Paul Dennett has been re elected as Salford’s Mayor with an increased majority.
The self-titled ‘sensible socialist’ took 59 per cent of the vote in the first round, up from 49 per cent in the last election, after impressing voters with radical policies over the last four years.
Dennett is against trickle-down economics and outsourcing: in January, Salford council brought planning, building control, property, highways and infrastructure services back in-house, ending a 15-year joint-venture partnership with Capita and Galliford Try.
He also rejects gentrification and is a close friend of Jeremy Corbyn as well as Rebecca Long-Bailey, who congratulated him on winning on Twitter today:
In his acceptance speech The Labour Mayor took a swipe at the national leadership saying that the party had tarnished trust of Red Wall voters over Brexit.
He asked Keir Starmer to look to Salford and also to leadership of Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester to get inspiration and said that the centre-ground in politics no longer exists as it once did.
“The public expect us to pick a side.”
Related: Mark Drakeford vows to be ‘radical and ambitious’ as Labour sweeps up in Wales
