CARNFORTH and Millhead has elected a Labour councillor to replace the late George Askew.

Speaking at Carnforth cricket club last Saturday (May 7), John Reynolds told the celebration party that 'voters wanted change'.

"People across Carnforth and Millhead were energised by the campaign we created, a campaign for positive change and an alternative to cutting public services," he said. "Campaigns that focus on negatives and that ignore one particular group or another, have no place in local politics."

Cllr Reynolds won the election with 702 votes, with the Conservative candidate coming in second with 671 votes.

He believes that the Labour message was one that hit home with people from all sides of the political spectrum.

"'Enough is enough’ may have been a party slogan, he said. "But it captures a truth that so many of us are not prepared to see our communities robbed of essential services."

Cllr Reynolds has said that looking how to best safeguard the library and swimming pool will be one of the first things that he addresses in his new role.

The chair of Carnforth Labour party, Roger Clough, was pleased with the result.

"Against a backdrop of debate in the national press about poor performances by Labour in local elections, we more than doubled our vote from the November 2015 by election," he said. "A result that saw a swing from Conservative to Labour of 12.25 per cent."