Labour strengthened its position on Sandwell Council on a day when the Conservatives lost three seats including its leader.

The ruling Labour group, which has held power in Sandwell for all but one of the borough’s 50-year existence, swiped three of the four seats the Conservatives were defending in local elections on Thursday (May 2) – including the party’s leader David Fisher. 

Of the 24 seats up for grabs, 22 were won by Labour with the Conservatives winning one and independent candidate Richard Jeffcoat won in Tipton Green.

The political split on Sandwell Council now sees Labour with 65 councillors, the Conservatives have five with two independents.

Labour’s Dalel Singh Bamra was victorious in the Charlemont with Grove Vale ward over Tory leader David Fisher with Connor Horton winning in Great Barr with Yew Tree. Tory councillor Scott Chapman lost his Friar Park seat to Labour’s Elizabeth Giles.

Conservative councillor Will Gill was re-elected in Great Bridge in what was the only saving grace for the party in Sandwell. 

Independent candidate Richard Jeffocat pulled off a big win and was finally successful at the fifth attempt in Tipton Green where he defeated Labour cabinet member Charn Singh Padda with a whopping 1,630 votes.

Archer Williams, who was elected in Princes End in 2021 as a Conservative was re-elected this time around but as a Labour candidate having switched sides at the end of last year.

Labour council leader Kerrie Carmichael was re-elected in Blackheath – and she was among a string of Labour councillors who kept their seats with resounding wins.

Cllr Carmichael said she was “elated” by the results which saw Labour win 22 of the 24 seats on offer.

“Any other council would kill for that kind of result,” she said. “Obviously I’m disappointed that we’ve lost two seats, a clean sweep would have been nice but we are on an upward trajectory as a council.

“The residents voting for us in this way shows that we are doing a good job. Bring on the general election.”

Cabinet member Peter Hughes retained his Wednesbury North seat. There were big wins for Labour’s Parbinder Kaur in Smethwick, Jenny Chidley in Wednesbury South, Rizwan Jalil in Oldbury, Maria Crompton in Tividale and Ellen Fenton in Bristnall. 

A huge win for Labour’s Nicky Hinchliff in the Abbey ward saw her re-elected with a 1,655-vote majority. Vicki Smith also won comfortably in Cradley Heath and Old Hill alongside a massive win for Sukhbir Singh Gill in the St Paul’s ward. Farut Shaeen was also victorious for Labour in the Soho and Victoria ward and Farzana Haq won in West Bromwich Central.

Amardeep Singh was victorious in Hateley Heath and Caroline Owen was re-elected for Labour in Langley. 

Elaine Giles won in Newton and Pam Randhawa was elected with a 1,484-vote majority in Greets Green and Lyng. Sohail Iqbal, who replaced Wade Taylor as Labour candidate at the last minute, won comfortably for the party in Rowley.

Luke Cotterill won in Old Warley – which had been won by Tory councillor Jay Anandou in 2021 before he quit the party and saw out his term as an independent – in another gain for Labour.

A third of the council’s seats were on the line when polls opened on Thursday (May 2) with residents in each of the 24 wards asked to cast a vote.

The overall turnout for Sandwell was 28.48 per cent.