Rob Chesterfield made it three out of three for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Middleton Park ward as he defeated the sitting Labour Councillor Sharon Burke by 244 votes in the local council elections which took place yesterday (2 May 2024).
The SDP has now taken all three seats in the ward from Labour over the past three elections. Cllr Rob Chesterfield joins Cllr Wayne Dixon and Cllr Emma Pogson-Golden.
In Hunslet & Riverside ward Omar Mushtaq came within 207 votes of defeating Cllr Mohammed Iqbal as the Green Party pushed Labour hard.
Beeston & Holbeck ward was won comfortably by Shaf Ali for Labour. You can find the full results below.
Reflecting on his win, Cllr Rob Chesterfield (SDP, Middleton Park) told South Leeds Life:
“Until you get the result through you can never take it for granted and I certainly won’t be taking the role as councillor for granted. I will be here to represent the people of Middleton and Belle Isle, their issues are my issues, I live in the area. I’m thrilled to be joining Wayne and Emma to continue their hard work.”
Asked what he thought it meant for Middleton and Belle Isle, he said:
“For so long their concerns and views haven’t been addressed by the previous administration, but with a different voice from a different political party we can speak up on those issues for people. That’s one of the reasons I got into politics, because I didn’t feel that that the councillors at the time were really able to represent the views of the community.”
Cllr Mohammed Iqbal (Labour, Hunslet & Riverside) commented:
“I’m delighted to win obviously, after 25 years of hard work. I would like to thank my agent, Cllr Paul Wray, and all my team who have helped me in what has been a difficult campaign with some negativity which was uncalled for, but we kept a positive campaign and it’s paid off. Thanks above all to the electors, the people who have placed their trust in me again.”
Cllr Shaf Ali (Labour, Beeston & Holbeck said:
“I am so happy and the credit goes to my community, residents and people who supported me. Now I am a councillor, I am a councillor for every single resident who lives in Beeston, Holbeck and Cottingley. I’ll be there for everyone, if you’ve got any issues, any problems get in touch.”
Overall, Labour lost four seats on the Council, and gained four and retain control with 61 of the 99 councillors.
Beeston & Holbeck Ward
Labour Party HOLD
Elected: ALI Shaf
| Candidate | Description | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| ALI Shaf | Labour Party | 2,533 |
| CHANDLER Bradley Kenneth | The Conservative Party Candidate | 572 |
| FULTON Louie | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 113 |
| ROGAN Matt | Green Party | 1,092 |
| SYKES George | Liberal Democrats | 226 |
| WATSON Sasha | Social Democratic Party | 247 |
| Electorate: | 18,645 |
|---|---|
| Turnout: | 25.9% |
| Spoilt ballots: | 49 |
Hunslet & Riverside Ward
Labour and Co-operative Party HOLD
Elected: IQBAL Mohammed
| Candidate | Description | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| DALE Benjamin Thomas Hanley | Liberal Democrats | 185 |
| DUNCAN Oisín | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 43 |
| IQBAL Mohammed | Labour and Co-operative Party | 2,274 |
| KOVACS Tamas | The Conservative Party Candidate | 247 |
| MUSHTAQ Omar | Green Party | 2,067 |
| WHETSTONE Daniel Paul | Social Democratic Party | 107 |
| Electorate: | 17,432 |
|---|---|
| Turnout: | 28.5% |
| Spoilt ballots: | 42 |
Middleton Park Ward
Social Democratic Party GAIN
Elected: CHESTERFIELD Rob
| Candidate | Description | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| ADEYEMI Samson Roberts | The Conservative Party Candidate | 332 |
| BURKE Sharon | Labour Party | 1,638 |
| CHESTERFIELD Rob | Social Democratic Party | 1,882 |
| FOLLOWS Michael Scott | Liberal Democrats | 139 |
| GILL Julie | Green Party | 402 |
| Electorate: | 19,907 |
|---|---|
| Turnout: | 22.2% |
| Spoilt ballots: | 30 |
Main photo: Cllr Rob Chesterfield (SDP, Middleton Park) flanked by ward collegues Cllr Wayne Dixon and Cllr Emma Pogson-Golden
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