Author Archives: Joe Nutt

Five principal authority by-elections took place across England on Thursday 27th August.

Labour were defending two seats (in Wandsworth and Sheffield), Reform UK were defending two seats (in Newcastle and St Helens), and the Conservatives were defending one seat in Dover.

The standout performance of the week for the Liberal Democrats came in Newcastle, where an extraordinary campaign saw us vault from 5th place all the way into a clear 2nd with a massive 24.3 percentage point surge in vote share. Elsewhere, Reform UK gained a seat from Labour in Sheffield while losing another to Labour in St Helens, and the Green Party unseated the Conservatives in Dover.

Newcastle City Council, Throckley, Walbottle and Newburn

In Tyneside, the Liberal Democrats delivered an exceptional result in the Throckley, Walbottle and Newburn ward on Newcastle City Council following a councillor resignation.

This result comes against the backdrop of a historic milestone on Newcastle City Council earlier this May, when the Liberal Democrats became the largest party on the council and formed a minority administration supported by confidence and supply from the Green Party.

Supported by a grant from ALDC’s Fighting Fund, Stephen Kelly and the local campaign team delivered a stunning campaign in what has historically been tough territory for us. We rocketed from 5th place straight into 2nd, boosting our vote share by a massive +24.3% to finish within striking distance of Reform UK, while pushing Labour down into 3rd place. This outstanding momentum sets up a fantastic springboard for the next set of local elections in this division.

A huge thank you and congratulations to Stephen Kelly and the entire campaign team in Newcastle for an inspiring result!

Reform UK: 901 (39.0%, -4.8%)
Lib Dem (Stephen Kelly): 670 (29.0%, +24.3%)
Labour: 534 (23.1%, -5.9%)
Green Party: 103 (4.5%, -9.2%)
Conservative: 101 (4.4%, -4.4%)

Reform UK HOLD

There were four principal authority by-elections across England on Thursday 20 August. Labour were defending two seats, Reform UK were defending one and there was one vacancy in Huntingdonshire where Reform had won one of the ward’s three seats at the May elections.

The Liberal Democrats were defending no seats this week, but produced the standout result of the night by gaining St Neots Eynesbury from Reform UK with a commanding swing of almost 30 percentage points. Elsewhere, Labour regained a Reform seat in Barnsley, Reform gained from Labour in Carlisle’s Harraby South, and Nottingham’s crowded six-way contest demonstrated how fragmented local politics has become in parts of the country.

Huntingdonshire DC, St Neots Eynesbury

The headline result of the week came in St Neots Eynesbury, where the Liberal Democrats overturned a Reform UK gain made only three months ago. In May’s district elections, Reform had won two of the ward’s three seats after the collapse of the long-standing St Neots Independent Group representation, while the Liberal Democrats finished third. This by-election represented an immediate opportunity to test Reform’s breakthrough here.

The wider political context made the contest even more significant. At the 2026 elections, the party won 20 seats to become the largest group on the council, overtaking the Conservatives, but remained short of an overall majority on the 52-seat authority. Since then, the minority administration has faced additional pressure after the Green Party just this week left the governing arrangement, leaving the Liberal Democrat and Independent administration operating on a knife edge. This gain lifts the administration’s combined strength to 26 seats, exactly half the council, which marginally strengthens its position.

St Neots itself has become one of the Liberal Democrats’ strongest parliamentary success stories too. The town sits within the St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency won by Liberal Democrat MP Ian Sollom in 2024, and Eynesbury has seen significant housing growth over recent decades, creating an electorate that has become increasingly competitive between several parties.

Against that backdrop, Ian Taylor delivered an outstanding victory. His 1,024 votes and 47.9% share represented a remarkable 29.8-point increase on the previous Liberal Democrat performance, while his 377-vote majority over Reform UK sends a powerful signal about the value of sustained local campaigning.

Huge congratulations to Ian Taylor and the team on an exceptional gain that strengthens the Liberal Democrat administration in Huntingdonshire.

