Labour's Nicky Brennan fluctuated between tears and smiles, a need for supportive hugs and a need to be alone, as she paced the results hall in Birmingham's Utilita Arena waiting to hear her fate. She embodied the desperate emotions that lay behind every result declared during a tumultuous local election count for Birmingham City Council.
Each ward outcome read out by returning officer Robert Connelly over an exhausting 13 hours was not just a party political triumph or failure. It was also a person's livelihood, hopes and sometimes a life's work lost or gained in the full public glare.
A Narrow Victory
In the end, an emotional Brennan found out she had won her seat in Bournville and Cotteridge by the tiniest of margins - three votes. Greens candidate Roxanne Green was already clearly out in front after receiving 2,062 votes. But Brennan and another Green, Richard Winter, were neck and neck, meaning they had to endure a long wait as every vote was recounted and recounted again to separate them. Brennan received 1,738 votes to Winter's 1,735. It was still a joyous showing for the Greens, who took 19 seats in all across the city.
Brennan spoke afterwards of how a neighbour and her daughter Evie joined her to cast their votes at their polling station the evening before, with the neighbour telling her: "You'll win this by three votes... she was right. It was a bit of an omen. It has been a rollercoaster," she said of the outcome.
Emotional Reactions
Nicky Brennan gave an emotional hug to her Labour running mate Mohammed Ali after taking a seat on Bournville and Cotteridge ward by three votes. "I love the area so much, I am so proud of what the Labour party in Bournville and Cotteridge has accomplished when other results haven't gone our way." She vowed to do her utmost for the people who had backed her and those who had not, as Labour works out what went so badly wrong here and across the country.
Labour lost 34 seats in the end on the council, though it could have been a lot worse. At one point party insiders were predicting they would struggle to reach double figures, but ended up with a 'respectable' 17. But that still amounts to a catastrophic collapse for a party that swooped back to overall control in 2022 with 65 councillors. That number had been reduced dramatically in the past year due to Labour defections and resignations, but the party started the day with 51 seats and could not hold on to many of them.
Overall Results
The only saving grace for the party is that no other party did well enough to take control, nor even did any two parties do enough to join forces to make a majority. The Reform tidal wave that had engulfed other parts of the region and country was held back here by a combined Green, Tory, Labour and Lib Dem barrier. With two seats yet to declare because of another recount, the current standings are: Reform - 22 seats, Greens - 19 seats, Labour - 17 seats, Conservatives - 16 seats, Independents - 13 seats, Liberal Democrats - 12 seats.
Remember the Humans Behind the Results
Brennan's running mate for Labour in the ward was Muhammed Ali, a young activist who received 1,559 votes. It proved too few to secure a seat against a strong Greens. But his reaction to Brennan crossing the line summed up what elections mean to those who put their heads above the parapet and stand up and be counted. With tears in his eyes, he watched as she was announced in the second seat before they hugged, both sobbing. The result meant days of campaigning, miles walked, conversations and social posts, meetings and events, had been worth it, if only for Brennan.
Election campaigns are all consuming for those who engage fully in them. There have been complaints that some candidates in this election were on the ballot paper in name only but otherwise barely visible as smaller parties sought to capitalise on national momentum by putting up a candidate in every seat. But in the main, those who put their names forward did so desperate to make a difference, and prepared to put in the work to do so.
Green Party candidate Rob Grant celebrated as he retained his seat in the King's Norton South ward at the Birmingham election count on a great day for the party. Among those cheering him on was Roxanne Green, who later took first place in Bournville and Cotteridge. It's all too easy to dehumanise these would-be politicians, especially in an age when someone's political preferences alone can make them a target for abuse through a keyboard.
We live in truly insane times when someone who wants to represent their community for a sum of money that barely compensates for the hassle and time involved has to prepare for an immediate tumult of hate. Brennan was not alone in her reaction to her result. Quiet tears would have been shed across the results hall during the day, alongside the air punches and joyful cheers. She stood out largely because hers was the last result to be declared, with the counting hall largely empty, tables packed away and even the declaration stage dismantled, meaning there was no distraction from the emotions playing out in front of us. But it was a reminder that the people chosen, and those unchosen, are all human. Let's all seek to remember that in the months to come.
