![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_Michael-FelseJPG.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMichael Felse won the Barton and Winton by-election with 676 votes<\/p>\n
01:33, 23 Apr 2026Updated 01:53, 23 Apr 2026<\/p>\n
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Michael Felse, the new Reform UK councillor for Barton and Winton(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n
Reform have won their first council seat in Salford after victory in the Barton<\/a> and Winton by-election.<\/p>\n Michael Felse won the race on April 22 with 676 votes ahead of Labour<\/a> candidate Catherine Goodyer who picked up 643 ballots.<\/p>\n Jack Groom from the Green Party came in third with 363 votes.<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n Mr Felse has previous connections to Greater Manchester and was parade queen at Manchester Pride in 2011.<\/p>\n Reform\u2019s victory in Barton and Winton marks a blow for Salford<\/a> Labour ahead of the local elections which are being held on May 7.<\/p>\n Labour holds 45 out of 60 seats in the council chamber, alongside seven Conservatives<\/a>, two Lib Dems<\/a>, one independent, one Democratic Socialist Party councillor, one Your Party councillor, and one ReformUK seat.<\/p>\n Barton and Winton had previously been considered a safe Labour seat. In the May 2024 local elections, the party won a seat in the ward with a majority of more than 1,200 votes.<\/p>\n At the by-election count at Salford Civic Centre on April 22, Reform sources predicted that there would be \u2018no safe seats for Labour\u2019 anymore.<\/p>\n Councillor Felse said he was \u2018delighted\u2019 with his victory, and thanked voters for putting their trust in him.<\/p>\n He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: \u201cHere we are making history in Salford as the first Reform councillor.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a lonely fortnight and I\u2019m looking forward to having many colleagues join me in Reform on May 7.\u201d<\/p>\n The by-election was held after the death of former Labour councillor David Lancaster in February, who was England\u2019s longest serving councillor.<\/p>\n The seat could have stayed vacant until the May local elections, but a \u2018niche rule\u2019 from 1972 means if two electors request an earlier polling day, the wish has to be honoured by the local authority within 35 days.<\/p>\n In this case, the person to call the early election in Barton and Winton was Lewis Croden, who is standing as a Reform UK candidate for Little Hulton, and his relative.<\/p>\n Croden\u2019s move was slammed by Labour who called it a \u2018waste of taxpayer\u2019s money\u2019 and said the early by-election in Barton and Winton could cost the council more than \u00a320,000.<\/p>\n In a message to Labour, Councillor Felse said: \u201c15 years ago Labour expelled me, and there are lots of others who are not happy with the Labour Party<\/a>.<\/p>\n Get MEN Premium now for just \u00a31 HERE<\/a> \u2013 or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think they need to think about what they\u2019re doing these days rather than me giving them advice.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very sad to say there are a lot of problems in Barton and Winton, I was actually horrified when I was walking the streets and seeing the litter, the pot holes, it\u2019s a real problem area, and at the same time they\u2019re sat there watching money being pumped into the [Salford Community] stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve nothing against the stadium, I quite like rugby myself, but there needs to be priorities, they need to listen to the people, they know what they want, and that\u2019s why they voted this way today – they want change, they want improvement, and that\u2019s what we\u2019ve got to give them.\u201d<\/p>\n Barton and Winton by-election results in full:<\/p>\n Kirsty Anne Downie (Ind): 44<\/p>\n Antony Ian Duke (Lib Dem): 94<\/p>\n Michael James Felse (Reform): 676<\/p>\n Catherine Goodyer (Labour): 643<\/p>\n Jack Groom (Green): 363<\/p>\n Holly Ann Muldoon (Tory): 118<\/p>\n The new composition of Salford Council:<\/p>\n Labour: 45<\/p>\n Conservative: 7<\/p>\n