Sixteen principal authority by-elections took place across England, Wales and Scotland last week, with two taking place on Tuesday and 14 on Thursday. 

The Liberal Democrats were the main defenders this week, attempting to hold onto five seats. The Green Party and Plaid Cymru were defending three each, with Labour and the Independents defending two apiece, and Reform UK on just one this week. 

Triple race in Haslemere

Both of Tuesday’s principal authority by-elections were triggered by the sad passing of Liberal Democrat Cllr John Robini, who as well as sitting on both Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council, was also a town councillor in Haslemere. The Liberal Democrats won all three seats in the ensuing by-elections. 

An important side note on the Borough and County level races. Because of LGR, both Waverley and Surrey will cease to exist next year, with the unitary authority of West Surrey taking their place. Oli Leach, who stood in the Borough by-election, and Terry Weldon, who stood in the County by-election, both won election to the Haslemere ward on the new authority in the May 2026 local elections.

Here’s a closer look at the District and County level races. 

Waverley BC, Haslemere West 

In 2023, the Liberal Democrats took control of Waverley for the first time since 2007, with it being solid blue territory in the intervening years. 

The two-member ward of Haslemere West was only created at the last set of elections in 2023, where the Liberal Democrats won over 60% of the vote against the Conservatives and Labour. This time Labour did not stand a candidate, but the Green Party and Reform UK did this time. We stomped to victory with well over half of the vote. 

Lib Dem: 551 (58.6%, -5.4%)
Green Party: 164 (17.4%, new)
Conservative: 141 (15%, -7%)
Reform UK: 84 (8.9%, new)

Liberal Democrat HOLD

Surrey CC, Haslemere

The Conservatives have run Surrey County Council for decades, with a strong Lib Dem performance in 1993 the only time they have run the council without a majority. The last election in 2021 was at the peak of the Conservative party’s popularity under Boris Johnson. 

In the shadow elections for West Surrey this May though, the Liberal Democrats won majority control. 

The Haslemere seat has had a chaotic recent history: narrowly won by an Independent against the Conservatives in 2013. The seat turned blue in 2017 before a big swing to the Liberal Democrats meant we won it in 2021. The Conservatives lost even more ground this time as Reform UK and the Green Party also stood candidates. 

Lib Dem (Terry Weldon): 1,181 (47.8%, -2.2%)
Conservative: 797 (32.3%, -10.7%)
Green Party: 280 (11.3%, new)
Reform UK: 213 (8.6%, new)

Liberal Democrat HOLD

No Liberal Democrat candidates 

To start the reporting on Thursday’s races, let’s briefly analyse the two races where a Lib Dem candidate was not on the ballot paper.

South Lanarkshire, Larkhall 

Only one race in Scotland this week in South Lanarkshire caused by the sad passing of the incumbent Labour councillor. South Lanarkshire last went to the polls in 2022. Negotiations following that set of elections saw a Labour/Lib Dem minority administration come in. 

At the last election in Larkhall, the Liberal Democrats did stand a candidate who was knocked out in the sixth round of voting. Two seats were taken by Labour, and one apiece for the SNP and Conservatives. 

This time around, Reform UK managed to overcome the SNP on the fourth round of voting. Below are just the first preferences. 

Reform UK: 1150 (35.2%, new)
SNP: 975 (29.9%, +1%)
Labour: 799 (24.5%, -8.5%)
Conservative: 342 (10.5%, -14%)

Reform UK GAIN from Labour

Flintshire, Connoh’s Quay Central

At the last set of elections in Flintshire, only Independent and Labour candidates stood in the ward of Connah’s Quay Central, with both Independents prevailing by a large margin. While the Liberal Democrats did not stand a candidate in this by-election, all other major parties in Wales did, alongside a couple of Independents in this crowded field. Reform UK ultimately won by a big margin.

Reform UK: 256 (48.1%, new)
Labour: 101 (19%, -15.1%)
Plaid Cymru: 71 (13.3%, new)
Independent: 59 (11.1%, new)
Conservative: 21 (4%, new)
Independent: 13 (2.4%, new)
Green Party: 11 (2.1%, new)

Reform UK GAIN from Independent

More elections in Wales

The long running series of Welsh by-elections – caused by new Senedd members not legally being able to hold onto their council seats – sees another seven races take place this week. 

