Just got back from the count – not a great night for Labour in West Lancs. I overhead someone say that we’d “turned the corner” which, with a net loss of one seat, is perhaps over-egging the result a bit.

Paul Cotterill did brilliantly in Bickerstaffe and showed how hard work over a long period of time can win seats. More disappointing to lose Scott and Wrightington. Particularly since the Scott loss means that we don’t have any more councillors in Ormskirk any more.

Over the whole district, I calculate that there has been a marginal (0.38%) swing to Labour. However, it’s not large enough to win seats. In fact ignoring the large swing in Skelmersdale North (a swing from Ind to Lab after Joan Morrison didn’t stand0), the two largest swings for Labour in the district were in Bickerstaffe and Knowsley (7.19% and 7.77% respectively).

We’ve not yet hit rock bottom – we held on to Up Holland and we now have two councillors outside of Skelmersdale / Up Holland, but there is a lot of work to be done for people to accept us as an acceptable opposition, and possible future controlling group. That seems a long way off tonight. Anyone who says the way back is easy, or that we’ve even turned the corner, needs a reality check.