Labour take seat in Trumpington by four votes

First Labour city council seat in the ward since 1945

In a dramatic, knife-edge victory, Labour took a seat in Trumpington for the first time since 1945.

Labour’s Katie Thornburrow edged out the Liberal Democrats’ Dan Hilken by only four votes, securing a Labour victory in a ward they had not won in since 1945.

On Thursday (May 4), Cambridge voters went to the polls to elect 15 councillors to seats on Cambridge City Council.

In Trumptington Ceri Galloway, Green, polled 293, Dan Hilken, Lib Dem, 1,298, Phil Salway, Conservative, 561, and Katie Thornburrow, Labour, 1,302.

Cllr Lewis Herbert, Labour leader on the city council, said: “We were really shocked and surprised, but in a great way. The last time we won that ward was in 1945.”

Cllr Tim Bick, Lib Dem leader on Cambridge City Council, said: “Obviously, it is disappointing to lose a seat we already held.

Cllr Thornburrow reacted to the victory by thanking her mum for all her support.

But Trumpington was not the only ward that saw a dramatic race.

Market ward saw the first scalp of the night as Lib Dem Anthony Martinelli took a seat from Labour’s Dan Ratcliffe.

Jeremy Caddick, Green took 229 votes, Anthony Martinelli, Lib Dem, took 866. Conservative candidate Henry Mitson, took 153 votes, while Dan Ratcliffe, Labour, took 744.

Cllr Martinelli said local and national issues had influenced people’s votes. He said he wanted to focus on addressing rough sleeping and homelessness in the ward.

Labour’s Carla McQueen and Baiju Varkey won both the seats available in East Chesterton, while the Lib Dems’ Cheney-Anne Payne beat off stiff competition from Labour’s Mark Reader to claim victory in Castle ward.

When the results were announced in the early hours this morning (May 4), the Labour party had 26 councillors (the same as they had before the election) after losing a seat in Market ward, but gaining another in Trumpington. They have a majority of 10 councillors.

The Lib Dems have 14 seats, one more than they had before. Cllr John Hipkin is now the only Independent councillor on the city council, and Oscar Gillespie is still the only Green councillor. The Conservatives and UKIP failed to take any seats on the council.