There were a number of by-elections yesterday. Congratulations to Stephen Knightley won in Cornwall for the Lib Dems, though press attention is bound to be on the UKIP win in Boston on miserable turnout of less than 14%.
Cornwall Wadebridge East
Stephen Knightley (Lib Dem) was last night elected as the new Cornwall Councillor for Wadebridge East with 408 votes. It was a close fought race with Independent Tony Rush gaining just nine votes less. The by-election was called after Independent Colin Brewer stood down – he was the councillor that said that disabled children “should be put down.” The turnout was a healthy 40.47%.
Full result: Stephen Knightley (Lib Dem) 408; Tony Rush (Ind) 399; Stephen Rushworth (Con) 217; Roderick Harrison (UKIP) 202; Adrian Jones (Labour) 58.
Boston Fenside. UKIP win on a turnout of just 13.6%.
Carlisle Yewdale. Labour hold.
Charnwood Loughborough Ashby: Labour hold.
Daventry Ravensthorpe. Conservative hold.
East Cambs Ely East. Dian Warman (Lib Dem) came second with 322 votes to Liz Every (Con) with 418 votes. Turnout 33.5%.
Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh. Lib Dem hold – see Tim 13 below.
Northants Middleton Cheney. Conservative hold.
North Devon Torrington. Green Party win from Lib Dem – see Tim 13 below.
St. Edmundsbury Bardwell. Conservative hold.
Wycombe Hambleden Valley: Tory hold.
* Andy Boddington is a Lib Dem councillor in Shropshire. He blogs at andybodders.co.uk.
12 Comments
Also Lib Dem hold in Exmouth Town Council – which has been party political – with Tories fighting the then ruling Lib Dems from 2007 on, since when Tories have held control very narrowly.
Last night’s result was
Brian Toye Lib Dem 489
Fred Caygill Con 295
Turnout 15.6%
Tories disappointed not to do better from what I saw of faces! This byelection was a result of the very sad death of Jean Mitchell, a seasoned and energetic worker for the party and the local community. The result, seeing the re-election of former councillor and local businessman Brian Toye, was a fitting tribute to Jean.
Sorry – omitted the ward – it was Withycombe Raleigh.
Press attention, you ask? There’s never any press attention national about by-elections. I keep expectiing to see a footnote on the “politics” page of the BBC news website, for example, but there’s never anything. So, all the big stories and the national poll results get the headlines and whilst they are often bad for the Lib Dems, all of the by-election gains we make in the meantime may as well not exist for no-one ever hears that our local vote can still be strong!
Andy – your description of Torrington is a little on the skeletal side! It was, of course, a Green gain from Lib Dem, where the Independent candidate was a Lib Dem party member, but no official candidate stood to try to retain the seat.
Thanks Tim 13. I’ve linked your comments into the main article.
Thanks, Andy
We used to have the MP for Torridge until 2005. Incredibly frustrating that there wasn’t a Liberal Democrat on the ballot paper here.
It’s disappointing to see that the revamped ALDC website coverage of by-elections is nowhere as good as it was on the old site. It used to be much better than both Conservative Home and LDV, including often having a commentary on the result, though sadly that too disappeared in the last year.
Duncan, having been an (outside, but close) observer of Torridge West Devon for over 20 years, I can say its level of organisation, activist interest, commitment etc goes up and down like a yo-yo. Just look at the rainbow-like variety of council groups on Torridge DC over the years, and the shifting plates of individual membership of parties there. It will come up again (trouble is, when….?!)
@Graham Evans
I agree the revamp is worse. Less user friendly. How can things like this take us backwards??
A councillor for all Cornwall withn 408 votes! What a miserable gaggle of election-fixers and nomination wanglers these political parties turn put to be! And they have the gall to try to prevent real grass-roots organisations from raising funds for campaigns that drawf their own little schemes, and spy on our private communications in the name of protecting national security secrets and policies which are really no moe than their own interests, of which they then become judge, jury and lord high executioner. How much longer must liberal decency be expected to tolerate the interference of these instruments of plutocracy in democratic debate and rule by the people? Time to find another way.
Michael: I have some sympathy with your comments on the lobbying bill, but your remarks about political parties are cheap. A decreasing number of dedicated activists try to work harder and harder to serve local people and keep democracy running until they burn out, while the decrease in party volunteers means local residents see less of the party people and blame them for it.
You will find plenty of genuine grass-roots in political parties. Politically engaged people outside the parties should consider joining a party, or our democracy will die.