Pembrokeshire, Pembroke Dock Market

The last election in Pembrokeshire saw the Pembroke Dock Market ward being taken by an Independent in an uncontested election, who sadly passed away in April. This time, three Independents were joined by candidates from the Conservatives, Plaid Cymru, Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats. 

Pembrokeshire has a strong tradition of electing Independents, with over half the seats being taken by independent candidates in 2022. At this by-election though, the Conservatives scored a somewhat surprising win.  Thanks to Lee Herring for offering a Lib Dem choice. 

Conservative: 143 (36%, new)
Independent: 100 (25.2%, new)
Plaid Cymru: 79 (19.9%, new)
Reform UK: 48 (12.1%, new)
Independent: 11 (2.8%, new)
Lib Dem: 9 (2.3%, new)
Independent: 7 (1.8%, new)

Conservative GAIN from Independent

Flintshire, Argoed & New Brighton

The second race in Flintshire was the only Liberal Democrat defence in Wales this week in the ward of Argoed & New Brighton, where two of our four councillors on Flintshire Council come from. The race was triggered by the sad passing of Hilary McGuill. 

Last time both Lib Dems finished above individual Labour, Plaid Cymru, Independent and Green candidates. Both right-wing parties entered the race this time, but the Liberal Democrats fended off astrong Reform UK challenge to beat out every major party in Wales, with an increased share of the vote! Fantastic win from Cllr Faron Hadfield-Jones.

Lib Dem: 614 (39.8%, +3.8%)
Reform UK: 490 (31.7%, new)
Plaid Cymru: 191 (12.4% , – 2.2%)
Conservative: 113 (7.3%, new)
Labour: 113 (7.3%, -17.3%)
Green Party: 23 (1.5%, -8.8%)

Liberal Democrat HOLD

Vale of Glamorgan, Baruc 

In the Vale of Glamorgan, Plaid Cymru were looking to hold onto one of the three seats in Baruc. In 2022, they won all three seats on offer, with their Labour, Conservative and Green Party competitors running quite a close contest to be runners-up. 

This time, Reform UK joined the contest and finished in second place, though far behind an insurgent Plaid Cymru who increased their majority, mirroring a strong performance in this part of Wales in the 2026 Senedd elections. Thank you to Gabriela Ferguson for getting the Lib Dems on the ballot this time. 

Plaid Cymru: 856 (47.7%, +11.2%)
Reform UK: 429 (23.9%, new)
Conservative: 219 (12.2%, -8.2%)
Labour: 179 (10%, -15%)
Green Party: 90 (5%, -13.1%)
Lib Dem: 23 (1.3%, new)

Plaid Cymru HOLD

Llanrug, Gwynedd

Plaid Cymru’s had a reversal of fortunes in the Gwynedd seat of Llanrug, where they lost to an Independent. Gwynedd is another county with a strong Independent presence, finishing second in total number of councillors to Plaid in their stronghold. 

In 2022, Plaid Cymru won an uncontested election in Llanrug, along with many others throughout the county. At this by-election, the Independent and Plaid Cymru swallowed 95% of the vote share. Thank you to Linda Park for standing. 

Independent: 394 (57.4%, new)
Plaid Cymru: 262 (38.2%, -61.8%)
Reform UK: 17 (2.5%, new)
Conservative: 6 (0.9%, new)
Independent: 4 (0.6%, new)
Lib Dem (Linda Park) 3 (0.4%, new)

Independent GAIN from Plaid Cymru

Neath Port Talbot, Trebanos 

Only Plaid Cymru and Labour stood at the 2022 election in Trebanos. This time, it was contested by all six major parties in Wales. Unlike other contests last week in Wales where we ran paper candidates, we did fight a good campaign here with an excellent candidate in Hayley Davies. 

Plaid Cymru capitalised on their history here to pull off a big win. Of the other parties, we finished in third, just 11 votes behind Reform UK. This sets us up well to challenge them in next year’s local elections. 

Plaid Cymru: 223 (51.1%, -18.3%)
Reform UK: 88 (20.2%, new)
Lib Dem : 77 (17.7%, new)
Labour: 37 (8.5%, -22.1%)
Conservative: 7 (1.6%, new)
Green Party: 4 (0.9%, new)

Plaid Cymru HOLD

Splott, Cardiff

Finally, we go to the Welsh capital to wrap up the Welsh segment of this report. The election was triggered by the former Labour leader of Cardiff Council getting elected to the Senedd. Splott has been dominated by huge Labour majorities since 2012. 

