We continued our incredible end of the year with one of the best weeks for local council by-election results that we have ever celebrated.
7 principal council seats were being contested across 6 wards this weeks – and we won 5 of them! This included 3 Lib Dem holds and 2 Lib Dem gains. Even the two seats that we didn’t win saw us miss out only very narrowly with a great improvement in our result from last time. There are so many fantastic results to delve into it is difficult to know where to start!
The first of our gains came on North Kesteven DC in Billinghay Rural ward, where newly elected Councillor Adrian Whittle beat the Conservatives by securing over 41% of the vote. This is a great achievement as we did not stand a candidate in the most recent election in this ward. Indeed nobody did as the Conservatives were uncontested here in 2023. This time round with a Lib Dem on the ballot paper we have pulled off a fantastic gain and elected our first Lib Dem councillor to North Kesteven District. Congratulations once again to Cllr Whittle and North Kesteven Lib Dems.
North Kesteven DC, Billinghay Rural
Liberal Democrats (Adrian Whittle): 354 (41.1%, new)
Conservative: 254 (29.5%)
Lincolnshire Independents: 225 (26.1%, new)
Independent: 29 (3.4%, new)
Our other gain came on Rugby BC in Dunsmore ward. There was a double vacancy in this ward caused by two Conservative resignations. Congratulations to Councillor Jonathan Bennett for gaining the top seat from the Conservatives as the Lib Dems topped the poll with 38% of the vote. The second seat was retained by the Conservatives – but well done to our candidate Trisha Trimble who finished so close with 548 votes (just 41 votes off taking the second seat). A brilliant performance all round. Congratulations to the team in Rugby.
Rugby BC, Dunsmore
Liberal Democrats (Jonathan Bennett): 613 (38%, +17.7% LD total)
Conservative: 588 (36.4%, -8.4% Con total)
Conservative: 557 (36.4%, -8.4% Con total)
Liberal Democrats (Trisha Trimble): 548 (38%, +17.7% LD total)
Labour: 299 (18.5%, -7.7% Lab total)
Labour: 256 (18.5%, -7.7% Lab total)
Green Party: 145 (9%, -7.7% Green total)
Green Party: 89 (9%, -7.7% Green total)
Next up we move to Three Rivers DC and to Chorleywood South and Maple Cross ward. Congratulations to Councillor Harry Davies on holding this seat for the Lib Dems with 57.5% of the vote and a 4.5% increase in Lib Dem vote-share. Well done to Harry and the local Lib Dem team on such a solid win.
Three Rivers DC, Chorleywood South and Maple Cross
Liberal Democrats (Harry Davies): 694 (57.5%, +4.5)
Conservative: 355 (29.4%, +1.8%)
Green Party: 102 (8.5%, -1.8%)
Labour: 55 (4.6%, -4.5%)
The superb results keep on coming with our next win being on Cotswold DC in Lechlade, Kempsford and Fairford South ward. This Lib Dem defence saw competition from the Conservatives but congratulations to Councillor Tristan Wilkinson and the team for keeping the ward gold and polling just short of 50% of the vote.
Cotswold DC, Lechlade, Kempsford and Fairford South
Liberal Democrats (Tristan Wilkinson): 705 (48.5%, -7.2%)
Conservative: 624 (42.9%, +4.9%)
Labour: 73 (5%, 1.3%)
Independent: 53 (3.6%, new)
Last, but by no means least, our final win of the night came on Swale BC is Abbey ward. This tough Lib Dem defence saw a strong challenge from the Green Party who did not stand last time. Therefore congratulations to newly elected Councillor Charles Gibson for making sure the ward stayed Lib Dem.
Swale BC, Abbey
Liberal Democrats (Charles Gibson): 435 (44.8%, -16.1%)
Green Party: 173 (17.8%, new)
Labour: 172 (17.7%, -1.8%)
Conservative: 154 (15.9%, -1.2%)
Reform: 36 (3.9%, new)
The final result of the night – and another exceptional one for the Lib Dems – was on Warwickshire CC in Dunsmore and Leam Valley division. Here Lib Dem candidate Stephen Pimm increased over vote-share by 23% finishing a very strong second behind the Conservatives – and jumping from 4th place the last time the ward was fought. Well Done to Stephen and the local team in Warwickshire – a great result moving us significantly forwards in the area.
Warwickshire CC, Dunsmore and Leam Valley
Conservative: 911 (42.8%, -23%)
Liberal Democrats (Stephen Pimm): 649 (30.5%, +23.6%)
Labour: 350 (16.4%, -2.5%)
Green Party: 219 (10.3%, +1.9%)
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.
9 Comments
Best week for a very long time.
Will we compete in Wellingborough and Blackpool South instead of virtually standing aside. We cannot afford another Tamworth.
Blackpool South, we came nowhere near saving our deposit and Labour should win it easily. Wellingborough we got 7.9% but it’s one the Tories could hold. In both cases our best result was in 1983 where we got 24% and still narrowly came third.
Agree with @theakes – it is imperative that the party put in some effort in Wellingborough, Blackpool South, and any other parliamentary by-elections that arise between now and the General election. Losing deposits is not a credible position to be in if the party is to demonstrate that we have recovered from the 2015 cataclysm and are seeking to recover third party status and not ceding ground to the Greens. It doesn’t have to be a huge effort: motivate the regional party, target a couple of wards suitable to be the building blocks for local council success, use the by-elections as a training exercise.
Swale also held two town council seats
In Wellingborough, we might want to concentrate on the bit that’s going into Daventry. It’s a safe Tory seat but one where we could take second place back.
Whilst I sympathise with Theakes and RMC, we must be careful. If we want Labour supporters to vote for us in our target seats, then it’s not unreasonable that they might expect reciprocity. As in 1997, there will be no deal or agreement and we must put up candidates everywhere, but unofficially – again as in 1997 – we might tacitly agree that there are seats where we would not put in much effort and others where Labour wouldn’t either. The aim is to deal the Conservatives the biggest defeat possible and if there is unspoken agreement to further that aim, then we might just win more seats than otherwise. Blackpool South is definitely a seat where we won’t do well however much effort we put in for a by-election. Wellingborough would be an an outside hope for Labour in a General Election, so we should, as Peter Davies suggests use the by-election as an opportunity to grow our support where it could be useful in the future.
I am “young” enough to remember campaigning in 1962 at the Blackpool North by election which we almost won. A few years on and the Mayor was a Liberal! There were also a good healthy number of councillors. If we work it properly we could save a deposit at Blackpool South, otherwise Reform will step in.
We should not, I submit, base our response on worrying about upsetting Labour, they do not worry about upsetting us.
Re Swale and I am sure in other areas I had no idea there was an election taking place and I live in a nearby constituency and would have been delighted to help.
Is there anyway we can be better informed of forthcoming by elections either on the national website or regional sites.
I agree entirely with Mick Taylor.