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Council leader's defeat hailed as a 'landmark'
JUBILANT opposition politicians are today celebrating a landmark victory over Labour after successfully defeating the leader of South Tyneside Council.
In a night of heavy local and national losses for Labour, Paul Waggott was beaten by Independent candidate and former Labour councillor
Geraldine White.
She polled 1,212 votes in the hotly contested Fellgate and Hedworth ward in Jarrow, compared with 1,090 for the outgoing council leader.
Conservative candidate Ian Armstrong polled 209 votes.
Representing the biggest Labour Party 'scalp' for the Independents in this year's borough local elections, Mr Waggott was dislodged
after 11 years as council leader and 21 years as a member for the Jarrow ward.
Coun White, 64, who said she switched parties after becoming "disillusioned" with Labour, said: "This is a big leap forward for the Independents in South Tyneside.
"And this victory is extra special, because I have beaten the Labour leader of the council.
"I think I won because of the non-accountability of Labour in this area, and the fact that they have not properly represented the
people of the ward.
"This proves the Independents are on the march in South Tyneside."
A shaken Mr Waggott, 55, said: "I think the national situation may have affected the result, but I'm sure South Tyneside Council will continue to prosper.
"There are still lots of good men and women working for the authority."
But the father-of-two said it was "too early" to say if he would seek re-election to the authority he has served for more than two decades.
The defeat is widely seen as part of the continuing political fall-out from a controversial business park scheme row in the ward.
The issue saw Mr Waggott's fellow long-standing Labour ward colleagues Edith Battye and Moira Smith voted out in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
Independents have taken full advantage of anti-Labour feelings in Fellgate and Hedworth, after the ruling Labour group appeared to back a
scheme which would have seen the creation of a huge business park on green belt land bordering Jarrow and Sunderland.
Ironically, the scheme was later ditched, but not before the row had badly damaged the Labour vote and galvanised support for the Independents, who now hold all three seats in the ward.
After a long wait for postal votes to arrive at Jarrow Community Centre, the defeat of the council leader was declared at 1.30am.
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Weather for South Shields
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
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