Four by-elections last night - two in Yorkshire, one in Liverpool and one in Kent. Labour finally broke a two-month old duck in which the party has failed to increase its vote share in a single council by-election since August. The sorry record was broken thanks to the Labour heartland of Liverpool, where the party increased its share by 5.5%. Coincidentally this was the same margin that affected the party in Kent, unfortunately going the other way. This election saw the Tory candidate take a seat from Labour with a whopping 21% vote surge. The Conservatives enjoyed a similar surge in both Yorkshire seats and were up marginally in Liverpool also.
Westcourt, Gravesham Borough Council
Con: 492 (50.1%) +21.0%
Lab: 314 (32.0%) -5.5%
UKIP: 116 (11.8%) -11.1%
Green: 60 (6.1%) New
Con GAIN from Lab
Hawes, High Abbotside & Upper Swaledale, Richmondshire District Council
Ind: 409 (58.7%) -26.0%
Con: 231 (33.1%) +17.8%
Green: 57 (8.2%) New
Ind HOLD
Princes Park, Liverpool City Council
Lab: 1,259 (73.1%) +5.5%
Green: 237 (13.8%) -5.6%
Lib Dem: 148 (8.6%) +3.6%
Con: 79 (4.6%) +1.2%
Lab HOLD
Upper Dales, North Yorkshire County Council
Con: 884 (45.7%) +16.2%
Ind: 741 (38.3%) -23.1%
Lib Dem: 204 (10.5%) New
Green: 107 (5.5%) +0.4%
Con GAIN from Ind
