Labour loses control of St Helens (From Warrington Guardian)

Labour loses control of St Helens

LABOUR lost overall control of St Helens in the local elections for the first time in living memory and the local authority is now a hung council.

The party only claimed 24 of the 48 seats, one short of a majority. Liberal Democrats won 18 seats and the Conservatives six.

Boundary changes had seen many of the wards altered and some newly created, reducing the number of seats from 54 to 48 and meaning every seat was up for grabs in a full election.

Turnout in the all-postal ballot was down from last year's 48 per cent to 40 per cent.

Read full reaction to the election results and what it will mean for the borough in next week's St Helens Star.