Sex abuse whistleblower Jayne Senior elected as Labour holds Rotherham

“It has been a tough fight for Labour in Rotherham and I am so pleased that the party has made gains. The party and the council has been doing a lot of work over the past couple of years to change and bring in new people. We have recognised past failings and tried to put them right and I think this election – in which every seat was up for grabs – show that voters recognise the effort that’s been made and they have put their trust in the local party once again. Our job now is to show that we are worthy of that and prove that things really have changed.

“I would like to welcome all the great new councillors that won seats, and I would also like to pay tribute to those who have stepped down. Alan Gosling and Jane Hamilton will be sorely missed and I would like to thank them on behalf of the community for their commitment. The challenge for the new intake is to live up to their example and really offer the dedicated service that Rotherham deserves.”