Almost still alive at the Count

The counting of the councillor elections began a bit after the mayoral result was declared: maybe around 2am or so.  LBTH is publishing detailed ward results on
http://moderngov.towerhamlets.gov.uk/mgElectionResults.aspx?ID=22&V=1&RPID=3009658
and there is no need for us to repeat them here.

The two one-member wards have declared first. Poplar declared at 4.43am (over 28 hours since the polls closed): there was victory for Tower Hamlets First, with Kibria Choudhury THF’s first directly elected candidate of 2014. The Lib Dems (41) were one vote ahead of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (40). The combined vote of the Tory (146) and UKIP (159) came nowhere near Labour (761) or THF (910) and even further away from the combined Labour/THF vote.

In Limehouse, announced around ten minutes later, it was a different story. Labour’s Cat Overton (730) almost knocked the Tories’ Craig Aston (786) off the Council. UKIP took only 104 votes: they didn’t depress the Tory vote enough for Cat to romp through. The Lib Dems managed 105 votes, so this was a weak showing from UKIP. Tower Hamlets First came in bottom place with 341 votes.

And as 7am strikes we have still not had any more declarations!  The Council estimate was that they would count all the Councillor votes in five hours. They’ve been counting for five hours now, and we’ve had two declarations – and those in one-member wards. This is ridiculous: Tower Hamlets will be last borough in Britain to declare all its results at this rate – again!

Fortunately, at 7.05, the Returning Officer springs back to life and Canary Wharf is declared: and it’s split. Tory Andrew Wood is top, with 869. In second place, with 829 is Tower Hamlets First candidate Maium Miah: who was elected on the Tory ticket in 2010 but crossed the floor to support Lutfur later on. The Tories saw this as a terrible betrayal and were doubtless desperate to see the back of Maium, but he has stayed in place, so they will be doubly furious. These two are elected in this two member ward –  pretty much by the skin of their teeth. In third place was Labour’s Debbie Simone (801) and fourth is Labour’s Shubo Hussain, who will be going back to his day job as a grease monkey after polling 786 votes.  Those are close results and must reflect the real standing of the Labour Party in a ward which includes a great deal of empty investment property around Canary Wharf as well as the former Council estate, the Barkantine. Just behind Labour is the second Tory candidate: Ahmed Hussain on 782 votes, and some way behind him, on 592 votes, came John Cray, who has stood twice on the Island as a Labour candidate but this timewas the second Tower Hamlets First candidate. Some Tories couldn’t bring themselves to vote for an Asian candidate, probably; and it looks as if some THF candidates could not bring themselves to vote for a non-Bangladeshi candidate.  The UKIP showing, 327, was relatively strong – as was the Lib Dem vote, 181.  TUSC scraped 58 votes: great statement that, then.

At 7.22 we get Whitechapel: a large ward (11,337 voters) but with a low turnout (42.37%) – wouldn’t have guessed that would be the fourth declaration. And it’s a Tower Hamlets First hold: Shahed Ali, Abdul Asad and Aminur Khan all get over 2,000 votes, with Labour next (1188-1359), and the Greens take third place on 703.  The Tories are next (345-409) with a lone Lib-Dem in the middle of them (358).  UKIP get a miserable 199 and would have been last, but TUSC come in to take their favourite last place again, with Michael Wrack getting 139 votes.

At  7.46, Bow West delivers the first two Labour seats of the day (night?) (day before?). Josh Peck combines a personal and party vote to get 2,439 and his running mate Asma Begum, new to Bow West, gets just under the magic 2,000.  The other parties are nowhere near.

Thick and fast is still not the right description, but at 07.50 we get St Dunstan’s – a second split ward, with Tower Hamlets First and Labour getting a seat each. Labour’s Ayes Miah topped the poll on 1967 votes, with Labour’s sitting councillor Abdal Ullah, on 1386, not retaining his seat. Similarly, Tower Hamlets First’s Mahbub Alam won a seat with 1805, while sitting THF councillor Rofique Ahmed saw his longstanding career on the Council finally come to an end with a poll of 1,369. It’s a split ward, but this may be the start of decapitation.

It’s all ground to a halt again. Its 08.45, with no sign of the next result.  We are all flagging.  Must be nearly impossible for staff.

With 9am comes the declaration of the Lansbury ward, in a kind of deja vu.  Labour keeps two seats – Shiria Khatun and Rajib Ahmed – and Tower Hamlets First win one – Ohid Ahmed.  Funny old world.  That’s the sitting three.  Shiria has always been a Labour candidate in this ward.  Rajib was initially a Labour candidate but was deselected by Labour for poor performance and joined the Lib Dems; won again for the Lib Dems and then crossed the floor back to Labour just before the parliamentary seat of Poplar & Limehouse was first contested in 2010 (so don’t believe all the stuff from Labour about how if you stand for election for another party, you can’t even apply to rejoin Labour for five years).  Labour’s third candidate, Dave Smith came fourth on 1850 votes – the  highest vote by a non-Bangladeshi male candidate with no previous link with the ward in the last three contests (other candidates parachuted into the ward but failing to be elected were beaten by Rajib Ahmed, Labour’s winning candidate this time). THF’s other two candidates were next.  UKIP scored a high 732, leaving the Tories trailing on 228-387, the Lib Dems on 232 and TUSC in its traditional last place on 190.

It’s another mini-spurt: 9.10 and we are on to Stepney Green.  Alibor “big Al” Choudhury and “The People’s Oli” Rahman walked it, with 2,023 and 1,965 respectively. Labour trailed in on 1,568 and 954.  The Greens got 411, just ahead of UKIP on 387.  The Tories were on 166 and 209; Lib Dems on 151.

09.19 brings another split ward. Bromley North returns a Labour candidate, sitting Khales Ahmed, on 1534 and a Tower Hamlets First candidate, Mo. Miah, on 1,247.  The second Labour candidate, sitting councillor Zenith Rahman, loses with 1,153, as does the second THF candidate, Moniruzzaman Syed on 1,046.  No one else comes near.

As early as 09.25 we get an upset in Spitalfields and Banglatown.  Several hours after he put his coat on and left the building, former council leader and sitting Labour Councillor Helal Uddin Abbas lost his seat, securing only 1,250 votes. His Labour running mate Tarik Khan received 1,015 votes.  The seats are comfortably won for Tower Hamlets First by Gulam Robbani and Suluk Ahmed. Other contenders are far behind.

Four minutes later, we hear that St Katharine’s & Wapping has returned a split ward. Julia Dockerill topped the poll for the Tories, with 1278, while veteran Labour Councillor Denise Jones followed a little behind on 1,208 – just beating the Tories’ Neil King, who came in on 1,156. Labour’s second candidate, prolific social media hound Robbie Scott came in on 956 votes.  Other candidates were bunched around 300-500.

At 9.48, comes Shadwell.  Rabina Khan (2,199) and Harun Miah (2,192) nail it for Tower Hamlets First, with Labour trailing on 1,462 and 892.  The Tories and Greens are 300+ and the Lib Dems on 144.

The key result in Mile End comes in next, at 9.55am. Shah Alam tops the poll with 2,315 for Tower Hamlets First – but it’s a split ward again. Labour’s David Edgar is second with 2,268 and Rachael Saunders, who has been looking glum all evening, finds she has scraped back in in third place – ahead of  Mo. Shahid Ali on 2,052. Labour’s third placed candidate, sitting councillor Motin-uz Zaman has come a surprise fifth, with 1801.