Tag Archives: aldc

Charles Quinn

ALDC’s by-election report 27 March 2025

By Charles Quinn | Sun 30th March 2025 - 2:55 pm

There were 3 principal council by-elections this week. We stood candidates in all of them and achieved some really positive results. We also had success in a number of Town and Parish council by-elections too.  

First of all congratulations to our candidate Howard Evans and the Lib Dem team in Swansea who finished second in the Penllergaer by-election. Despite not fielding a candidate when this seat was last contested, we finished second out of seven candidates beating Labour, the Conservatives, Reform and the Green Party. The seat was held by Swansea Independents. But it is a brilliant achievement by Howard and the team to go straight into second place beating all the major parties. 

Swansea Council, Penllergaer
Independent: 646 (63.9%, -23.9%)
Liberal Democrats (Howard Evans): 138 (13.6%, new)
ReformUK: 108 (10.7%, new)
Labour: 67 (6.6%, -5.6%)
Conservative: 31 (3.1%, new)
Green Party: 18 (1.8%, new)
Gwlad: 3 (0.3%, new)

Next up we go to Maldon DC and the by-election in Maldon North. Here we achieved another second place, missing out from gaining the ward from the Conservatives by just 53 votes. Well done and thank you to our candidate Robert Jones on a fantastic performance in a difficult election with Reform and the Green Party standing when they previously did not. Well done to Robert and the team on a brilliant second place and we’re sure you’ll get them next time. 

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Matthew Ma

ALDC’s By-Election report – 13 March 2025

By Matthew Ma | Fri 14th March 2025 - 8:12 pm

We take a breather this week as there are only 2 principal council by-elections held across England and Scotland. Both seats are held by their respective parties: Lib Dems the seat in Devon and Cornwall and the SNP in Scotland. 

In the Lib Dem defence, Cllr Fabian King stood out from the four candidates as the clear first choice for residents in Exe Valley, East Devon DC. The seat in was last contested in by only us and the Tories in the 2023 locals, but when compared to 2021, similarly a 4-way race, our vote share actually grew by over 7%. Congrats to Cllr Fabian and the team for holding the seat!

East Devon DC, Exe Valley
Liberal Democrat (Fabian King): 256 (44.0%, -26.5%)
Conservative: 137 (23.5%, -6.0%)
Reform: 135 (23.2%, new)
Labour: 54 (9.3%, new)

For the Scottish by-election, Oliver Ferrario stood in the Broxburn, Uphall & Winchburgh and managed to grow the Lib Dem first preference votes. The SNP was elected at stage 7 of counting, who beat second place Labour by 22 votes. Thank you to Oliver for flying the Lib Dem flag.

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Matthew Ma

ALDC’s by-election report – 13 February

By Matthew Ma | Sat 15th February 2025 - 7:55 am

There are 7 principal council by-elections held across England, Scotland, and Wales this week; with a combined of 3 Labour, 2 Lib Dem, 1 Conservative, and 1 Green Party defence. Seats changed hands left and right as only 2 out of 7 elections are successfully held by the respective parties. One of which is Lib Dem, who lost the other to Labour; and Labour, who lost their other seats to the Green Party and Reform. Meanwhile, the Tories lost their seat to the independents while gaining one from the Green Party. 

The headline win for the Lib Dems this week come from Stevenage BC, where Cllr Peter Wilkins in the Manor ward held the Lib Dem vote steady (more than majority!) while all other major parties’ vote collapse in the face of a new Reform candidate. Congratulations to Cllr Peter and the team for winning the seat!

Stevenage BC, Manor
Liberal Democrat (Peter Wilkins): 760 (55.6%, +0.1%)
Reform: 320 (23.4%, new)
Conservative: 139 (10.2%, -5.2%)
Labour: 101 (7.4%, -12.3%)
Green Party: 46 (3.4%, -6.0%)

In the other Lib Dem defence of the week. Marthos Christoforou managed to further grow the Lib Dem first preference votes in Kirkintilloch, North & Twechar of East Dunbartonshire Council, but still lost to Labour head-to-head in stage 7 of counting. This would have been an SNP seat if there was only one up for election in 2022: such is the quirk of the Scottish council elections. Well done and thank you to Marthos and the team for putting up a good fight.

East Dunbartonshire Council, Kirkintilloch East, North & Twechar (based on first preference votes, Labour elected at stage 7)
Labour: 958 (30.2%, +1.0%)
SNP: 726 (22.9%, -16.0%)
Liberal Democrat (Marthos Christoforou): 677 (21.3%, +2.6%)
Reform: 476 (15.0%, new)
Conservative: 131 (4.1%, -7.8%)
Green Party: 128 (4.0%, new)
Alba: 63 (2.0, new)
Sovereignty: 18 (0.6%, new)

One by-election held on Tuesday in Pembrokeshire CC also saw a great Lib Dem result, where Kaleb Jenkins managed to snatch over a quarter of the votes in Haverfordwest Prendergast and placing second despite no Lib Dem had stood in the previous election. The independents gained the seat from the Conservatives here. Thank you, Kaleb and the team, for putting the Lib Dems on the map in the ward, that’s how all our campaigns start!

