Pontefract South is an electoral ward of the City of Wakefield district, used for elections to Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, in West Yorkshire, England.
Overview The ward is one of 21 in the Wakefield district and is one of its most marginal. Its marginal nature can be largely put down to the nature of its demographics. The ward takes in traditionally Labour-voting areas of Pontefract, in the form of Chequerfield, Baghill and the Carleton Park estate, along with more Conservative-leaning areas such as Carleton and the outlying villages of Darrington, Wentbridge and East Hardwick. Other areas of the ward, such as the Larks Hill estate, are probably the most locally marginal parts of the ward; their voters swing between Labour and the Conservatives from one election to another.
In December 2010, the ward's electorate stood at 12,090.
Representation Like all wards in the Wakefield district, Pontefract South has three councillors, whom are elected on a four-year-rota. This means that elections for new councillors are held for three years running, with one in every four skipped.
At present, the ward is represented by two Labour councillors, George Ayre and Brian Mayhew, and one Conservative councillor, Tony Hames. For over a decade, the ward was represented solely by Conservative councillors; however, at the local government elections held on 5 May 2011, Conservative councillor Philip Booth lost his seat to the late Tony Dean, meaning Labour gained representation in the ward once again.
At the local elections in May 2014, Pontefract local George Ayre (Labour) unseated the Wakefield District Conservative group leader of Wakefield Council, Geoff Walsh, to ensure the party held the majority of seats. In 2015, David Jones (Labour) replaced Tony Dean who retired that year. In 2018 and 2019 respectively, George Ayre and David Jones were re-elected.
David Jones served as Mayor of Wakefield from 2020 to 2023. He stood down in 2023 and Brian Mayhew replaced him.
Cllr George Ayre is the longest serving councillor for Pontefract South having been elected in 2014.
Election results Note: The turnout figures below are inclusive of spoiled ballots, except for the 2012 and 2016 results.
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