Thursday saw another election in Barnsley Central, this time, St Helen’s Ward, local council election, called when former Councillor Roy Butterwood stood down, for personal reasons.

Roy has done a great job in representing the people of St Helen’s and we all appreciate the hard work he has put in during his time in office.

The campaign was always going to be hard-fought; there was a candidate from each of the two main parties and an Independent. The far right were also, once again, targeting the seat, with the BNP mounting a very visible campaign.

Turnout was low, as expected, but nonetheless, the result brought a resounding win for the Labour candidate, Dave Leech. I know Dave will be a committed and dedicated Councillor for the people of St Helen’s and I look forward to working with him, standing up for the people of Barnsley. Full results are below: