Stow on the Wold is a gorgeous little Cotswolds town. Tonight it has a Liberal Democrat Councillor as Dilys Neill stormed to victory with a 21 point advance.
Stow (Cotswold) result:
LDEM: 64.9% (+21.0)
CON: 35.1% (-21.0)— Britain Elects (@britainelects) September 29, 2016
This by-election gives a boost to Liz Leffman’s campaign to win the parliamentary by-election in Witney as it’s just 4 miles away.
In the Adeyfield West ward of Dacorum Town council, Liberal Democrat Adrian England gained a seat from the Conservatives. This is a ward we also won in another by-election in 2013 and held in 2015. We have now won the other seat in the ward – with a pretty massive swing.
Adeyfield West (Dacorum) result:
LDEM: 49.5% (+24.4)
CON: 22.2% (-4.6)
LAB: 15.8% (-8.7)
UKIP: 10.9% (-12.7)
GRN: 1.6% (+1.6)— Britain Elects (@britainelects) September 29, 2016
There was a big gain in the Lib Dem vote in Allestree in Derby. This by-election was caused by the conviction and subsequent imprisonment of the Conservative elected in 2015 for electoral fraud.
Update: Britain Elects had earlier reported a massive rise in vote share in the Tyldesley ward in Blackpool. Sadly, they got us and UKIP mixed up.
Tyldesley (Blackpool) result:
LAB: 48.3% (+10.0)
CON: 26.8% (-2.4)
UKIP: 21.5% (-0.5)
LDEM: 3.3% (-2.3)— Britain Elects (@britainelects) September 29, 2016
The results show that we really need to up our capacity in all areas of the country because when people are exposed to what we have to say, they tend to like it.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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16 Comments
“In the Adeyfield West ward of Dacorum Town council, Liberal Democrat Adrian England gained a seat from the Conservatives.”
Isn’t that Dacorum Borough Council? i.e. a principal council.
Anyway, yet more brilliant results. Congratulations all round.
Yes Simon it is the BC
Not so good in Tyldesley, the results were reported with LD and UKIP switched round.
The result in Stow certainly bodes well for Witney
Thanks, Peter. Will amend. Serves me right for putting the post up and going to bed.
We stood in 6 of the 8 contests which is a lot better than we were doing even this spring. It looks like we are going to make more gains in Byelections than we made in May, a sign of how weel we might do next May.
Does anyone know why we did so badly in Blackpool ?
paul barker
Not an expert on LDs in Blackpool, but this has always been a weak part of the NW. The odd Councillor in the ’80’s, the last high spot for us may have been a near win in the Blackpool (N/S?) by-election just before Orpington in 1962.
Others will doubtless add to this.
I remember in the 60’s there was even a Liberal Mayor! There was a group of elected councillors during the 60’s and 70’s. 7 -9 . Up to the last election usually a good vote in neighbouring Fylde which includes St Annes and Lytham, that should now be recovering.
Since 1997 when Labour gained both Parliamentary seats in Blackpool it has been tortuious for Liberal Democrats. No real sign of this changing in the forseeable future.
The town has had a slump in its fortunes echoing the party!
Blackpool differs from the rest of the North West.
Glance at the map of the percentage in Blackpool North and Blackpool South parliamentary constituencies who backed the petition to Parliament:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131215
They had extremely low percentages signing it: 2.8% and 2.3%.
Compare that with Manchester Withington Parliamentary Constituency where 13.74% signed up to the petition to Parliament – the highest percentage north of Cambridge to the Shetlands. Manchester City voted for REMAIN, but Blackpool N&S wanted none of it. Point is, the North-West is a mosaic of very different ends of the spectrum. By-election results at Blackpool would be the last place I’d expect to see a LibDem upswing.
We got as far as four councillors in Blackpool briefly in the early 00s but things started to slide back a decade ago. Even at the height of post-Iraq popularity Tyldesley was a ward we did poorly in though.
other positive results last night:
LD hold Glaven Valley, N Norfolk.
LD 429 (55.3%; +8.4)
Con 281 (36.2%; +3.8)
UKIP 32 (4.1%; -6.9)
Lab 23 (3.0%; -2.8)
Grn 11 (1.4%; -2.5)
Con hold in Allestree, Derby
Con 2006 (54.6%; -6.1)
LD 1053 (28.7%; +17.2)
Lab 409 (11.1%; -5.8)
Grn 115 (3.1%)
UKIP 91 (2.5%; -8.4)
Read more: http://vote-2012.proboards.com/thread/8645/elections-september-29th?page=4#ixzz4LjdG2cDh
These are great results. A huge congratulations to our Blackpool candidate for standing and keeping the flag flying. When Labour continues its in fighting these are areas that we may eventually be able to gain if we offer hope. You know we must be succeeding again when Paul Barker asks why we did so badly in Blackpool. There was a survey shared on Facebook that said, I think, that 80% of people had forgiven us for what we had to do in Coalition. I can’t quite believe the way positive local by-election results keep on coming but maybe this has something to do with it. All we need now is a great result in a Parliamentary by-election!
“@Sue Sutherland: There was a survey shared on Facebook that said, I think, that 80% of people had forgiven us for what we had to do in Coalition. ”
The remaining 20% are all posting bile on the Grauniad message boards whenever anyone tries to say anything remotely positive about us.
Hythe Parish Council Furzedown Ward (Hampshire)
Lib Dems won 210 to 120 votes. The Tories were really going for it and quite
confident, they left the count very quickly and with few words
Not sure if it quite makes up for the loss of 4 MPs and several councils.
The Liberal Party gained control of Blackpool BC in 1958. Revolt of small landladies/ladies against big hoteliers (Tories). Labour out of things. Blackpool has changed in all kinds of mostly sad ways since then.
PS One of the few good things about Blackpool nowadays is that if you get on a train at Blackpool South station it will bring you to Colne!
To misquote the not yet late and not that great Gyles Brandreth, happiness is Blackpool in the rear view mirror.