This week there was just one principal authority by-election. The Liberal Democrats were defending the seat of Penn Hill on Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

An eight-way contest in a seat that was Conservative until 2023, in which all major parties stood, makes a useful test of how our councillors in power are holding up against both a Conservative comeback and the challenge from Reform UK. The answer in BCP was emphatic!

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Penn Hill – 5 November 2026

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Jo Clements, who was first elected in 2023. Penn Hill is an affluent, largely owner-occupied suburb of Lower Parkstone in Poole, and sits in the Poole parliamentary constituency.

In 2023 the Liberal Democrats took both seats, with Jo Clements topping the poll on 1,445 votes as part of the wave that saw the party gain 15 seats and become by far the largest group on the council.

A by-election in a council-held ward, mid-term, at a time of real financial pressure on local government, is exactly the kind of contest where the defending party might find it tough. The field was also crowded – eight candidates stood.

Huge congratulations to Cllr Amanda Jellicoe and the local Lib Dem team on a very convincing hold. Amanda took 43.6% of the vote, up 0.9%, and beat the second -placed Conservatives by 514 votes. The Conservatives barely moved (+1%), so there is no sign of a Tory recovery in a ward they held for decades. Reform UK’s 17.8% came from a former local Conservative councillor and still left them a distant third. Our share also held up even though four new candidates came into the field. Labour and the Greens were both squeezed hard and lost over 6% of their 2023 vote.

Turnout is particularly encouraging. At 33.8% it almost matched the 34% at the 2023 all-out elections, which is unusual for a stand-alone November by-election, and Amanda’s 1,278 votes came close to what Jo Clements won on full polling day. That suggests a strong, well-organised ground campaign. It’s also a good sign ahead of the BCP all-out elections in May 2027, coming after the party’s by-election gain in Talbot and Branksome Woods last year.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Penn Hill – 5 November 2026

🔶 LDM – 1278 (43.6%, +0.9%)

🔵 CON – 764 (26.1%, +0.9)

➡️ RFM – 521 (17.8%, new)

🔴 LAB – 135 (4.6%, -6.7%)

◼️ RES – 106 (3.6%, new)

🟢 GRN – 65 (2.2% (-6.5%)

⚪️ IND – 55 (1.9%, new)

⚪️ IND – 7 (0.2%, new)

* Charles Quinn is Campaigns Organiser for ALDC and a local councillor in Hull.