Liberal Democrats: 1,024 (47.9%, +29.8)

Reform UK: 647 (30.3%, +3.1)

Conservatives: 143 (6.7%, -3.8)

Green Party: 118 (5.5%, -12.5)

Labour: 104 (4.9%, new)

Independent: 102 (4.8%, new)

Turnout: 24.0%

Liberal Democrats GAIN from Reform UK

There were two principal authority by-elections across England, Wales and Scotland this week, both held on Thursday 13 August. The Liberal Democrats were not defending either seat, with Reform UK defending Almondbury on Kirklees MBC and Labour defending Honiton St Michael’s on East Devon DC.

It was an excellent night for the Liberal Democrats, with gains in both wards. In Almondbury, Paola Davies returned to the council just three months after losing her seat as Reform swept all three positions at the May local elections. In Honiton St Michael’s, Rhys Wallis took a seat which Labour had won in 2023 but which had subsequently become vacant after its former councillor left the party and sat as an Independent.

Kirklees MBC, Almondbury

Almondbury produced one of the clearest reversals of the May local elections.

The May 2026 election was fought on new boundaries, with three councillors elected and 15 candidates standing. Reform won all three seats, with Gill Floyd, Pip Harvey and Craig Wiles finishing ahead of the three Liberal Democrat candidates. Poala Davies was the strongest-placed Liberal Democrat, on 1,755 votes, while Reform’s three candidates polled between 2,060 and 2,224.

Just weeks later, Wiles resigned from the council, triggering this by-election. That gave Davies the opportunity to return to the ward she had represented previously, and she did so in emphatic fashion. Her 671-vote majority over Reform is particularly striking given that the party had swept the ward only three months earlier. The Liberal Democrat campaign was supported by a grant from ALDC’s Fighting Fund.

The result also provides an important reminder that May’s Reform breakthrough throughout Kirklees was not necessarily a settled realignment. It shows a continued trend of Reform UK not being able to retain seats which they have won recently. It may point to voters not being satisfied with their performance in office, despite big promises and an appeal to the fresh and new when they first stand.

Huge congratulations to Paola Davies and the team on a superb return to the council.

Liberal Democrats: 1,749 (43.9%, +14.5)
Reform UK: 1,078 (27.0%, -10.0)
Conservatives: 528 (13.2%, +4.4)
Green Party: 347 (8.7%, -8.0)
Labour: 181 (4.5%, -3.4)
Independent: 103 (2.6%, new)

Turnout: 29.5%

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT GAIN from REFORM UK

East Devon DC, Honiton St Michael

Honiton St Michael has a particularly interesting recent electoral history. The ward was a three-member ward at the 2023 election, when the Conservatives won one seat, Labour gained one from the Conservatives and the Liberal Party gained one from the Liberal Democrats. Neither the Liberal Democrats nor Reform stood in that election.

Five principal authority elections took place across England and Wales on Thursday 30th July.

The Liberal Democrats were defending one seat in Hampshire, while Plaid Cymru were defending one seat in North Wales. Localist group Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) and Independents were defending one seat each in Essex and Lincolnshire, respectively. Four results have been declared so far, with the final result being counted today.

Eastleigh BC, Hedge End South

In Hampshire, the Liberal Democrats were seeking to defend Hedge End South on Eastleigh Borough Council. Eastleigh has been under solid Liberal Democrat control for decades, with our party holding 35 of the 39 council seats prior to this vote.

Despite a five-party field, we successfully held the seat with an increased vote share of 46.1%—up 2.7 points from the previous election. We built on our strong local campaign to extend our lead over the second-placed Conservatives to over 21 percentage points, while Reform UK saw their vote share fall back.

Huge congratulations to the new Liberal Democrat Cllr Jim Paine and the Eastleigh team on a fantastic win!

Lib Dem (Jim Paine): 1,086 (46.1%, +2.7%)
Conservative: 589 (25.0%, +4.1%)
Reform UK: 443 (18.8%, -8.2%)
Green Party: 199 (8.4%, -0.3%)
Labour: 41 (1.7%, new)

Turnout: 27.4%

Liberal Democrat HOLD

One principal authority by-election took place this week in Westmorland & Furness – a Conservatives defence in Hawcoat and Newbarns.

Westmorland & Furness Council, Hawcoat & Newbarns

This week’s by-election was triggered by the resignation of the former Conservative councillor. In 2022, at the inaugural election of the new Westmorland and Furness Council, the Liberal Democrats took control of the unitary thanks to sweeping gains wins several wards in Tim Farron’s constituency. However, this ward is in the industrial seaport town of Barrow-in-Furness – an electorally challenging area for us. At the last election, all three of our candidates finished last behind the Conservatives, Labour and Independents.

This is crucial context for understanding our last placed finish in the by-election last night. Reform easily beat the Conservatives, who dropped over 20 points into third place. It should be noted that the winning Reform candidate, Hazel Edwards, was formerly a Conservative councillor and mayor.

Turnout was very low, falling by around 14 points to 27%.

A big thank you to Stephen Pickthall for making sure a Liberal Democrat was on the ballot!

Reform: 1139, 48.4% (NEW)
Labour: 576, 24.5% (-9.8%)
Conservative: 447, 19.0% (-21.5%)
Green: 121, 5.1% (NEW)
Liberal Democrats: 69, 2.9% (-2.7%)

Reform GAIN from Conservative

Turnout: 27%

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.

There were two principal council by-elections this week, both of which had a Liberal Democrat candidate on the ballot.

Salford City Council, Barton & Winton

The first by-election of the week took place on Wednesday in Salford. It was triggered by the sad passing of former Labour councillor David Lancaster MBE, who was widely regarded as England’s longest-serving councillor after six decades of service. There was significant controversy surrounding the timing of the contest, with Reform UK forcing the by-election despite local elections being scheduled for Salford in just two weeks’ time.

Turnout is generally low in Barton & Winton, and across Salford, but it was particularly poor on Wednesday at just 17.82%. Reform narrowly beat Labour by 33 votes in this long-term “Red Wall” ward. Labour also found themselves outflanked on the left by the Greens, part of a pincer movement that is becoming an increasingly common feature of the current political landscape.

This has never been a strong area for the Liberal Democrats, but a massive thanks to Antony Duke for standing and ensuring local residents had the choice to vote Lib Dem.

Reform UK 676 – 34.9% (new)
Labour 643 – 33.2% (-29.1)
Green Party 363 – 18.7% (+4.0)
Conservatives 118 – 6.1% (-8.2)
Liberal Democrats 94 – 4.9% (-3.8 )
Independent 44 – 2.3% (new)

Reform UK GAIN from Labour

Turnout: 17.82%

There were two principal council by-elections this week, both of which had a Liberal Democrat candidate on the ballot.

Northumberland Council, Cramlington South West

The Conservatives have gained the seat of Cramlington South West from Reform UK, who only won it themselves in last year’s local elections. But the incumbent councillor had to step down owing to illness. The seat was newly created in 2025. Generally, the Conservatives tend to do quite well in Cramlington, though in this specific seat they finished third behind Reform and Labour last year, while the Liberal Democrats did not put forward a candidate.

This result, alongside Reform’s loss in Kent last week and their reduced majority in the second of this week’s by-elections, may point to a possible “retention problem” for the party. While they finish top of the leaderboard both in terms of gains in by-elections and overall by-election wins since the 2025 locals, they finish third on seats successfully defended, only being able to hold onto less than half at 47%. For context, the Liberal Democrat retention rate over the same period is 80%. It could point to a problem that voters generally seem less enthusiastic about letting Reform back in again once they’ve tried them.

A huge thanks to Nick Cott for ensuring there was a Liberal Democrat option on the ballot paper this time.

Conservatives: 278 – 34.2% (+9.0)

Reform UK: 212 – 26.0% (-13.6)

Labour: 187 – 23.0% (-5.8

Green: 116 – 14.3% (New)

Independent: 13 – 1.6% (New)

Liberal Democrat: 7 – 0.9% (New)

Conservative GAIN from Reform UK

Turnout: 26.88%

There was only one principal council by-election this week. The count took place on Friday morning, so the result didn’t filter through until later on Friday afternoon.

Kent County Council, Cliftonville

The Green Party has taken the seat of Cliftonville in Kent from Reform UK. This result was perhaps inevitable given the turmoil surrounding the previous holder; having only won the seat last year amidst a wave of Reform gains from the Conservatives, the incumbent councillor was suspended by Reform following a guilty plea in February regarding a domestic incident, which ultimately triggered this by-election.

Beyond the individual conduct of the former councillor, the wider Reform administration in Kent is increasingly defined by instability. The local leadership has been plagued by internal infighting with leaked footage online showing disputes between backbenchers and the leadership. This was followed by a series of defections to Rupert Lowe’s splinter group, Restore UK. They’ve also had to U-turn on their flagship pledge to cut council tax earlier this year.

Local commentators framed this contest as a referendum on Reform’s chaotic performance. In this instance, the Green Party successfully consolidated the anti-Reform vote to deliver that message, with the Liberal Democrats starting from an extremely low base in this particular ward.

A big thank you to Mo Shafaei and the team for their hard work in ensuring there was a Liberal Democrat choice on the ballot.

Green Party: 2,068, 38.8% (+26.7)
Reform UK: 1,767, 33.1% (-7.0)
Conservatives: 811, 15.2% (-4.5)
Labour: 557, 10.4% (-11.6)
Independents: 68, 1.3% (New)
Liberal Democrats: 63, 1.2%(-1.9)

Green Party GAIN from Reform

Turnout:  32%

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

There were four principal council by-elections this week, of which all but one had a Liberal Democrat candidate on the ballot. One council seat was being defended by us.

North Devon Council, Fremington

In North Devon, the Liberal Democrats gained a seat from the Independents in Fremington. It should be noted that in 2023, both seats were won by Independents, before Councillor Frank Biederman joined the Liberal Democrats. The by-election was triggered by the sad passing of his ward colleague, who remained as an independent.

Without any independents standing this time, it would seem there was a lot of unknowns in where the vote would go for this time. In this context, not only did the Liberal Democrats manage to fend off Reform and prevent the Greens from establishing themselves as the progressive alternative, but they also increased their vote share by more than any other party. This is particularly impressive when we’re used to seeing these big swings to Reform in other by-elections from a standing start.

A huge congratulations to Cllr Jayne Mackie and the team on running such a successful campaign.

Liberal Democrats: 752 – 49.9% (+42.4)
Reform UK: 496 – 32.9% (new)
Green Party: 131 – 8.7% (New)
Conservatives: 116 – 7.7% (-4.4)
Labour: 12 – 0.8% (-7.8)

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Independents

Turnout:  34.7%

There were four principal council by-elections this week, of which all had a Liberal Democrat candidate on the ballot. One council seat was being defended by us.

Disappointingly, we lost this Oxfordshire seat to the Conservatives. It appeared to be down to a collapse in our own share of the vote, rather than any substantial uplift in the Conservative vote. The silver lining is that we managed to hold back Reform, who finished in third place, setting the Liberal Democrats up as the main challenger next time. Commiserations to Alan Bettridge and the local Liberal Democrat team.

Vale of White Horse District Council, Stanford
Conservative: 666 (45.9%, +2.5)
Liberal Democrats (Adrian Bettridge): 395 (27.2%, -17)
Reform UK: 261 (18%, new)
Green Party: 115 (7.9%, -4.5)
Labour: 14 (1%, new)

Conservative GAIN from Liberal Democrats

Turnout: 43.4%