Reform UK have their first councillor on Blackpool Council

Blackpool has voted for its first Reform UK councillor after the party’s candidate Jim O’Neill won the Marton by-election – taking the seat from Labour.

The seat became vacant following the General Election when previous councillor Sarah Smith stepped down after being elected as Labour MP for Hyndburn.

At a by-election held on Thursday (October 3), Mr O’Neill received 462 votes, ahead of Labour’s Sam Benson with 334 votes, and Neil Harvey from the Conservative Party with 254 votes.

Mr O’Neill, who lives in Blackpool and has two grown-up children, said: “The result is still sinking in as I thought Labour would pip us at the post as they had previously held the seat.

“But we did a lot of work on our campaign, and knocked on a lot of doors in the Marton ward, and there were areas where support for Reform UK was very strong.

“Quite early on we were getting the message from some people that they felt betrayed by Labour and they were looking for an alternative. I was just straight talking with people on the doorstep.

“I was asking them what they wanted to see happen in the ward, rather than making promises which may never be fulfilled. But some issues did come up such as rat runs around the Mere Park pub.

“I’m the first councillor for Reform UK to take a Labour seat and that’s a big thing for the party nationally. But on a local level I’m now looking forward to representing the residents of Marton ward on the council.”

Mr O’Neill was previously selected as a candidate for the Conservative Party at the 2023 local elections, but then decided to stand as an Independent instead in Waterloo ward.

Marton by-election results: Sam Benson (Labour) 334; Bill Greene (Liberal Democrats) 33; Neil Harvey (Conservative Party) 254; Jim O’Neill (Reform UK) 462; Andrew Stansfield (Independent) 84; Ben Thomas (Green Party) 25.

Turnout was 23 per cent. The result means Labour now has 27 seats on the council, with the Conservatives remaining on 14 and one seat for Reform UK.

Another by-election is due to be held in Blackpool on Thursday November 7 following the resignation of Conservative councillor Tony Warne in Bispham ward due to work commitments.

There's lots of ways you can support our work as The Blackpool Lead, from a one-off donation, to a monthly payment through to shopping for The Lead branded merchandise too. It all helps support our independent, in-depth, journalism.

Sign up to The Blackpool Lead for free for more of our news, features, recommendations and investigations.