It was a busy week for by-elections with 9 principal Council seats up for grabs – and some great Lib Dem results.
We start with a brilliant double victory in Warrington. Two Lib Dem held seats were being contested in Grapenhall ward and both were brilliantly retained by new Lib Dem councillors Helen Speed and Mark Browne who together polled over 56.4% of the vote (almost a 10% increase in Lib Dem vote share. Well done to Helen, Mark and the local team in Warrington!
Warrington MBC, Grapenhall ward
Liberal Democrat (Helen Speed and Mark Browne): 1073 & 1047 [56.4%, +9.4%]
Conservative: 524 & 462 [26.2.%, -10.8%]
Labour: 193 [10.3%, +1.1%]
Independent: 60 [7.2%, +0.4%]
We had another great Lib Dem hold on Harborough DC as Lib Dem Geraldine Whitmore won Market Harborough Logan ward – increasing the Lib Dem vote share by over 10%! Well done and congratulations to Cllr Whitmore and the local Lib Dem in Harborough.
Harborough DC, Market Harborough Logan ward
Liberal Democrat (Geraldine Whitmore): 582 [45.7%, +10.3%]
Conservative: 382 [30.0%, +3.2%]
Labour: 250 [19.6%, +10.6%]
Independent: 60 [4.7%, -6.3%]
In Argyll and Bute, Lib Dem candidate Kenny Mackenzie finished a very good third in a six-way contest in Kintyre and the Islands ward. Well done to Kenny and the team for keeping the Lib Dem flag flying. The ward was ultimately won by an independent.
Argyll and Bute UA, Kintyre and the Islands ward
Independent: 591 [32.7%, +16.3%]
SNP: 525 [29.1%, -0.8%]
Liberal Democrat (Kenny Mackenzie): 265 [14.7%, -1.7%]
Conservative: 194 [10.7%, +1.2%]
Green: 176 [9.7%, from nowhere]
Labour: 55 [3.0%, -1.2%]
On Oxford City Council Labour held Hinksey Park ward. A big thank you and well done to Lib Dem candidate Rick Tanner for a strong showing and making sure 118 people put their cross next to the Lib Dem bird.
Oxford City Council, Hinksey Park
Labour: 801 [51.3%, -10.6%]
Green: 305 [19.5%, -0.9%]
Independent: 270 [17.3%, from nowhere]
Liberal Democrat (Rick Tanner): 118 [7.6%, -4.1%]
Conservative: 60 [3.8%, -2.2%]
TUSC: 8 [0.5%, from nowhere]
There were 2 by-elections on Thursday on Rossendale BC. In Helmshore ward the Conservatives held on to retain the seat. But a huge well done to Lib Dem Steve Nelson for standing on a seat we did not contest las time – and giving people the opportunity to vote Lib Dem. The other seat being contested on Rossendale DC, Facit and Shawforth ward, was held by the Conservatives.
Rossendale BC, Helmshore ward
Conservative: 736 [50.6%, +4.0%]
Labour: 540 [37.1%, +0.5%]
Green: 74 [5.1%, -6.4%]
Liberal Democrat (Steve Nelson): 62 [4.3%, from nowhere]
Independent: 42 [2.9%, -2.4%]
Rossendale BC, Facit and Shawforth ward
Conservative: 337 [43.5%, +12.2%]
Independent: 214 [27.6%, from nowhere]
Labour: 203 [26.2%, +0.5%]
Green: 20 [2.6%, from nowhere]
There were two other by-elections on Thursday night. Neither were contested by the Lib Dems. In Wales Plaid Cymru held Ynysybwl ward on Rhondda Cynon Taf Council. Elsewhere Labour gained Edwinstowe and Clipstone ward from the Conservatives on Newark and Sherwood DC.
Rhondda Cynon Taf, Ynysybwl ward
Plaid Cymru: 435 [59.0%,+6.7%]
Labour: 246 [33.4%,+0.8%]
Conservative: 34 [4.6%, -1.2%]
Welsh Independence: 14 [1.9%, -7.4%]
Green: 8 [1.1%, from nowhere]
Newark and Sherwood DC, Edwinstowe and Clipstone ward
Labour: 804 [59.8%, +10.0%]
Conservative: 540 [40.2%, -10.0%]
All holds apart from last one gain.
The full result can be found on the ALDC by-elections page here.
* Charles Quinn is Campaigns Organiser for ALDC and a local councillor in Hull.
2 Comments
Here’s my monthly report giving a longer term view for the last fifty local by-elections.
Vote share: (The equivalent data for the fifty by-elections up to the end of August is given in brackets).
Labour 34.0% (33.8%)
Conservatives 31.6% (29.3%)
Liberal Democrats 16.7% (20.3%)
Greens 6.6% (5.3%)
Others 11.1% (11.3%)
Gains and losses are:
Labour: Net gain of four: 8 gains, 14 held, 4 lost
Lib Dems: Net gain of three: 3 gains, 5 held, 0 lost
Greens: Net gain of three: 3 gains, 0 held, 0 lost
Plaid Cymru: No change: 0 gains, 2 held, 0 lost
Residents: No change: 0 gains, 1 held, 0 lost
Independents: Net loss of one: 3 gains, 1 held, 4 lost
Conservatives: Net loss of nine: 2 gains, 9 held, 11 lost
Labour won 22 seats, Conservatives 11, Liberal Democrats 8, Independents 4, Greens 3, Plaid Cymru 2, Residents 1
This data is for the most recent 50 by-elections in England & Wales (7th July to 29th September). Parish/Town councils are not included. Seats won adds up to 51 because of a double election in one ward.
Its too soon for recent Polling shifts to have any real effect on Local Byelections but its been a thrilling Week for obsessive Poll watchers like me. Tory support has been falling by around 1% a day so the question is – How low can they go ? Currently (ie about 3 days ago) they are averaging 24% – can they hit 18% ?