The Blackfriars and Trinity by-election recorded the lowest ever turnout in Salford City Council’s history

Only 1 in 10 in residents of Blackfriars and Trinity turned out to vote in the ward’s council by-election last week, making it the lowest ever turnout in the council’s history.

The election was won by Labour candidate Rosanna Wain, who took 408 of the 788 votes cast, giving her a 51% share of the vote.

However, those 788 votes cast make up only 10.06% of the eligible voters in Blackfriars and Trinity, which has 7,875 residents who are eligible to vote.

The Labour victory means the party now have 52 seats on Salford City Council, with the Conservatives on 7 and the Liberal Democrats on 1.

According to The Electoral Commission, the turnout for the Blackfriars and Trinity by-election was low, but not unusual for a small local election.

They said: “The turnouts for local elections do tend to be a bit lower, and by-elections even more so. So, the turnout at the Salford by-election is low, but consistent with the trend in turnout at similar polls over many years.

“For comparison, the same area of Blackfriars & Trinity had a turnout of 26% at the elections in May 2021.

“In the last 10 years in this local authority alone there have now been five by-elections which have had a turnout of less than 20%.”

This election was called following the sad death of Labour councilor Ray Walker in August of this year, aged just 57. Walker was a ‘committed socialist’, who was heavily involved with trade unions within the city, and served Salford City council in a variety of roles for more than 30 years.

The victorious candidate in this election, 23-year-old councillor Wain, has pledged to tackle a range of issues across the ward, from social justice, to issues involving litter, tackling unscrupulous landlords, and securing more investment in the area’s local parks and green spaces.

She told the MEN: “It’s been great to have so much support.

“Obviously, the turnout was quite low. We’re going to try to work on that in May to see if we can get as many people out as possible.

“But the work starts tomorrow, and I’m really excited about beginning at Salford council.”

If you would like to get involved with highlighting issues faced by residents of the Blackfriars and Trinity ward, you can contact all of the ward’s councillors via the Salford City Council website.