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Matthew Ma

ALDC’s by-election report 9 January 2025

By Matthew Ma | Fri 10th January 2025 - 7:46 pm

We are starting the starting the year strong with a gain in North Devon DC, the only by-election held this week. In the Instow ward, Cllr Becky Coombs, who previously stood an independent, represented the Lib Dems this time around and came first comfortably over the Tories! Congratulations to Becky and the North Devon team for the win.

North Devon DC, Instow
Liberal Democrat (Becky Coombs): 197 (38.1%, new)
Conservative: 166 (32.1%, +1.8%)
Reform: 88 (17.0%, new)
Independent: 49 (9.5%, new)
Green Party: 17 (3.3%, -11.1%)

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Matthew Ma

ALDC by-election report 12 December

By Matthew Ma | Fri 13th December 2024 - 8:53 pm

Is it déjà vu? Or are there six principal council by-elections again? What’s different this week is a majority of seats sees holds in lieu of changing hands. The Tories defended their two seats, while the Lib Dems and the independents held on to their own. It was, unsurprisingly, another bad night for the governing party in Westminster, as Labour saw a collapse in vote share across the board, barely holding on to one seat and losing the other to Reform.

Starting with the good news, it was a run-away win for Cllr Andy Waters in the Dodworth ward in Barnsley MBC. The vote for the Lib Dems held steady as we secured close to half of the electorate. Here we see the Labour vote over halved, dropping them down to third overall. Congratulations to Andy and the team for all the work put into winning the seat!

Barnsley MBC, Dodworth
Liberal Democrat (Andy Waters): 1029 (49.7%, -1.7%)
Reform: 503 (24.3%, new)
Labour: 334 (16.1%, -18.5%)
Conservative: 147 (7.1%, -6.9%)
Green Party: 57 (2.8%, new)

Similarly, Labour’s vote also plummeted in Featherstone, Wakefield DC, but managed to defend their seat. Here, Christopher Howden established themselves as the definitive opposition, hopping into second place despite the lack of Lib Dem presence in the ward last time around. Thank you and well done to Christopher and the local team for the effort, this sets us up well to winning here next election!

Wakefield DC, Featherstone
Labour: 893 (42.1%, -30.7%)
Liberal Democrat (Christopher Howden): 548 (25.9%, new)
Reform: 463 (21.8, new)
Conservative: 141 (6.7%, -8.8%)
Green Party: 74 (3.5%, -8.3%)

The other amazing performance by the Lib Dems comes from Ronan McCaughey in the Ottershaw ward in Runnymede BC. The independents, who used to hold all three seats in the ward before this by-election, won with over 40% of the votes. Despite such a strong presence, however, the Lib Dem vote tripled. Thank you to Ronan and the team for the astounding result, you’ll get them next time.

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Matthew Ma

ALDC’s by-election report – 28 November 2024

By Matthew Ma | Fri 29th November 2024 - 7:51 pm

It was a long list of holds for this week’s by-elections as only 1 out of 10 seats switched hands, where Lib Dems snatched a seat out of Labour in Sheffield City Council. Labour defended their other 7 seats, albeit losing a hefty amount of votes in almost all seats; the Lib Dems also defended the 2 remaining seats.

For the only gain this week, the young Cllr Willis Marshall brought the Lib Dems from fourth place to first in the Woodhouse ward in Sheffield City Council. Coming from the single digits, Willis and the Sheffield team more than quadrupled the Lib Dem vote share to 33% this time around and won the seat! Congratulations to the Willis and the team for the hard work put in to achieve this momentous result.

Sheffield City Council, Woodhouse
Liberal Democrat (Willis Marshall): 1018 (33.0%, +26.8%)
Reform: 1008 (32.7%, new)
Labour: 650 (21.1%, -36.8%)
Conservative: 168 (5.0%, -9.5%)
Green Party: 153 (5.4%, -4.5%)
TUSC: 56 (1.8%, -1.0%)
The Social Democratic Party: 33 (1.1% , new)

In the nearby City of York Council, the Lib Dems comfortably defended its seat with 64% of the vote, towering the second place Conservatives. In the Haxby & Wigginton ward, Cllr Richard Watson and the team grew the vote from just over one-half to almost two thirds of the voting base. Congrats and thank you to Richard and the local team for the tremendous win!

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Matthew Ma

ALDC’s by-election report, 7 November 2024

By Matthew Ma | Fri 8th November 2024 - 7:29 pm

By-elections are slowly ramping up again as we see 9 principal council seats up for grabs this week. It was a SNP wipeout in Scotland as they lost all 4 seats they were defending to the Tories, and failed to gain 1 from a weak Labour. Other than their seat in Scotland, Labour also held another in England and gained one from an unorganised Conservative party. Green party held the only seat they were defending, and Reform won a seat from the Conservatives, the second reform gain in two weeks. The Lib Dems contested 6 of the 9 wards this time around and have made great gains in vote share in most.

In the Mearns ward in Aberdeenshire Council, the Lib Dems finished a strong third, only 77 votes away from SNP in the third stage of counting! The Tories won the seat. Well done and thank you to Isobel Knights and the team for almost quadrupling our vote here.

Aberdeenshire Council, Mearns (first preference results, Conservative elected at stage 4)
Conservative: 1347 (39.2%, +7.5%)
SNP: 832 (24.2%, -4.8%)
Liberal Democrat (Isobel Knights): 745 (21.7%, +15.2%)
Reform: 375 (10.9%, new)
Green Party: 136 (4.0%, +0.6%)

Another strong showing from the Lib Dems can be seen in Aberdeenshire Council in Central Buchan, where we also came third overall. The Conservatives also won this seat from the SNP. Thank you to Ian Bailey and the team for growing the Lib Dem vote.

Aberdeenshire Council, Central Buchan (first preference results, Conservative elected at stage 5)
Conservative: 1260 (41.3%, +8.0%)
SNP: 869 (28.5%, -2.6%)
Liberal Democrat (Ian Bailey): 435 (14.3%, +1.2%)
Reform: 331 (10.9%, new)
Scottish Family Party: 83 (2.7%, +1.3%)
Independent: 71 (2.3%, new)

The final by-election of Aberdeenshire Council this week in Fraserburgh & District saw the same result of a Conservative gain from SNP. Thank you to Sandy Leslie for flying the Scottish Lib Dem flag here.

Aberdeenshire Council, Fraserburgh & District
Conservative: 1145 (36.3%, +3.9%)
SNP: 895 (28.4%, +8.4%)
Reform: 817 (25.9%, new)
Liberal Democrat (Sandy Leslie): 222 (7.0%, +2.2%)
Scottish Family Party: 71 (2.3%, +1.3%)

Also in Scotland, Neil Alexander, the Lib Dem candidate for the Elgin City South ward in Moray Council, ran a good campaign and grew our vote five times over. Thank you to Neil and the local team for building a solid base for future elections in Moray.

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Matthew Ma

ALDC’s by-election report 3 October 2024

By Matthew Ma | Mon 7th October 2024 - 4:12 pm

Four principal council by-elections were held this week, with Labour defending three and SNP defending one. Most seats changed hands, with Labour losing all three seats they were defending and SNP holding the last. We stood in all four and our candidates have carried forth the momentum from past weeks to register gains in vote share on all seats. 

The stand-out result this week came from Dundee Council in Strathmartine ward. The first place SNP lost more than 10% of first preference votes while the Lib Dems gained 8%. Counting continued to the fifth round, where Jenny Blain finished close second: just 32 votes behind SNP! Well done and thank you to Jenny and Dundee Lib Dems for putting up such a great fight, setting us up for a Lib Dem victory next election.  

Dundee, Strathmartine (first preference results, SNP elected at stage 5)
SNP: 1188 (35%, -10.3%)
Liberal Democrats (Jenny Blain): 912 (26.9%, +8.2%)
Labour: 911 (26.9%, +4.0%)
Conservative: 143 (4.2%, -1.7%)
Green Party: 121 (3.6%, +0.2%)
TUSC: 116 (3.4%, +2.7%)

Another by-election in Dundee Council in Lochee sees an SNP gain from Labour after seven stages. Thank you to Outi Bourke for standing and growing our vote share here. 

Dundee, Lochee (first preference results, SNP elected at stage 7)
SNP: 1203 (37.3%, -5.9%)
Labour: 1148 (35.6%, -0.2%)
Conservative: 219 (6.8%, -1.6%)
Alba Party: 178 (5.5%, +2.4%)
Green Party: 176 (5.5%, +1.3%)
Liberal Democrats (Outi Bourke): 156 (4.8%, +1.7%)
Workers Party of Britain: 143 (4.4%, new)

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Charles Quinn

ALDC’s By-Election report – 20 September 2024

By Charles Quinn | Fri 20th September 2024 - 7:49 pm

There have been 10 principal council by-elections this week. It’s been a triumphant week for the Lib Dem as we registered our first by-election gain since the General Election (against Labour). We also stood in all 10 vacancies and increased our vote-share in a number of places to score some excellent second place finishes. 

Overall the results saw a lot of chopping and changing with seats changing hands in almost every direction. The only constants were the Lib Dems not losing a seat (but gaining one) and Labour not gaining a seat, but losing 3! 

We start in Bromsgrove DC where newly elected Cllr James Clarke gained Sidemoor ward from Labour, increasing the Lib Dem vote share by just short of 25%. Labour lost 30% of their vote and slipped to 3rd place. Congratulations to Cllr Clarke on our first by-election win of this current Government!

Bromsgrove DC, Sidemoor
Liberal Democrats (James Clarke): 276 (52.6%, +24.9%)
Conservatives: 141 (26.9%, +3.1%)
Labour: 87 (16.6%, -29.2%)
Green Party: 21 (4%, new)

Another excellent result this week came on Cornwall Council in Falmouth Penwerris ward. Here our candidate John Spargo increased the Lib Dem vote share by 25.5% (up from just 4.5% in the previous election) and jumping from 4th place to 2nd. Labour just held onto the ward but it is perfectly poised for us now in the next election. Congratulations to John and the team in Cornwall.

Cornwall Council, Falmouth Penwerris
Labour: 337 (44.7%, -19.8%)
Liberal Democrats (John Spargo): 228 (30.2%, +25.5%)
Green Party: 189 (25.1%, +16.6%)

We also finished a close second in St Neots ward in Huntingdonshire DC. Lib Dem candidate Alan Hunt increased the Lib Dem vote by 2.3% and came just 100 votes behind Well done to Alan and Huntingdonshire Lib Dems. You’ll get them next time. 

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Caron Lindsay

Lib Dems hold off Reform in Kent by-election

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 4th September 2024 - 8:57 am

Lib Dem Alex Eyre  held off a huge challenge from Reform to hold the Priory Ward in Swale in one of those rare Tuesday by-elections. The by-election came about after Cllr and former Mayor  Mike Henderson died. 

Our Cllr Hannah paid tribute to Mike at the time:

Mike was a dedicated public servant who has worked hard for the people of Faversham, and especially those in the Priory ward.

We have lost a huge part of our local Lib Dem team and doing local politics won’t be quite the same without him, his sage advice, quick wit, kindness and the occasional summoning to Bridge House to be set straight by him about something.

We will all miss him dearly as I’m sure his residents will too.

At this difficult time, our thoughts are especially with his family whom he absolutely adored and was so proud of.

Andrew Teale’s Britain Elects preview of the by-election tells us about the recent voting history of the ward:

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The Voice

Nominations open for ALDC’s Campaigner Awards

By The Voice | Sun 28th July 2024 - 12:30 pm

We’ve not been short of electoral success this year and the best of our campaigning will be recognised at Conference in September.

ALDC has opened nominations for its annual Local Campaigner awards.  You don’t have to be an ALDC member to nominate, though everyone should be an ALDC member because you get access to the very best in campaigning support.

The categories are:

Best literature – We’re looking for local parties’ examples of well-designed literature with strong messaging, photos and layout. We want to see your best.

Best local election campaign – We’re looking for local parties that have fought effective and strong 2024 local election campaigns. Tell us about your winning strategy. What innovative new ideas did you use? What great literature did you deliver? Did you develop a digital strategy and run a successful online campaign? How did you raise the funds to support your campaign?

Best by-election campaign – We want to hear from teams that have helped us have another great year of by-election gains. Tell us about your winning strategy. What innovative new ideas did you use? What great literature did you deliver? Did you develop a digital strategy run a successful online campaign? How did you raise the funds to support your campaign?

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Charles Quinn

ALDC’s by-election report – 22 February 2024

By Charles Quinn | Fri 23rd February 2024 - 7:44 pm

It’s been the busiest week so far this year for local council by-elections – with 8 principal council elections taking places. The first bit of great news is there was a Liberal Democrat candidate in every single contest and thanks to our excellent candidates and local teams on the ground we can celebrate some excellent results. 

There was one Lib Dem gain on Thursday which came on Wiltshire Council in Calne, Chilvester and Abberd ward. Congratulations to Councillor Rob MacNaughton and the local Lib Dem for increasing the Lib Dem vote share by 18% and gaining the ward from the Conservatives. An amazing result and already our fourth by-election gain this year.  

Wiltshire UA, Calne, Chilvester and Abberd
Liberal Democrats (Robert Macnaughton): 424 (45.3%, +18.1)
Conservative: 283 (30.2%, -16.8%)
Labour: 172 (18.4%, +3.7%)
Green Party: 58 (6.2%, -5%)

There were two by elections on Buckinghamshire Council this week – and both saw the Lib Dems secure very positive results with significantly improvements in our share of the vote. 

A huge well done to Carol Linton who finished a close second to the Conservatives in Common and Burnham Beeches ward. Carol increased the Lib Dem vote share by over 11% and picked 41.5% of the total vote. A brilliant base to being upon. 

Similarly Mark Titterington increased the Lib Dem vote by over 13% in Hazelmere ward to finish in a very strong 3rd place – and cutting the gap to the winning Conservative candidate from 1000 at the last election to just over 200 this time!

Well done to both candidates and the local team in Buckinghamshire. 

Buckinghamshire UA, Common and Burnham Beeches
Conservative: 860 (51.8%, -4.2%)
Liberal Democrats (Carol Linton): 689 (41.5%, +11.2%)
Labour: 111 (6.7%, -7%)

Buckinghamshire UA, Hazelmere
Conservative: 687 (36.5%, -4.2%)
Independent: 654 (34.8%, -5.8%)
Liberal Democrats (Mark Titterington): 426 (22.7%, +13.4%)
Labour: 113 (6%, -3.5%)

There were also 2 by-elections on Derbyshire Dales DC. 

