In Llanelli, Reform UK were able to secure a decisive victory against Labour, who were attempting to defend the seat. Thank you to Justin Griffiths and the local team for flying the Liberal Democrat flag.
Carmarthenshire, Llangennech
Reform UK: 694 (43.1%, new)
Plaid Cymru: 489 (30.4%, -7.2)
Labour: 380 (23.6%, -38.8)
Liberal Democrats (Justin Griffiths): 26 (1.6%, new)
Conservative: 14 (0.9%, new)
Gwlad: 6 (0.4%, new)
Reform UK GAIN from Labour
Turnout: 39.37%
In County Durham, Reform UK were able to secure a convincing victory against Labour and two independents, marking the first time that Reform UK have successfully defended a seat. Thank you to Chukwuka Okuchukwu and the local team for flying the Liberal Democrat flag.
Durham CC, Easington & Shotton
Reform UK: 1,208 (46.7%, -3.5)
Labour: 523 (20.2%, +0.8)
Independent: 520 (20.1%, -1.6)
Independent: 179 (6.9%, new)
Green: 60 (2.3%, new)
Conservative: 47 (1.8%, -2.6)
Liberal Democrats (Chukwuka Okuchukwu): 27 (1.0%, -3.2)
Independent: 23 (0.9%, new)
Reform UK HOLD
Turnout: 21.7%
This week, there was one by-election without a Liberal Democrat candidate. Here are the results:
Cannock Chase, Hednesford Green Heath
Reform UK: 525 (51.5%, +31.8)
Labour: 230 (22.6%, -18.6)
Conservative: 126 (12.4%, -13.1)
Green Party: 101 (9.9%, -0.3)
Independent: 31 (3.0%, new)
UKIP: 5 (0.5%, new)
TUSC: 1 (0.1%, new)
Reform UK GAIN from Labour
Turnout: 16.6%
Thank you to all of our candidates, agents, and campaign teams.
A full summary of these results, and all other principal council by-elections, can be found on the ALDC by-elections page here.
* Liam Yip is the Campaigns and Communications Intern at ALDC
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7 Comments
Could somebody please explain to me what possible benefit the party gains by ‘fielding’ paper candidates who obtain a derisory number of votes and clearly do the minimum of work. Can they be described as ‘local champions ‘?
It gets worse. 3 Town Council seats up for election Reform won all 3.
Ahh, it’s Friday and you can set your watch by it. David Raw and “theakes” can always be relied on to be gloomy.
The Party President (and ALDC) outline why we must always aim to stand candidates far more eloquently than I ever could: https://www.markpack.org.uk/151981/paper-candidates/
Perhaps remember that relatively few voters will ever be aware of the result of a local by-election, even amongst the minority that turn out to vote. Nobody in Easington is waking up and saying “blimey, I voted Lib Dem but they only got 27 votes, I’m never doing that again!” Whereas everyone who picked up a ballot paper in Cannock (a Lib Dem led authority until 2011) will assume that our party is irrelevant.
Just a thought re Easington. Back in 1978/9 I was a member in Durham City, there was a local by election in Easington. Guess who took the seat from Labour, we did the Liberals. The candidate was to the best of my recollection a nurse whom I was told had her windows smashed by young louts from another party, you can guess which one.
I am grateful to Mr Yardarms for digging out a comment made by Lord Pack several years ago.
Having fought and been elected five times on both sides of the Border as a Liberal/Lib Dem Councillor (after intense door knocking) I simply disagree. Being a councillor is a serious business involving trying to establish a bond of trust with the electorate – hence the term ‘local champion’. It ought to mean something. Making no effort to obtain that bond of trust is in my opinion simply damaging the Lib Dem brand.
David Raw – being a councillor is indeed a serious business. I have been elected twice as a Lib Dem councillor. However, standing for the party in a derelict ward is not quite the same as being a local champion. I’ve asked this question before: do you think it is preferable that, instead of identifying a paper candidate, we do not stand at all in areas of weakness? That would mean giving up on most of the country.
these are pretty grim, especially those where turnout is at the upper end of low … we can be sure that the Reform vote will be out, whereas others may be resting, so where there’s a low turn out there’s still hope.
as to paper candidates, having done this myself in the past (although i’d never have claimed the mantle of local champion) I thought the idea was to help spot areas
of latent support?