Seven principal authority by-elections yesterday, as I noted this morning, and no wins, unfortunately.

We start with the three by-elections in the one-party state that is Knowsley (sixty-three councillors, all Labour). In Prescot West ward, Ian Smith and the team pushed Labour very hard, achieving a swing from Labour, but sadly not quite enough to gain the seat;

• Lynn O’Keefe (Labour) – 441 votes (44%)
• Ian Smith (Liberal Democrat) – 403 votes (40%)
• Stephen Whatham (Trade Unions and Socialists) – 86 votes (9%)
• Robert Avery (Conservative) – 62 votes (6%)
• Robert Mbabu (Green) – 14 votes (1%)

In Prescot East ward, it wasn’t as close, although again, there was a small swing from Labour;

• Steff O’Keefe (Labour) – 515 votes (58%)
• Carl Cashman (Liberal Democrat) – 328 votes (37%)
• Adam Butler (Conservative) – 47 votes (5%)

However, congratulations must go to Carl, who fought the Prescot North West ward on the Town Council as well, and beat his Labour opponent by 346 votes to 291.

Finally, in St Michael’s ward, the big red machine rolled over the opposition;

• Vickie Lamb (Labour) – 676 votes (86%)
• Mike Currie (Liberal Democrat) – 69 votes (9%)
• David Dunne (Conservative) – 44 votes (5%)

In Nottingham, there were two by-elections, the first in potential three -way marginal Wollaton East and Lenton Valley ward. Here, the Conservative vote from 2011 collapsed, as their vote fell from 24% to 10%, with most of that going to Labour, up 10%. The Liberal Democrat vote was up slightly, but it would be fair to say that, the next time this seat is up for grabs, the bar chart will be much easier for our campaign team…

• Sam Webster (Labour) – 627 votes (53%)
• Tony Sutton (Liberal Democrat) – 368 votes (31%)
• Jenna Parton (Conservative) – 116 votes (10%)
• Andrew Taylor (UKIP) – 75 votes (6%)

Bilborough ward, on the other hand, saw the sole Liberal Democrat candidate in 2011 score just 4% of the votes, and not much changed this time;

• Wendy Smith (Labour) – 1542 votes (67%)
• Irenea Marriott (UKIP) – 347 votes (15%)
• Ian Culley (Conservative) – 176 votes (8%)
• Katharina Boettge (Green) – 103 votes (5%)
• John Calvert (Liberal Democrat) – 96 votes (4%)
• David Bishop (Elvis Loves Pets) – 31 votes (1%)

So, five Labour seats, five Labour holds. The night’s excitement was reserved for Humberston and New Waltham ward on North East Lincolnshire Unitary Authority, where the Conservatives were defending the seat against an expected UKIP surge. And, as has been the case quite often recently, they failed to do so.

• Stephen Harness (UKIP) – 1098 votes (42%)
• Harry Hall (Conservative) – 738 votes (28%)
• Ashley Smith (Labour) – 470 votes (18%)
• Stephen Stead (Liberal Democrat) – 311 votes (12%)

Finally, in Wigan, there wasn’t a Liberal Democrat candidate in Pemberton ward. Labour won comfortably, with UKIP in a fairly distant second place. The best that can be said for the Conservative candidate was that he beat the BNP into fifth…

Again, if there are any results that we missed, do add them as a comment…