Results for the Manor Castle Ward 2012 Local Election.

Labour hold the seat

Pat Midgley, Labour Party.
Votes: 2228  Percentage 72.1%

Les Arnott, UK Independence Party (UK I P).
Votes: 308 Percentage 10.0%

Graham Stephen Wroe, Green Party.
Votes: 272   Percentage 8.8%

Jack Robert Williams, Liberal Democrat.
Votes: 179  Percentage 5.8%
Josh Karim Lahlou, The Conservative Party.
Votes: 105 Percentage 3.4%

Electorate: 13,336

Turnout: 23.18%

Congratulations to Pat Midgely who was re-elected again with a massive majority. At the Manor Castle count there were only representatives from 2 parties, Labour and Green.  The rise of UKIP is a worry, as their policies of climate change denial, opposition to renewable energy as well as blaming our countries problems on immigration are unacceptable. But the biggest worry from this election has to be the appallingly low turnout of only 23%. There was very little campaigning in our ward because Labour take the votes for granted and campaign in the more marginal wards. The Greens too concentrated our resources on our two target wards, Central and Broomhill. This paid dividends as we won in Central ward with 49% of the vote, and came very close to winning in Broomhill, beating the former Lib Dem leader of the Council into third place. If the electoral system was proportional, that would mean that everyone’s vote was just as  important, so political parties would be forced to campaign throughout the city, not just in the highly prized marginal wards. On the eve of  election day I was working in Broomhill, and saw at least 50 people wearing Labour rosettes that had obviously been brought in from all over the city. I don’t blame them for doing this, it is sensible tactics with the electoral system we’ve got. It just goes to prove that the first past the post system is no longer fit for purpose. The Greens polled over 10% of the city wide vote, so if the system was truly proportional we would be celebrating three victories, rather than just one.

Labour have done very well at these elections due to the massive unpopularity of the coalition Government. But what the people of Sheffield need to ask is why did the people in Central ward vote so differently? How did the Greens buck the trend and stop the onward march of Labour in what most people would expect to be a Labour safe seat? The answer is the year round hard work that the Greens have been doing in Central ward, regularly knocking on doors, sorting out residents problems, delivering informative newsletters and finding out what needs doing. That is what wins elections, not misleading graphs and the constant slagging off of the other parties. People in Central ward appreciate the hard work the Green Councillors and their teams have been doing, so they vote Green Party.