The last time the ward was competitive was back in 2008 when the Liberal Democrats ran the council and had one of the three seats in Splott. 

In 2022, we finished behind Labour, a Green Party-Plaid Cymru unity team and the Conservatives. This time it was a Green Party challenger (no Plaid Cymru candidate) who came fairly close to beating Labour. Thank you to Rhys Husband for flying the Lib Dem flag here.

Labour: 765 (40.3%, +6.3%)
Green Party: 678 (35.7%, +18.4%)
Reform UK: 286 (15.1%, +2.1%)
Lib Dem: 114 (6%, -8%)
Conservative: 54 (2.8%, -0.1%)

Labour HOLD

Green Party Defences in London

There were three Green Party defences in London last week following elections here just two months ago. In Camden, the winning candidate in May was later found to be ineligible to stand. In Lambeth one Green councillor stood down shortly after getting elected on health grounds in Clapham Park while another in Streatham St. Leonard’s was embroiled in a controversy that meant they weren’t admitted into the Green group, so decided to resign.

Lambeth, Streatham St Leonards

The Liberal Democrats had previously held the old St. Leonards ward, losing all three seats in 2014 to two Labour candidates and a Green Party candidate who would in 2026, go on to lead the Council. It was the Green Party’s first breakthrough in Lambeth. 

In 2018, the existing Green councillor was joined by Jonathan Bartley, who you may remember co-led the party from 2016-2021, as well as another Green Party candidate, achieving a full trifecta. We had dropped into last place behind the Green Party, Labour and the Conservatives.

Labour had fought back to win one seat vacated by Jonathan Bartley in 2022, with the Lib Dems once again finishing bottom of the pile. In 2026, the Liberal Democrats fought back to a third place finish. Labour’s vote fell significantly, losing their only seat, with all three of their candidates in second place. The Green Party swept the board in this seat once again and finished as the largest party in Lambeth. 

At the by-election last week, a combination of Labour’s continued unpopularity, the controversy surrounding the resigning Green councillor and an excellent Liberal Democrat campaign resulted in a massive win for us. We increased our vote by a whopping 26.3%, and were the only party to both get over 1000 votes and increase our vote share. A huge congratulations to Cllr Alex Davies on completing an historic comeback for us in this ward that was the epicentre of the Green Party’s success in this borough. And as we now run this council alongside the Green Party, this win further strengthens our hand.

Lib Dem: 1,161 (41.7%, +26.3%)
Green Party: 972 (35%, -12.5%)
Labour: 421 (15.1%, -7.9%)
Conservative: 119 (4.3%, -3.1%)
Reform UK: 71 (2.6%, -4.2%)
CPA: 37 (1.3%, new)

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Green Party

Lambeth, Clapham Park 

The Clapham Park ward was newly created in 2022, when Labour won all three seats by a huge majority at the time of a Labour Party increasing in popularity nationally. All three Green Party candidates finished in second, while two of the three Lib Dem candidates finished last. The other candidate finished above the last placed Conservative candidate. 

In 2026, Labour’s vote here collapsed, helping a Green Party candidate win the final seat on a razor-thin 37 vote margin. Given the context, the ensuing by-election was going to be close fought between these two parties. 

As the result shows, both parties increased their vote but the Green Party did by a wider margin, handing them the win. Significantly, Ben Amos from the Lib Dems managed to beat the Conservatives into third place. 

Green Party: 842 (43.8%, +11.6%)
Labour: 799 (41.5%, +5.7%)
Lib Dem: 108 (5.6%, -4.6%)
Conservative: 85 (4.4%, -4.2%)
Reform UK: 71 (3.7%, -2.9%)
CPA: 12 (0.6%, new)
Socialist: 6 (0.3%, new)

Green Party HOLD

Camden, Regents Park 

Labour have had a long history of big majorities in this ward. The Liberal Democrats were last competitive in 2010 when one of our candidates finished as a runner up to the three elected Labour councillors. Since then, Labour’s main competitors were the Conservatives and then the Green Party, who finished with one candidate as a runner-up in the 2022 election. The Liberal Democrats finished last among the main parties in that election. 

Labour have always held strong majorities in Camden over the last fifteen years, with the Liberal Democrats finishing second in the total number of seats in 2022 (but only on four to Labour’s 47). 

In 2026, a Green Party surge saw them take our place as the second party in Camden. Though notably, we picked up six seats for a total of 10 to deliver our best result since 2010. 

