Meet the newly elected councillors to Calderdale Council

Victorious Conservative Felicity Issott won the seat vacated by Independent councillor Rob Holden, who resigned for health reasons, making it a hat-trick of seats for the party in the Ryburn ward.

Winning candidate Shazad Fazal successfully defended the Park ward seat which had been held by Coun Mohammad Naeem, who died in July, for Labour by a very comfortable margin.

Coun Issott, who has two years’ experience as a Ripponden parish councillor, said she felt like she had gone through a rollercoaster of emotions but wanted to begin tackling important issues in the ward.

She is campaigning for a vehicle activated speed camera in Ryburn to help address safety concerns and is planning to organise a road safety week in October.

“I’m delighted – I can’t wait to get to work,” she said after the count at North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax, last night.

Conservative group leader Coun Steven Leigh (Ryburn) said it had been a great team effort to get Coun Issott elected – with a majority of 390 – and she would be a tremendous new councillor for Ryburn.

Coun Fazal was congratulated by Labour group leader Coun Tim Swift (Town) and he praised his team, headed by his agent Ferman Ali, a bumper 1,768 majority meaning Labour continue to hold all three seats in the ward.

“I am extremely delighted.

“Local issues were the key thing in the campaign – litter, traffic issues, more housing for local people, more training and more employment for young people,” he said.

The results do not affect overall control of the council – Labour now have 28 seats, a majority of five over all other parties, with the Conservatives’ gain giving them 16 seats with the Liberal Democrats on five and two Independents.

Turnouts for the by-elections were down on May’s, when every council ward was contested.

This time turnout in Park ward was 25.3 per cent (down from 37 per cent in May) and in Ryburn it was 24.9 per cent (down from 42.3 per cent in May).

RESULTS

Park

Javed Bashir (Lib Dem) 60

Shazad Fazal (Lab) 1,980

Jacquelyn Haigh (Green) 137

Naveed Khan (Con) 212

Maj: 1,768

Turnout: 25.3 per cent

LAB HOLD

Ryburn

Freda Davis (Green) 163

Felicity Issott (Con) 1,188

Leah Webster (Lab) 798

Pete Wilcock (Lib Dem) 66

Maj: 390

Turnout: 24.9 per cent

CON GAIN from IND

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