Yesterday saw four principal council by-elections take place. In Southwark (LB), there was a comfortable hold for the Liberal Democrats in Surrey Docks ward. Dan Whitehead polled 51.7% to take victory with a 894 vote majority. The party’s vote share also increased by 21.1% from the previous election two years ago.

In the neighboring borough of Lambeth, Labour narrowly avoided losing a seat in Gipsy Hill ward to the Green Party. Labour received 43.4% of the vote but saw their vote share plummet by 23.6% from 2014 to finish just 36 votes ahead of the Greens. Rosa Jesse polled 3% to finish fourth out of seven candidates.

Elsewhere, Labour made easier work of holding a seat in South ward in North East Lincolnshire (UA), winning with a majority of 296 votes. However, the party lost it’s seat in Basildon Laindon Park and Fryerns division in Essex (CC), with UKIP taking the seat by 434 votes. Liberal Democrat candidates were not fielded in these two contests.

Just one principal by-election is scheduled to take place next Thursday. There will be an election to fill a seat in Valley Hill ward in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk (DC), following the death of an Independent Councillor. Kate Sayer will be standing for the Liberal Democrats.

For a detailed list of this week’s results please click here. If you would like more information on all the forthcoming by-elections and details on who to contact to help, click here.

A big thank you as always to those who come every week to 23 New Mount Street in Manchester to make calls at ALDC’s By-election HQ, funded through fighting fund donations. If you can help us fight in even more wards, please donate here

* ALDC is the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners