Caron Lindsay

Mixed by-election results – two good GAINs but two losses

By | Fri 23rd February 2018 - 7:56 am

We’ll start with the bad news and disappointment of two losses to the Tories in Dorset.

Hugely popular District and County Councillor Ros Kayes stood down for work reasons. A former Mayor of Bridport, even her opponents admired her. Even with strong local candidates and campaign, we couldn’t hold off the Conservatives.

However there was some good news for the party in Sussex:

In a ward where we didn’t stand last time. Well done to Matt Stanley.

And if you think that was impressive, Benet Allen got 43.2% of the vote in Minehead in another spectacular gain, this time from Independent.

We had a solid increase in vote share in Hertfordshire, though.

Thanks to Corinne Byron for making sure the Lib Dem bird was flying in Lincolnshire yesterday in a previously uncontested ward:

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings

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9 Comments

  • David Raw 23rd Feb '18 - 9:35am

    @ TIM FARRON : GOOD LUCK TODAY, TIM, WITH YOUR TRANSPLANT DONATION BILL

    from the first Libera lCouncillor to be elected to South Lakeland Council – and a transplant recipient whose life was saved by an organ donation. Proud of you, Tim !!

  • Mark Smulian 23rd Feb '18 - 9:48am

    In the course of some work, I’ve found there was also due to be a by-election yesterday in Wigan but it was – very unusually – stopped by a High Court injunction on Wednesday even though postal voting had started. The dispute concerns whether or not a councillor had validly resigned to trigger the by-election.

  • Ian Patterson 23rd Feb '18 - 10:14am

    We’ve also held onto Fishbourne Ward in Chichester district.

  • David Blake 23rd Feb '18 - 4:20pm

    The worrying thing about recent results in the substantial rise in the Labour vote in the West Country.

  • David Raw 23rd Feb '18 - 4:51pm

    @ Dan Falchikov ………..and had a Councillor in that ward until May, 2017.

  • theakes 23rd Feb '18 - 6:01pm

    Shock horror: I think the results in England have been the best for some time, as for Scotland well!!. (The Selkirk result is appallling).
    Nice to see both the Cheshunt/Goffs Oak and Lichfield results displaying a significant Lib Dem result in the 20% region, coming from really nowhere. Probably the first real signs of some limited progress, buiulding on York and Morcambe last week.
    The key can we do the same in Labour areas, not just achieving that ghastly 2/3%.
    Perhaps the first minute green shoots of recovery are appearing, I sincerely hope so, but it is nothing more at this stage.

  • Andrew McCaig 24th Feb '18 - 7:52pm

    Theakes
    Did you not notice us winning in Sunderland recently?? Come on Cassandra, take the smooth with the rough!
    The candidate in Selkirk came from 45 miles away. I think actually that illustrates the problem in what used to be our heartland even more than the result…
    I think we can still win anywhere at local level, but on 8% the potential well is very deep and “where we work extremely hard, we win” needs to be the mantra…

  • nvelope2003 24th Feb '18 - 9:31pm

    David Blake: The Labour Party have started a campaign in the West Country with letters to the press etc to undermine support for the Liberal Democrats by using the argument formerly used by us to say that we have no chance and advising Labour supporters who used to vote Liberal to start voting Labour again. Clearly this is having some effect in keeping Conservatives in post and raising the rather modest Labour vote. Outside Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol and Stroud one of the only seats they have held recently was Falmouth. The present Labour Party seem to hate us and would prefer the Conservatives to win. However there have been some really good Liberal Democrat results recently. If they could be repeated at National level we would win quite a lot of seats.

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