Overview
- An independent, Yusuf Davda, won the Rumworth councillor seat on Friday with 1,458 votes, beating Labour’s Sajid Pathan who took 1,054 votes and the Green candidate who polled 517.
- The by-election was held after Labour councillor Abdul Aziz Atcha resigned in June and the count took place at Bolton Town Hall on July 31.
- The result leaves Labour as the largest group on Bolton Council with 19 seats but still short of the 31 needed for a majority, keeping the authority’s politics fragmented between Conservatives, Reform UK, Greens, smaller local parties and independents.
- Davda and other independents campaigned on visible local priorities such as road safety, speeding, crime and anti‑social behaviour, and they argued voters preferred councillors outside traditional party structures.
- Rumworth has swung quickly from a historic Labour stronghold to a Green win in May and now an independent victory, a pattern that could complicate council coalition math and shift focus toward local service delivery and neighbourhood issues.