First of all in Bakewell ward, Claire Cadogan increased the Lib Dem vote share by 5% and jumped ahead of the Green Party to claim 3rd place. A great step forwards so well done and thank you to Claire. Labour gained the ward from the Conservatives overall squeezing in by 15 votes. 

Robin Shirtcliffe flew the flag for the Lib Dems in Norbury ward. The Lib Dems did not contest the ward at the previous election. So a huge thank you to Rob for making sure voters had a Lib Dem choice this time. The Conservatives held the ward overall. 

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Caron Lindsay

A great gain and 2 strong holds in this week’s by-elections

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 18th February 2024 - 11:04 am

There were a couple of great results in this week’s local government by-elections.

In the Four Marks and Medstead ward of East Hampshire District Council, Roland Richardson held on to the seat with 62.2% of the vote! Thanks to ALDC for compiling the results.

Also in Hertfordshire, Caroline Smith-Wright held the Tring West and Rural ward on Dacorum District Council with an even greater vote share.

DACORUM DC; Tring West & Rural Ward

🔵 Con, , 21.1%, -3.0%
🔴 Lab, , 7.6%, -0.3%
🔶SMITH-WRIGHT, Caroline, LibDem, , 62.7%, +12.8%
🟢 Green, , 8.6%, -9.6%

EAST HAMPSHIRE DC; Four Marks & Medstead

🔶 RICHARDSON, Roland, LibDem, 1212, 62.2%, +11.7%
🔵 Con, 736, 37.8%, -11.7%

Avenue ward in Hull has been the site of many a good scrap between us and Labour over the years. The ward was represented by ALDC’s Abi Bell until she stood down a couple of years ago and in this year’s local elections returned 2 Labour and 1 Lib Dem Councillor.

That changed on Thursday when Rhiannon Beeson took a seat from Labour:

KINGSTON-UPON-HULL UA; Avenue

🔶 BEESON, Rhiannon, LibDem, 45.7%, +4,3%
🔵 Con, 1.7, -1.3%
🟢 Green, 7.6%, +7.6%
🔘 Ind, 5.3%, +5.3%
🔴 Lab, 39.7%,-8.7%

And thanks to Susan Jay for standing for us and making sure people had the chance to vote Lib Dem in the Rhos ward of Neath Port Talbot

Lab, 137, 14.5%, -30.9%
🔶 JAY, Susan Helen, LibDem, 60, +6.3%, +6.3%
🟢 Green, 15, 1.6%, +1.6%
🟩 Plaid, 242, 25.5%, -29.1%
🔘 Ind, 494, 52.1%, +52.1%

Elsewhere, the two parliamentary by-elections have taken up most of the headlines. The Wellingborough and Kingswood seats were not great prospects for us, but we did have excellent candidates in Andrew Brown and Ana Savage Gunn. We lost our deposits, but that happens in seats where we are not in competition. These were not the same kind of places as the four by-election seats we have gained in this Parliament.

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Charles Quinn

ALDC By-Election report – 8 February 2024

By Charles Quinn | Sat 10th February 2024 - 11:12 am

There were 4 principal by-elections this week on a soggy and snowy Thursday. 

We start with a cracking result on West Northamptonshire Council where Councillor Carl Squires gained East Hunsbury and Shelfleys ward from the Conservatives. Carl overcame a 1000 vote Conservative majority and took the seat from 3rd place in 2021 – increasing the Lib Dem vote share by over 15%! Congratulations to Carl and the West Northamptonshire Lib Dem team. 

West Northamptonshire Council, East Hunsbury and Shelfleys
Liberal Democrats (Carl Squires): 820 (38.8%, +15.8)
Conservative: 746 (35.3%, -16.9)
Labour: 547 (25.9%, +1.1)

Thank you to Lib Dem candidate Andrew Joyce for standing in Criccieth ward on Gwynedd Council and giving voters a Lib Dem option on the ballot paper. Plaid Cymru gained the seat from an Independent councillor. 

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Charles Quinn

ALDC’s by-election report -23 November 2023

By Charles Quinn | Fri 24th November 2023 - 7:46 pm

It has been a relatively quiet week for principal council by-elections – but a very successful one for the Lib Dems. Of the 3 elections held we won 2 of them! With one hold and one gain we are the undisputable winners this week!

The first election was held on Wednesday on Powys County Council in Wales in Talybont-on-Usk ward. Congratulations to Councillor Raith Devlin and the team in Powys on

…

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The Voice

ALDC Campaigner awards – submit your nominations now

By The Voice | Sat 29th July 2023 - 11:29 am

Last week, we invited you to submit your nominations for the Party Awards which will be presented at Conference.

This week, ALDC invited nominations for their equivalent of the Oscars for Lib Dem campaigners. You don’t have to be a member of ALDC to nominate but, let’s face it, if you have anything at all to o with campaigning, you should be a member of ALDC anyway, because you are more likely to win.

From their website:

Each year, we recognise the outstanding work and achievements of Liberal Democrat councillors, campaigners and campaign teams through our Campaigner Awards. And nominations are now open for 2023, sponsored by our print partners, Election Workshop.

THE  CATEGORIES

Best literature – We’re looking for local parties’ examples of well-designed literature with strong messaging, photos and layout. We want to see your best.

Best local election campaign – We’re looking for local parties that have fought effective and strong 2023 local election campaigns. Tell us about your winning strategy. What innovative new ideas did you use? What great literature did you deliver? Did you develop a digital strategy and run a successful online campaign? How did you raise the funds to support your campaign?

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Caron Lindsay

Lib Dems score historic by-election win in Edinburgh

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 11th March 2023 - 2:30 pm

Lib Dem Fiona Bennett became our 13th Councillor in Edinburgh at just before midnight on Thursday, securing our highest ever vote in a local government by-election in Scotland. We are now the second largest group on the Council behind the SNP’s 17, Labour’s 11,  Greens’ 10 and Conservatives 9.

Here’s Alex Cole-Hamilton gloating  talking about it on yesterday’s Good Morning Scotland ahead of our Conference in Dundee.

Fiona becomes the 3rd councillor in the 3 member Corstorphine/Murrayfield ward which is in Christine Jardine’s Westminster constituency and Alex Cole-Hamilton’s Holyrood seat. She gained the seat in the by-election caused by the resignation of SNP former Lord Provost Frank Ross.

The unexpected passing of the Lib Dem budget two weeks ago means that she will have £11 million for pothole fixing. Which is a good thing. I almost got a concussion as the bus drove over the potholes on Corstorphine Road yesterday on my way to work.

As Christine Jardine told Scottish Conference in her best M and S ad voice yesterday, this is not just representation, this is Lib Dem representation.

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election report – 27th October 2022.

By Charles Quinn | Fri 28th October 2022 - 4:04 pm

There were only two principal council by-elections this week. The very good news is there were Lib Dem candidates in both of them, and both achieved positive results that moved the Lib Dems forward in the ward. So well done and thank you to everyone involved.

We start in the East Midlands on Derbyshire County Council where our candidate Rachel Allen achieved an impressive result in Long Eaton ward – increasing the Lib Dem vote share by 5% and jumping into 3rd place. Well done to Rachel and the team in Derbyshire! Labour gained the seat from the Conservatives.

Derbyshire CC, Long Eaton
Labour: 1104 (51.1%, +15.1%)
Conservative: 723 (33.5%, -16.5%)
Liberal Democrat (Rachel Allen): 239 (11.1%, +5.1%)
Green: 94 (4.4%, -1.6%)

Next we move over to the West Midlands to Sandwell MBC and Wednesbury South ward. Thank you to Manjit Singh Lall, for not only standing and making sure there was a Lib Dem on the ballot paper, but also finishing an impressive 3rd out of 5 candidates. This is the first time we had stood in the ward since a by-election in October 2009! Finishing so high up is a great achievements and it just goes to show the importance of always standing a candidate!

Sandwell MBC, Wednesbury South
Labour: 854 (51.3%, -6.3%)
Conservative: 654
Liberal Democrat (Manjit Singh Lall): 77 (4.6%, from nowhere)
Green: 56 (3.4%, from nowhere)
TUSC: 23 (1.3%, from nowhere)

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election report – 20 October 2022

By Charles Quinn | Fri 21st October 2022 - 8:05 pm

It has been a slightly mixed week for the Lib Dems in by-elections – with both fantastic gains and some tough losses. A huge positive is there were Liberal Democrat candidates in all 5 principal by-elections on Thursday night.

It’s important to stand a candidate in all by-elections and give voters the opportunity to support the Lib Dems – and we did this in every by-election this week. So thank you to everyone who stood for us.

We start the roundup with a superb gain on Guildford Borough Council from the Conservatives. Congratulations to Councillor Richard Morris and the local team for gaining Tillingbourne ward with a 16% increase in the vote.

Guildford BC, Tillingbourne ward
Liberal Democrat (Richard Morris): 636
Conservative: 293
Residents for Guildford & Villages: 185
Green: 168
Labour: 85

We were extremely unlucky in Fareham Borough Council as we lost Porchester East ward by just 25 votes. It is always gutting to lose out by such a tiny margin. Thank you the our candidate Ciaran Urry-Tuttiett and the Lib Dem team there for all your hard work.

Fareham BC, Porchester East ward
Conservative: 957
Liberal Democrat (Ciaran Urry-Tuttiett): 932
Labour: 379
Independent: 275

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Charles Quinn

ALDC By-Election Report

By Charles Quinn | Sun 2nd October 2022 - 2:20 pm

It was a busy week for by-elections with 9 principal Council seats up for grabs – and some great Lib Dem results.

We start with a brilliant double victory in Warrington. Two Lib Dem held seats were being contested in Grapenhall ward and both were brilliantly retained by new Lib Dem councillors Helen Speed and Mark Browne who together polled over 56.4% of the vote (almost a 10% increase in Lib Dem vote share. Well done to Helen, Mark and the local team in Warrington!

Warrington MBC, Grapenhall ward
Liberal Democrat (Helen Speed and Mark Browne): 1073 & 1047
Conservative: 524 & 462
Labour: 193
Independent: 60

We had another great Lib Dem hold on Harborough DC as Lib Dem Geraldine Whitmore won Market Harborough Logan ward – increasing the Lib Dem vote share by over 10%! Well done and congratulations to Cllr Whitmore and the local Lib Dem in Harborough.

Harborough DC, Market Harborough Logan ward
Liberal Democrat (Geraldine Whitmore): 582
Conservative: 382
Labour: 250
Independent: 60

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election report 18th August

By Charles Quinn | Fri 19th August 2022 - 5:13 pm

There were only two principal authority by-elections this week.

However one saw a fantastic Lib Dem hold on Cambridge City Council. Congratulations to Cllr David Levien and the team for making sure Trumpington ward remained Lib Dem with an increased vote-share and a fraction under 50% of the vote. A fantastic result!

Cambridge City Council, Trumpington ward
Liberal Democrat (David Levien): 1,017
Labour: 472
Green: 298
Conservative: 256

There was no candidate in Thursday’s other by-election – in which an Independent took the seat of Preesall on Wyre Borough Council from the Conservatives.

Wyre BC, Preesall ward
Independent: 595
Conservative: 495
Labour: 315
Independent: 102

A full summary of all results can be found on the ALDC by-elections page here.

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election report 21st July

By Charles Quinn | Fri 22nd July 2022 - 5:59 pm

This week saw some fantastic results for Lib Dem teams in local by-elections – and in particular a couple of amazingly close second-place finishes in wards that we had not even contested in the previous election!

The first results comes from South Staffordshire District Council where Lib Dem candidate Sam Harper-Wallis was just 10 votes off a sensational victory in Penkridge North East & Acton Trussel ward. This is even more impressive as the seat had been uncontested at the previous election. This goes to show the importance of always standing a candidate. We now have a great base to start from next time.

Well done to everyone involved – and congratulations to Sam who was successfully elected to Penkridge Parish Council on the same evening. You can find the full result of that election here. Well done too to Keith Pincher for standing in a Swindon Parish Council by-election – also in the South Staffordshire area – and coming just 30 votes short from taking the seat. Full result here.

South Staffordshire DC, Penkridge North East & Acton Trussel
Conservative: 388
Liberal Democrat (Sam Harper-Wallis): 378
Labour: 45

The next fantastic result comes from Harbour ward on Lancaster City Council. The Lib Dems had not stood a candidate in the previous election in the ward. But in this by-election Jake Perkin and the local Lib Dem team achieved a fantastic 41.4% share of the vote and coming within 76 votes of taking the seat. Well done to Jake and the team on a superb result that puts us in a great position to take the ward next time.

Lancaster City Council, Harbour
Labour: 555
Liberal Democrat (Jake Perkin): 479
Conservative: 124

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Max Langer

Reviewing how we campaign

By Max Langer | Sat 2nd July 2022 - 8:30 am

Liberal Democrat campaigns are well known for their strong community focus, their mountains of leaflets and their incessant door knocking. This strategy has shown some success from Chesham and Amersham to Tiverton and Honiton, to our great local election results.

However, to say that this is the only way to win elections would be short sighted. We’ve seen right wing forces like Trump and the Brexit campaign effectively harness digital technologies and micro targeting to win against the odds. But is this something that we should be doing?

Some academics have looked to answer these questions, showing how digital techniques have grown in importance. However, these studies have often overlooked local elections and their key role in our politics. I want to change this.

I’m studying Public and Political Communications at the University of Sheffield and am researching how Liberal Democrats campaign, and most importantly, what campaigning methods work. This interest has come from several years of working as a Lib Dem local organiser and for ALDC.

This study will look at the 2022 local elections and seek to determine, based on statistical analysis, which campaigning methods contributed most to our impressive victories. Is canvassing more important than direct mail? Is Facebook more important than Instagram?

But, to do this I need your help.

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Frankie Singleton

ALDC by-election report, 24th June

By Frankie Singleton | Fri 24th June 2022 - 3:12 pm

Thursday was a brilliant day to be a Liberal Democrat! Building on our strong start to the year, we won every principal authority seat we were contesting, in addition to the ground shaking win in Tiverton and Honiton! The result in Tiverton and Honiton, over-turning a 24,000 vote majority, handed the Tories their worst by-election defeat in history. What a result! Congratulations must go out to all our teams across the country who worked so hard for these results.

We start off on Shropshire Council, where newly elected Lib Dem councillor Mark Williams gained the Highley seat from the Independent – from a standing start! The Lib Dems didn’t stand last time, so this really is a fantastic result. Congratulations to Mark and the Shropshire team.

Shropshire Council, Highley ward
Liberal Democrat (Mark Williams): 630
Conservative: 279
Labour: 239
Green Party:

Next to Waverley Borough Council – Hindhead, where Lib Dem Julian Spence also had a fantastic night – winning 54.6% of the vote and taking the seat from the Conservatives. Congratulations to Julian and the team for a brilliant GAIN.

Waverley Borough Council, Hindhead
Liberal Democrat (Julian Spence): 537
Conservative: 446

We also had another phenomenal night in Kingston, where there was a deferred election on new boundaries. Once again, the team smashed it, taking all three seats that were up for election. Congratulations to Cllrs Mark Durrant, Dongsung (Robert) Kim, and Lesley Heap!

Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council, New Malden Village
Liberal Democrats: 1217, 1184, 1182
Green Party: 827
Kingston Independent Residents Group (KIRG): 724, 703
Conservative: 427, 372, 327
Labour: 436, 429, 37

We also had some fantastic results on both Godalming and Haslemere Town Councils, with Tom Kiehl holding our seat in Godalming, and Conrad Waters gaining a seat from the Conservatives in Haslemere. Congratulations to both teams!

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Paul Heilbron

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

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Charles Quinn

ALDC’s by-election report 10 March 2022 – two Lib Dem victories

By Charles Quinn | Sat 12th March 2022 - 11:30 am

The Lib Dems are celebrating two resounding victories in Hertfordshire this week. 

On Hertfordshire County Council we held the seat of Hitchin South with a majority of over 1700 votes and a 72% share of the vote. Our vote increased by a massive 34%. Well done to Councillor Keith Hoskins and the local Lib Dem team on a brilliant result:

Hertfordshire County Council, Hitchin South ward
Liberal Democrat (Keith Hoskins): 2401
Conservative: 690
Green: 223
Christian People’s Alliance: 35

The Lib Dems held a further seat in Hitchin – this time Hitchin Highbury on North Hertfordshire District Council – with a fantastic 67% of the vote, a majority of just under 800 and an 18.5% increase in their share of the vote. 

Congratulations to Councillor Raj Bhakar and the team for a brilliant result. 

Well done to everyone in Hitchin on a fantastic night. 

North Hertfordshire District Council, Hitchin Highbury
Liberal Democrats (Raj Bhakar): 1238
Conservatives: 450
Green: 134
Christian People’s Alliance: 27

BBC: Hitchin: Lib Dems hold seats in council by-elections

There were two further by-elections on Thursday night. Neither were contested by the Lib Dems. 

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The Voice

Lib Dems mark International Women’s Day

By The Voice | Tue 8th March 2022 - 1:21 pm

Today is International Women’s Day and the event has been marked by senior party figures.

Christine Jardine reminds us of the especially poignant reason we celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March:

Welsh Lib Dem Leader Jane Dodds called for changes to make it more appealing for women to stand for election at all levels, but particularly local Government:

We urgently need our councils and politics to be more representative of communities they serve. If local governments are so unrepresentative of the population they serve, they cannot possibly hope to deliver for that community effectively.

“So this May I want to see more women from different backgrounds, different classes and different ethnicities standing for election. All political parties have a duty to encourage this. And if you are someone in a position of power of influence then make sure you ask them to stand.

“It may seem obvious, but my own political career wouldn’t have started had someone not asked me to stand for council elections. At the time, I had the same view of local Government that many women do, a club for white men over a certain age. I hadn’t thought of entering politics before because I hadn’t believed my voice would be listened to.

“However, we also need structural issues to be resolved. Introducing more flexible schedules for council meetings should be the top priority. Council meetings are often too long and involve unworkable and unsociable hours for those with family, caring and work commitments.

“Society works better when those making decisions are representative of the communities they serve and this International Women’s Day we must remind ourselves of what needs to be done to reach that.”

Lib Dem Women are using the day to highlight women candidates for May’s elections on their Twitter feed,kicking off with one of our most senior and experienced council leaders

ALDC is doing similar:

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Paul Heilbron

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.

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Charles Quinn

ALDC’s by-election report – 10 February 2022

By Charles Quinn | Sat 12th February 2022 - 12:45 pm

It has been a stonking week for the Lib Dems in this week’s by-elections – winning all 3 principal by-elections contested on Thursday night and coming within a whisker of taking a Town Council seat too.

In Eastleigh the local Lib Dem team held onto Eastleigh Central ward increasing their vote share by 7%.Congratulations to Cllr Bhavin Dedhia and the team on a great hold.

Eastleigh BC, Eastleigh Central ward
Liberal Democrat (Bhavin Dedhia): 781
Labour: 433
Conservative: 362
Green: 140
Reform: 64

In Somerset West and Taunton the Lib Dems gained the Independent seat of Alcombe with over 50% of the vote and a very impressive 16.7% increase in our share of the vote. Well done to newly elected Councillor Nicole Hawkins and everyone who helped on the campaign there.

Somerset West and Taunton DC, Alcombe ward
Liberal Democrat (Nicole Hawkins): 259
Conservative: 223
Labour: 21
Independent: 13

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Paul Heilbron

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.

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