This week there were 7 seats up for grabs in 6 seats in England, with a mixed, although largely positive, set of results. Most pleasing is that we’ve continued our trend since the General Election of standing candidates in the vast majority of seats, standing candidates in 3 seats where we didn’t last time, leading to an overall increase of our share of the vote of 5.7% in last night’s seats and 6.0% over all of October.

Derbyshire Dales DC, Ashbourne South – Conservative hold

Con 495 [46.2%; -9.1%]

LD Rebecca Goodall 334 [31.2%; +31.2%]

Lab 242 [22.6%; -1.9%]

Grn 0 [0.0%; -21.7%]

Massive thank you to Rebecca Goodall for being the first Lib Dem to stand in this seat since it was created in 2003, and a massive congratulations to everyone in Derbyshire for taking home 31.2% of the vote. Not bad for your first result in a seat!

Mid Sussex DC, East Sussex Imberhorne – Conservative hold

Con 540 [58.5%; -2.0%]

LD Tim Martin 206 [22.3%; +22.3%]

Lab 110 [11.9%; -8.7%]

Ind 67 [7.3%; +7.3%]

UKIP 0 [0.0%; -18.8%]

Another impressive result from nowhere, thank you to Tim Martin and everyone in Mid Sussex for delivering a very credible second place result in one of the blueist parts of the country, where the council has only one opposition councillor, and that was only secured after a by-election victory!

Tameside MB, Droylsden East – Labour hold

Lab 1064 [60.3%; +8.9%]

Con 577 [32.7%; +23.6%]

LD Shaun Offerman 63 [3.6%; +3.6%]

Green 60 [3.4%; -2.5%]

UKIP 0 [[0.0%; -32.5%]]

Ind 0 [[0.0%; -5.7%]]

Rounding off the seats were we stood a candidate where we previously hadn’t, big thanks to Shaun Offerman for flying the flag in Tameside. An interesting result that highlights the challenge we face as a party in a time where the other 2 major parties are so dominant, as even in the middle of a Labour stonghold there was a considerable swing towards the Tories, not a swing you’d expect to see after 7 years of Tory government.

Kirklees MB, Batley East – Labour hold

Lab  2640 [77.0%; +7.2%]

Con 443 [12.9%; -1.0%]

Ind 140 [4.1%; +4.1%]

LD John Robert Bloom 136 [4.0%; -1.5%]

Grn 70 [2.0%; -2.2]

Ind 0 [[0.0; -10.2]]

Next to Kirkless, where we thank John Bloom for standing in a seat where in spite of a disqualification and a bit of a scandal, the Labour vote increased, giving them a tally of votes most of us would be pleased to get in an all up election, let alone a by-election at the end of October!

Herefordshire UA, Kings Acre – Conservative gain

Con [38.5%; +38.5%]

Ind [20.6%; +20.6]

IOC [19.9%; -30.2%]

LD Lucy Hurds [11.5%; -21.9%]

Lab [9.6%; +9.6%]

Now to Herefordshire, where a fascinating by-election leads me to describe a seat in a way I will probably never be able to describe to again. A seat in which the two parties standing for the first time were Labour and the Conservatives. Thank you to Lucy Hurds for flying the Lib Dem flag (again!) in the Midlands. The Tories came from nowhere to take the seat, where a large independent showing deprived us of many votes in a former Lib Dem stronghold. The Tory is the fourth member of a controversial local church that now sits on the Council

Charnwood BC, Loughborough Hastings (2 seats) – 2 Labour holds

Lab 676 [63.1%; +17.7%]

Lab 648

Con 228 [21.3%; -2.1%]

UKIP 95 [8.9%; -8.3%]

UKIP 79

Green 73 [6.8%; -7.3%]

Green 58 [5.6%; -8.5%]

Finally to Loughborough, where sadly we were not able to put up any candidates. A comfortable Labour hold where the Tories put up just one candidate. Whether this helped them group their vote or encouraged Tory supporters to use their second vote for a different party might provoke some debate.

Next week there are 6 local elections, including a couple of possible gains in North Devon and (hopefully) the return of John Pugh to elected office in Southport. See you all then!

* ALDC is the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners