Author Archives: Paul Heilbron

ALDC by-election report 28th July

By Paul Heilbron | Fri 29th July 2022 - 8:00 pm

Another week goes by, another round of up all things By-elections goes live. A noticeably quiet week for principal by-elections with one only two being contested across the country. However, a very action-packed agenda on the Town Council front and more specifically, Town Council by-elections in Westhoughton, three in one evening!

As Liberal Democrats we take Town and Parish elections extremely seriously. Community politicians are the beating heart of our democracy, and we pride ourselves on representing our communities as close as possible to the people that we represent.

So here we have it one hold, one gain and one near miss rounds up a great evening for the local Liberal Democrat team in Westhoughton. Alison Jackson or should I say councillor Alison Jackson gained Ward Hoskers and Hart ward, whilst Linda Maher comfortably held onto Central ward. Commiserations go out to Ryan Hough who was pipped to the post by only 29 votes, it was nearly a perfect night for the local Liberal Democrat team!

Westhoughton TC, Hoskers and Hart

Liberal Democrats (Alison Jackson): 137
Labour: 90
Conservative: 89
Independent: 64

Westhoughton TC, Central

Liberal Democrats (Linda Maher): 276
Labour: 171
Conservative: 129
Independent: 87

Westhoughton TC, White Horse

Conservative: 415
Liberal Democrats (Ryan Hough): 384
Labour: 208
Independent: 52
Green: 21

By Election Report

By Paul Heilbron | Sun 10th July 2022 - 3:30 pm

By-elections are back in the spotlight and the Lib Dems kicked off the second half of the year much the same as the first, another successful night in the world of council By-elections. With Boris gone, Tiverton and Honiton won and few new Lib Dem councillors on the roster, it really is a great time to be a Liberal Democrat.

With eight principal elections up for grabs, of which seven saw a Lib Dem on the ballot, and a straight shoot out Town Council By-election, July 7th was sure to be an interesting affair on the By-election front.

We kick off proceedings on Camden Council in the capital where newly elected Lib Dem councillor Linda Chung gained the seat of Hampstead Town from the Conservatives with a stonking three hundred vote majority! Congratulations to Linda and local team.

Camden, Hampstead Town

Liberal Democrats (Linda Chung): 919
Conservative: 620
Labour: 559
Green: 104
Independent: 44
National Housing Party: 1

Posted in News | Tagged by-election report | 12 Comments

ALDC by-election report: 17th June

By Paul Heilbron | Fri 17th June 2022 - 3:20 pm

After a post-Local Election lull, we are back on the campaign trail and our weekly insight into all things by-election are back on the agenda.

This week’s by-elections present a very mixed picture. We stood a candidate in all four principal elections, which is a great accolade to the Lib Dem ethos of standing candidates universally, but on the night, there were no victories to speak off. Nevertheless, good campaigns were fought, and progress was made across the board.

Over at Leamington Clarendon in Warwick, we returned our best result of a lacklustre evening. A commendable second-place finish, with an impressive 11.5% vote share increase, on a congested ticket is a fantastic return for Justine Ragany and the local team.

Labour: 1064
Liberal Democrat (Justine Ragany): 612
Conservative: 365
Green: 95
UKIP: 24

Labour HOLD

Posted in News | Tagged rother and warwick | 3 Comments

ALDC by-election report 7 April 2022

By Paul Heilbron | Fri 8th April 2022 - 7:16 pm

Pre-election fever is in the air but an action-packed night of gains, swings and Town Councils brought us into April with a bang. Although there were nine principal authority elections, we kick off proceedings with all the Town Council results. Here is the tale of the tape.

Amersham Town Council

Chesham and Amersham lives in Lib Dem folk law after a momentous parliamentary By-election victory last year, but could we carry on the victories in Buckinghamshire and pick up another town councillor in the area? After a hard-fought campaign, our candidate, Elizabeth Shepherd won, gaining the seat from the Conservatives and increasing our majority on Amersham Town Council to 9-6. Congratulations to Elizabeth and the whole team.

Liberal Democrat (Elizabeth Shepherd): 401
Conservative: 356
Green: 65
Labour: 25

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative

Chippenham Town Council

The Lib Dems gained another seat at Cepen Park and Hunters Moon ward on Chippenham Town Council. Congratulations to the newly elected Councillor Conor Melvin. Another fantastic Town Council By-election result.

Liberal Democrat (Connor Melvin): 452
Conservative: 341
Green: 139

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative

Weymouth Town Council

The Town Council success didn’t stop there, Tim Young and the team saw the chequered flag for the third Lib Dem victory in one night on Town councils in the Weymouth TC By-election. A valiant effort from Tim and the local party.

Liberal Democrat (Tim Young): 262
Conservative: 174
Labour: 95

Liberal Democrat HOLD

Posted in Council by-elections | 7 Comments

ALDC by-election report: 1 April 2022

By Paul Heilbron | Fri 1st April 2022 - 7:35 pm

The May local elections may just be over the precipice but there are still many hotly contested by-elections to contest until polling night. Three principal authority council By-elections this week and a Town council By-election for a good measure saw the Lib Dems back on the By-election trail.

First up we have Morecambe TC where newly elected Phil Forster gained the seat of Bare South West from the Conservatives. The Lib Dems really do love Town and Parish councils.

Morecambe TC, Bare South West
Liberal Democrat (Phil Forster): 85
Conservative: 67
Labour: 62

Next, we turn our gaze to Melton BC where Jim Adcock has the unduly task of campaigning in a ward that we have never contested before. A commendable second-place finish and a 25% vote share may win the plaudits but not the victory this time around.

Melton BC, Melton Sysonby
Conservative: 396
Liberal Democrat (Jim Adcock): 187
Labour: 165

Posted in Council by-elections | Tagged aldc | 4 Comments

ALDC by-election report – 24 February 2022

By Paul Heilbron | Fri 25th February 2022 - 7:55 pm

A testing week on the by-election front for the Liberal Democrats after a flurry of successful weeks to begin 2022. With eight vacancies to fight (one of which was on Wednesday) we stood in four, one of which we saw the chequered flag. The high of a fantastic gain on Maldon TC was certainly marred by only standing a candidate on 50% of available ballots this week. Let’s delve into the detail.

We kick off proceedings over at Maldon where both the Town and District council were holding by-elections. We can take great pride from both elections but with a gain from the Conservatives on the Town side of things this is certainly candidate, or should I say councillor, John Driver that steals the show this week. With a staggering 65% of the vote share, we now have another Town councillor added to the roster. Congratulations to John and the whole team for such a fantastic result.

Although the same victorious story doesn’t project from the district council result we can be thrilled with the efforts of Colin Baldy and his team. Although the Conservatives held onto the seat, a 12% vote share returned from a standing start is not to be sniffed at. The groundwork has truly been laid for the next time around. Keep up the good work.

Posted in News | Tagged by-election results | 8 Comments

ALDC by-election report 17 February 2021 – Win in Oundle

By Paul Heilbron | Sun 20th February 2022 - 2:33 pm

A very mixed picture this week for the Lib Dems in the realm of local council by-elections. Ballots were cast across all corners of the kingdom most of which saw a Lib Dem candidate getting their teeth stuck into the contest. Concisely then, nine vacancies to fight, we stood in seven, succeeding in one. The results weren’t as good as we predicted but we can take solace in good campaigns being fought and celebrate the hard work put in by our local teams, knocking on doors, delivering leaflets, posting out focus leaflets and focusing on that squeeze vote.

The headline result of the week is undoubtedly Oundle where we secured our first councillor on the North Northamptonshire UA, what a fantastic night’s work. Only the best campaign from Charlie Best could have got the Lib Dems over the line. A 13% swing and a gain from the Conservatives rounded off a perfect night for the Oundle Lib Dem team.

After last Thursday's STONKING victory, Charlie Best is now the first Lib Dem Councillor on North Northamptonshire Council! pic.twitter.com/Lia2kegQLj

— ALDC (@ALDC) February 20, 2022

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged aldc and by-election reports | 6 Comments

ALDC by-election report: Manchester gain and two holds

By Paul Heilbron | Mon 7th February 2022 - 11:19 pm

Another Thursday goes by, another action-packed week of by-elections comes with it. As always we have the tail of the tape with all the ups, downs, close calls and no-contests. In a snapshot; two Liberal Democrat holds over at Dacorum, a huge Lib Dem gain in Manchester and three other holds for Labour and Conservatives across the country complete this week’s super 6 of by-elections.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged aldc and by-election report | 3 Comments

ALDC by-election report: 20 January 2022

By Paul Heilbron | Sun 23rd January 2022 - 10:24 am

The first intriguing by-election Thursday of 2022 was operating under the backdrop of “Partygate”. Would the shenanigans at Number 10 cut through on the local level? Can the Lib Dems strike while the irons are hot and bring home the bacon, though it’s Veganuary don’t you know? Would this week’s polls throw up any surprises? Here we have it, the round-up of all Thursday night’s by-elections.

Most notably then, Lib Dems and town council by-elections are a better match than one made in heaven. Three town council by-elections in Hatfield, Carterton and Dawlish ushered in gains, gains, gains for the native golds. Elsewhere, Labour held on in East Lothian and Charnwood BC whilst the Conservatives secured victories at Selby DC and East Lindsey DC by-elections.

There is nowhere else to start than all things town councils. A fantastic night for the Liberal Democrats ushered in a trio of successes. Tim Rowse at Hatfield TC, Natalie King at Carterton TC and Rachel Hardy at Dawlish TC all ran phenomenal campaigns and we congratulate you on your successes. What a great night to be a Liberal Democrat!

Posted in Council by-elections, News and Op-eds | Tagged aldc and by-election reports | 1 Comment

ALDC by-election report: 16 December 2021

By Paul Heilbron | Mon 20th December 2021 - 10:29 am

So here we have it our round of Super Thursday! Marginals galore, incumbents getting stuffed even before the turkeys have been carved and a whole host of gains, holds, flips and squeezes.

With the potent backdrop of North Shropshire in the atmosphere, you wouldn’t be forgiven for taking your gaze from this week’s by-elections but fear not we have all the details of all sixteen polls from Thursday night’s action.

Most notably then, the Lib Dems ushered in the close of the year with fantastic gains in Roffey South, West Lindsey and last but not least a Lib Dem gain from the Conservatives in Northumberland left the council with no overall control. Elsewhere then the Conservatives held on in Lomond North, Lichfield & Tilehurst South & Holybrook

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged aldc and by-election reports | 6 Comments

ALDC by-election report 9 December 2021

By Paul Heilbron | Sat 11th December 2021 - 12:05 pm

The onset of the parliamentary recess is upon us. A hiatus in the by-election schedule is just around the corner. 2021 is drawing to a conclusion. Therefore, it wouldn’t be naïve to think that the Lib Dems had wound up the victories for 2021. Nevertheless, this week’s local by-elections proved that not only do Liberal Democrats canvass all year but we also win all year round.

Central to our continued success is the fantastic work all our councillors, candidates and ardent supporters carry out without exception week in week out.

Rotherham provided a tectonic shift in the political landscape with a huge gain for the Liberal Democrats. We were propelled into second place in Torridge. Whilst Labour achieved gains from the Conservatives at Aughton & Swallownest and Old Bracknell.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged aldc and by-election report | 7 Comments

ALDC by-election report 2 November 2021

By Paul Heilbron | Sat 4th December 2021 - 10:28 am

With the May 2022 local elections on the horizon, it is paramount the Lib Dems build up momentum going into the spring by ending the year strong and we did just that!

First and foremost, we want to thank all our valued candidates, local parties and an army of steadfast volunteers that gave Lib Dem supporters ample opportunity to support Liberal Democrat Councillors all over the country.

There were two gains in Lancaster, one loss and one gain in Hailsham, a heartfelt loss in North Norfolk and in Breckland.

Posted in Campaign Corner and Op-eds | Tagged aldc and by-election reports | 3 Comments

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Author Archives: Paul Heilbron

ALDC by-election report 28th July

Westhoughton TC, Hoskers and Hart

Westhoughton TC, Central

Westhoughton TC, White Horse

By Election Report

ALDC by-election report: 17th June