In Regent’s Park, the Green Party made a breakthrough in 2026, standing for all three seats this time and winning all three seats. It was clear once again with us at the bottom of the pile of major parties that the by-election last week would be a close fought contest between the Green Party and Labour, and that’s exactly what happened.

This time, Labour regained a seat, thanks to the fall in the Green Party’s vote owing once again to the controversial nature of the incumbent’s ineligibility to run. Our vote sadly declined as an Independent shot into third. Thank you to Henry Potts for ensuring a Lib Dem was on the ballot paper.

Labour: 576 (32.4%, -0.3%)
Green Party: 482 (27.1%, -11.2%)
Independent: 407 (22.9%, new)
Conservative: 137 (7.7%, -1.5%)
Reform UK: 123 (6.9%, -5%)
Lib Dems: 51 (2.9%, -3.5%)

Labour GAIN from Green Party

Elsewhere in England 

There were three other by-elections in England that took place on Thursday, and we’ll start with the hardest. 

Stratford-on-Avon, Kinwarton

We took control of Stratford-on-Avon in 2023 after years of a Conservative majority. In 2019, the Conservatives had held Kinwarton, though on a lower vote share, as we built momentum. Following boundary changes, in 2023, the Lib Dems delivered a decisive win.

Unfortunately, at the by-election, the Conservatives regained the ward as our vote share dropped. While we want to avoid speculating too much, we hear from the ground that unevidenced fears driven by Reform UK’s local chair, who later became the Conservative candidate, around a Local Plan became a significant factor in us losing out by just 7 votes. Thank you to Tina Ballinger for fighting in this tough race.

Conservative: 507 (36.4%, +2.9%)
Lib Dem: 500 (35.9%, -20.7%)
Reform UK: 231 (16.6%, new)
Green Party: 128 (9.2%, +6.1%)
Labour: 28 (2%, -4.7%)

Conservative GAIN from Liberal Democrats

Gateshead, High Fell 

Up in the north-east, Reform UK were defending a seat in Gateshead after winning all three High Fell seats in May. 

Gateshead was a Labour stronghold, with big pockets of Lib Dem support, who had the second highest number of councillors until the 2026 elections when Reform UK stormed to majority control, mostly at Labour’s expense.

In High Fell, Labour had held the ward with massive majorities in previous elections. Since 2022 the Lib Dems had been the main opposition in this division elected by thirds. In 2026, all three seats were up following boundary changes, with Reform UK winning them all. In 2026, our vote was squeezed by a strong Labour challenge, who managed to get back within just 6 votes of beating Reform UK. 

A continuing trend of fragility among Reform UK when defending seats they already hold. Thank you to Jonathan Aibi for putting a Liberal Democrat on the ballot paper.

Reform UK: 564 (40.1%, -4.9%)
Labour: 559 (39.7%, +11.2%)
Lib Dem: 98 (7%, -2.2%)
Conservative: 79 (5.6%, new)
Green Party: 71 (5%, -8.7%)
TUSC: 36 (2.6%, -0.9%)

Reform UK HOLD

North Norfolk, Suffield Park 

We finish on a high by talking about the successful Liberal Democrat defence of the Suffield Park ward on North Norfolk District Council. 

This is one of seven district and borough councils, as well as Norfolk County Council to be reorganised into three unitary councils. Shadow elections are set to take place next year before the three unitaries come into force in 2028. 

North Norfolk has been under Liberal Democrat control since we flipped it from the Conservatives back in 2019. We had also previously held a majority between 2003-2011. 

We gained the seat of Suffield Park back in 2019 from the Conservatives in a three-way race alongside Labour, delivering a big majority. We increased that majority slightly to over 60% of the vote in 2023 with the Green Party additionally standing before our incumbent councillor resigned this year. 

All five major English parties stood at the by-election, with Cllr Tyler Wragg successfully boosting our vote once again in what is now a Reform UK facing ward. Congratulations to Tyler and the team on an excellently fought campaign.

Lib Dem (Tyler Wragg): 485 (65.4%, +1.3%)
Reform UK: 136 (18.3%, new)
Conservative: 88 (11.9%, -14.1%)
Green Party: 20 (2.7%, -2.9%)
Labour: 13 (1.8%, -5.5%)

Liberal Democrat HOLD

A full summary of these results, and all other principal council by-elections, can be found on the ALDC by-elections page here.

* Joe Nutt is a Campaigns and Communications Officer for ALDC