John Francis Scoble has been elected as the new ward councillor for Horwich North, representing Horwich & Blackrod First Independents with 1,186 votes in a byelection held on 2 July 2026. Bolton Council confirmed the result after seven candidates contested the seat left vacant by Ryan Bamforth’s resignation in early May, leaving a year remaining on the term.
Wendy Parkinson of Reform UK came second with 541 votes, while Labour’s Graham Dawson finished third on 343. The Green Party’s Nicola Salmon secured 189, Conservative Raymond Ndokwo received 71, Liberal Democrat Scott James Turner-Preece took 27, and independent Peter Brett Hopkinson gained 13. The turnout confirmed a decisive win for the local independents, who hold significant influence in Horwich.
The byelection carried wider weight for Bolton Council, which operates with no single party in overall control. Labour leads a minority administration but relies on issue-by-issue support from groups like the Horwich and Blackrod First Independents. Before the vote, both the Conservatives and Reform UK held 10 seats each, meaning either party could have claimed official opposition status by winning Horwich North. Scoble’s victory keeps that designation unresolved and reinforces the fragmented political landscape seen in the ward’s May 2026 local election, where Horwich & Blackrod First Independents also topped the poll.
The seat had been empty since early May after Bamforth, originally elected under the Horwich & Blackrod banner before becoming an independent, resigned with a year left in his term. The council’s ‘no overall control’ status means no party commands the 31 seats needed for a majority in the 60-seat chamber, giving independent groups an outsized role in decision-making. Scoble’s win strengthens that bloc and underlines the local appeal of community-focused candidates in Horwich.
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