The first council by-elections of 2024 were held this week. We began the new year in much the same way that we finished last year – by winning and moving forwards!
The first result declared in 2024 was a brilliant hold for the Lib Dems on Salford MBC. This was one of 4 principal by-elections contested and there were some very interesting results across the board.
The only place to start though is in Salford MBC where Councillor Paul Heilbron won Quays ward for the Liberal Democrats. We first won the ward in 2022 and just missed out in the 2023 local elections. We won on Thursday night with a 17.4% increase in our share of the vote from the 2023 result while Labour were down 12.6% from last May.
Congratulations to Paul and the Lib Dem team in Salford. This result is particularly special for ALDC as Paul is a former member of ALDC staff. His win restores our Lib Dem presence on Salford MBC too.
Salford MBC, Quays
Liberal Democrats (Paul Heilbron): 540 (54.8%, +17.4%)
Labour: 321 (32.6%, -12.6%)
Green Party: 124 (12.6%, +3.4%)
Very unusually the next by-election resulted in the winning Conservative candidate being unable to take up their seat – meaning another election will have to be run in the seat.
On Dorset Council the Conservatives won Littlemoor and Preston ward – holding onto it despite a brilliant performance by Lib Dem candidate Simon Clifford who increased the Lib Dem vote share by 19% and jumped from fourth to a very strong second. However as the winning Conservative candidate is employed by the council he is disqualified from taking up his seat and the seat will now remain vacant until the Dorset council elections in May. Congratulations to Simon and the team in Dorset for moving the Lib Dems forward so much in the seat with local elections just round the corner. The result was:
Dorset Council, Littlemoor and Preston
Conservative: 1,237 (54%, +25%)
Liberal Democrats (Simon Clifford): 833 (36%, +19%)
Labour: 232 (10%, -9.5%)
The next by-election was on Tendring DC in Bluehouse ward following the resignation of a Labour councillor. Ten candidates were contested this one, including 5 independent candidates. Thank you to Kane Silver for flying the flag for the Lib Dems and improving our vote share. In a crowded field we were only 160 votes of winning. Labour lost the seat to an Independent candidate cementing a very poor day for them as they start the year with a net loss of 1 councillor!
Tendring DC, Bluehouse
Independent: 181 (30.4%, +12.1%)
Conservative: 91 (15.3%, -14.7%)
Labour: 83 (13.9%, -16.2%)
Reform: 54 (9.1%, +9.1%)
Independent: 52 (8.7%, +8.7%)
Independent: 45 (7.6%, +7.6%)
UKIP: 38 (6.4%, -7.5%)
Independent: 24 (4%, +4%)
Liberal Democrats (Kane Silver): 22 (3.7%, +3.7%)
Independent: 6 (1%, 1%)
The final result this week comes from Brighton and Hove Council in South Portslade ward. Labour held this ward but with a much lower vote share thanks in large part to Lib Dem candidate Kenneth Rist who jumped ahead of the Green Party into third place and increased the Lib Dem vote share by 3%. Thank you to Kenneth for standing and for delivering such a good result.
Brighton and Hove Council, South Portslade
Labour: 874 (55%, -6%)
Conservative: 246 (15%, +2.9%)
Liberal Democrats (Kenneth Rist): 186 (12%, +3%)
Green Party: 149 (9%, -2%)
TUSC: 53 (3%, new)
Democratic Liberation: 49 (3%, new)
Independent: 44 (3%, new)
A full summary of all results can be found on the ALDC by-elections page here.
* Charles Quinn is Campaigns Organiser for ALDC and a local councillor in Hull.
Follow @LibDemVoice on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Proof that Bluesky is primmer than the Victorians
Failed State: why our government is broken and how to fix it
Unease grows within Labour ranks
Digital Skills Training for people over 65
Mark
Jennie
Robin AG Bennett
Peter Davies
Chris Lewcock
9 Comments
Please stop insulting our intelligence!
Tendring – out of 10 candidates we came in ninth. I suppose there would be an improvement in our vote if there is no comparative figure! “only 160 votes from winning”. We got 3.7% of the vote!
Who on earth do you think you are kidding and what possible purpose does such commentary serve?
When someone gains a seat with 12.1% (lower than the old parliamentary election deposit!) in a field of ten, making any sort of sense from the Tendring by-election is probably a fool’s errand. However perhaps looking at the four together it is simply fair to note that Lib Dems didn’t go backwards in any of them while Labour fell back in them all.
@Geoff Reid – just for the record, the seat was gained with 30.4%, not 12.4%
The real lesson from Bluehouse ward in Tendring is the absurdity of the FPTP system. If it had been run under a preferential system, by the voter numbering candidates, the result could well have been different, but the winner would almost certainly have had, at least, some support from the majority of the voters.
Dorset is a strange one as the Tories seem to have put up a candidate knowing they will be disqualified.
When did the seat become vacant? And why did the ‘six month rule’ not apply in this case
Steve, the previous councillor passed away on November 8th just hours before the 6 month rule kicked in. There was even an issue about it because it was generally believed that the deadline applies to six months before the next election but it’s actually to the date that the newly elected councillors take office – which is the followijng Monday. The sitting member died on the Monday afternoon.
@Steve Comer
From https://dorseteye.com/weymouth-conservative-councillor-dies-suddenly/ the sitting councillor died on Monday 6 Nov 2023
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-returning-officers-administering-local-government-elections-england/casual-vacancies-and-elections/six-month-rule
Says “The relevant dates are the date the vacancy is deemed to have occurred and the date that the elected member would have ordinarily retired (not the date of the scheduled election).2”
Next scheduled elections (all-up) 2 May 2024 so the death was just within the 6 months.
Lib Dems increased their vote in the three they had contested previously, in the week where there was so much hostile focus on Ed Davey!
Meanwhile The Opinion Polls continue much the same with no sign of any Tory recovery.
Taking the 8 Polls of the Year so far –
Labour average 44.5%
Con. 24.5%
Libdems. 10%
All within the usual changes over the last 8 Months.