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Reform UK wins its first Cumbrian unitary seat

Duncan Hodgsonin Barrow-in-Furness
News imageBBC There is a staircase and the picture is taken from the top of it. The carpet on the stairs is red and there are three people walking up the stairs. They are carrying ballot boxes and bags. One is a bald man, the other two are women. One is wearing a white coat and the other a black polo shirt. At the bottom of the stairs there are some wooden seats and grey stone columns.BBC
Ballot boxes arrived at Barrow Town Hall shortly after polls closed

Reform UK has secured its first unitary authority councillor in Cumbria in a Barrow-in-Furness by-election.

Councillor Hazel Edwards was elected in the Hawcoat and Newbarns seat on Westmorland and Furness Council with almost half of the votes cast.

Edwards declined to speak to the BBC following the declaration which came at about 01:00 BST at Barrow Town Hall.

She also won in the Hawcoat seat for Barrow Town Council.

Edwards, a former Conservative mayor, received 1,139 votes, almost twice as many as the Labour candidate Mike Leach who got 576.

But she was criticised during the campaign for posting pictures on Facebook of herself and campaigners where the backgrounds had been replaced.

Turnout in the Westmorland and Furness seat was 27% - down from 41% when it was last contested during the 2022 local elections.

At the time, three Conservatives candidates were elected taking a combined 41% of the vote.

News imageMarco Fawcett has light brown hair and glasses and is standing in front of a wooden panelled wall. He is wearing a suit and tie and he is smiling. He is also wearing a blue rosette.
Conservative candidate Marco Fawcett says the 2024 election was the "wake up call" that made him want to enter politics

Marco Fawcett stood for the Conservatives and came third with 447 votes, but said he was "proud" of his team's efforts.

The 18-year-old said it was a "testament to the experience" of Edwards' 22 years as a local councillor that she had been elected again.

He said he believed "new blood" was needed in politics and some voters on the doorstep agreed.

"The word refreshing came up all the time, which filled me with hope that people are glad to see a young face in politics," he said.

"Voters are turning to Reform because they don't have a record in government they can be judged on."

However, he described the insurgent party's record in local government as not "particularly impressive".

News imageMike Leach has grey hair and glasses is standing in front of a wood panelled wall. He is wearing a black suit with a white shirt and red tie. He is also wearing a red rosette.
Labour candidate Mike Leach said some people on the doorstep "don't like the national party"

Next year voters across Cumbria will go to the polls for a mayoral election for the new Cumbria Combined Authority, and local elections for Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland Councils.

Leach said that despite the result, he was determined to fight for the seat again.

"We've got to get out there and convince people," he said.

"We've got to convince them that we're the party to be voting for."

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