UKIP’s shock jump into local government snatching two seats in Bolton Council last night should be a ‘wake-up call’, claims the councillor who they ousted.
Ex-Tory councillor Andy Morgan, who had served the Hulton ward for 12 years, lost his seat to UKIP candidate Diane Parkinson after a tense night of vote-counting at the Bolton Arena.
Cllr Parkinson edged to victory with just 141 more votes than Mr Morgan, who says he is ‘obviously devestated’ to have lost the seat, but denies that it was his campaign at fault.
Mr Morgan told MM: “This time the local elections have been fought on national issues, it definitely wasn’t our campaign, we fought a local election campaign.
“Speaking from the centre-ground here, it’s a wake-up call to both Conservatives and Labour – we need to start listening to the issues people care about.”
Mr Morgan first won his seat in 2002 at the age of 35 and the loss of the seat means that Hulton now has two Tory councillors and one UKIP.
As results from across the country continue to show UKIP snatching seats from the two main parties, Bolton-based Mr Morgan acknowledges that voters are disillusioned with the limited options given at election time.
He said: “It was a massive protest vote against the main government – locally, we can’t do any more.”
He will now be taking a few weeks or months out of politics, concentrating on his community work and family life.
“I’m still young enough to have another crack”, he said: “I’ll be involved in politics again in the future, onwards and upwards as they say.”
