0 11.3 6,729 -10.2%
  Independent Labour 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.3 1,343 +1.4%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

Party Previous council New council
Labour 61 61
Liberal Democrats 8 8
Conservatives 2 2
Independent Labour 1 1
Total 72 72
Working majority  50   50 

Ward results

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Abram[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Best 2,073 89.8 +9.6
Conservative J. Wright 235 10.2 −9.6
Majority 1,838 79.6 +19.2
Turnout 2,308 23.9 +5.3
Labour hold Swing +9.6
Ashton-Golborne[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Bullen 2,253 77.3 +19.6
Liberal Democrats S. Cooper 340 11.7 −3.6
Conservative I. Cunliffe 320 11.0 −15.9
Majority 1,913 65.7 +34.8
Turnout 2,913 29.7 +10.0
Labour hold Swing +11.6
Aspull-Standish[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Hilton 1,948 48.5 +14.0
Liberal Democrats L. Chamberlain 1,633 40.7 −5.4
Conservative J. Davies 432 10.8 −8.6
Majority 315 7.8 −3.7
Turnout 4,013 37.3 +5.2
Labour hold Swing +9.7
Atherton[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour S. Loundon 2,033 84.6 +8.2
Independent Labour D. Graeme 370 15.4 −8.2
Majority 1,663 69.2 +16.3
Turnout 2,403 26.1 +3.9
Labour hold Swing +8.2
Bedford-Astley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour F. Walker 1,717 68.8 +18.3
Liberal Democrats G. Mann 780 31.2 +5.0
Majority 937 37.5 +13.3
Turnout 2,497 28.7 +2.5
Labour hold Swing +6.6
Beech Hill[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats L. Brooks 1,621 48.0 −15.1
Labour T. Bishop 1,617 47.9 +15.5
Conservative J. Cartwright 138 4.1 −0.3
Majority 4 0.1 −30.7
Turnout 3,376 37.4 +4.1
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing -15.3
Bryn[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Melling 2,429 86.5 +11.4
Conservative R. Clayton 380 13.5 −11.4
Majority 2,049 72.9 +22.9
Turnout 2,809 28.7 +7.9
Labour hold Swing +11.4
Hindley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Shaw 1,946 81.8 +3.7
Liberal Democrats F. Graham 434 18.2 −3.7
Majority 1,512 63.5 +7.4
Turnout 2,380 24.8 +6.2
Labour hold Swing +3.7
Hindley Green[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Simmons 2,407 86.0 +28.6
Conservative A. Emmett 390 13.9 −12.8
Majority 2,017 72.1 +41.4
Turnout 2,797 24.6 +7.0
Labour hold Swing +20.7
Hindsford[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Wright Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Hope Carr[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour K. Anderson 1,812 50.4 +12.6
Liberal Democrats P. Hough 1,254 34.9 +3.8
Conservative D. Morris 526 14.6 −16.4
Majority 558 15.5 +8.8
Turnout 3,592 35.6 +4.9
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +4.4
Ince[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Blackledge Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Langtree[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. O'Neill 2,250 57.2 +21.1
Liberal Democrats J. Shaw 1,083 27.5 −18.3
Conservative F. Parkinson 381 9.7 +9.7
Independent Labour H. O'Neill 218 5.5 +5.5
Majority 1,167 29.7 +19.9
Turnout 3,932 34.7 +3.4
Labour hold Swing +19.7
Leigh Central[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour P. Smith Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Leigh East[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour T. Harper 1,870 68.6 +12.7
Liberal Democrats S. Hide 856 31.4 −12.7
Majority 1,014 37.2 +25.3
Turnout 2,726 27.1 +6.8
Labour hold Swing +12.7
Lightshaw[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour T. Sherratt 3,180 80.7 +21.2
Conservative C. Duffy 760 19.3 −21.2
Majority 2,420 61.4 +42.5
Turnout 3,940 35.8 +5.2
Labour hold Swing +21.2
Newtown[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour K. Pye 1,964 85.1 +12.9
Liberal Democrats H. Wagner 183 7.9 −5.5
Conservative G. Peach 160 6.9 −7.4
Majority 1,781 77.2 +19.3
Turnout 2,307 25.8 +9.3
Labour hold Swing +9.2
Norley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour N. Tuner 1,973 85.2 +7.3
Liberal Democrats B. Turner 343 14.8 +1.7
Majority 1,630 70.4 +5.7
Turnout 2,316 30.4 +9.7
Labour hold Swing +2.8
Orrell[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Seaward 2,133 70.7 +19.1
Conservative G. Whiston 884 29.3 −19.1
Majority 1,249 41.4 +38.2
Turnout 3,017 31.9 +5.5
Labour hold Swing +19.1
Swinley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour S. Turner 2,032 62.9 +24.2
Conservative M. Winstanley 1,198 37.1 −15.8
Majority 834 25.8 +11.7
Turnout 3,230 36.8 +2.8
Labour hold Swing +20.0
Tyldesley East[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour B. Wilson Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Whelley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Pendleton 2,125 88.4 +22.3
Conservative T. Sharpe 279 11.6 −4.6
Majority 1,846 76.8 +26.9
Turnout 2,404 28.8 +8.5
Labour hold Swing +13.4
Winstanley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Evans 2,168 64.3 +11.5
Liberal Democrats P. Evans 721 21.4 −0.5
Conservative M. Green 483 14.3 −11.1
Majority 1,447 42.9 +15.5
Turnout 3,372 28.6 +7.7
Labour hold Swing +6.0
Worsley Mesnes[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Rotherham 1,774 59.8 −5.3
Independent Labour H. Milligan 755 25.5 +25.5
Liberal Democrats W. Sly 272 9.2 −9.1
Conservative T. Sutton 163 5.5 −11.0
Majority 1,019 34.4 −12.5
Turnout 2,964 29.8 +12.5
Labour hold Swing -15.4

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Wigan Council results from 1973 to 2008" (PDF). wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.