Success for local Lib Dems... and there's more!

10.06.42am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 16th May 2006

Councillor Dale Mulgrew with his dad - Jimmy Cricket.

In one of the sensations of Election Night, 30 year old Dale Mulgrew snatched one of Labour's safest seats of Balderstone and Kirkholt on Rochdale Council. Labour looked stunned as they lost a seat that they expected to hold comfortably.

Dale's dad is comedian Jimmy Cricket, the family hail from Cookstown, Northern Ireland and have settled in Rochdale. His positive campaign went down well with electors, the more the campaign went on the more apparent it became that Dale, standing in his first election, was going to be elected as the first Liberal Democrat Councillor in history in the area. The last time the seat was up, the Liberal Democrats came third.

Dale said, "I was delighted to win, a lot of people put a lot of hard work into the campaign, especially my agent, Paul Rowen MP who represents Rochdale in Parliament. My mother, May, is having a well-deserved break and my father is ecstatic. Some people have already dubbed me 'Councillor Cricket', but I am incredibly proud of all my father's achievements. Oh and by the way he's asked me to mention that his new CD, of Irish Songs, is out and a snip at only a tenner!"

Paul Rowen MP said, "This was a result that sent shockwaves through the Labour ranks. It just goes to show that positive campaigns win elections. It was quite clear that Dale's fight was not with the other parties but to improve Balderstone and Kirkholt. I have known Dale for many years and I am not surprised that he is now a member of our growing team. His Godfather is none other than my predecessor, Sir Cyril Smith MBE. I know that Cyril is absolutely delighted and Dale's wedding to fianceé, Phillipa Rowley on 1 July will cap a fairytale year for Dale."