Eight by-elections this week - six Conservative defences, one Labour defence and an open contest following the death of a UKIP councillor in Carlisle. The decline of UKIP was starkly evident in the latter, as they did not find a candidate to defend the seat. Both Labour and the Tories benefited from their absence, but it was Labour who took the seat.
Labour held in Luton, where the Lib Dems surged into second place from nowhere. That election also saw a rare outing for the Communist Party, but they finished last with just 28 votes.
Of the six Tory defences, they held five - including thumping victories in Bolton and Kinver, Staffordshire. They held in the other South Staffs election despite a major new threat in the form of the Green Party. They also held in Wrexham, although their majority was slashed here also. In South Kesteven there were two seats on offer and the Tories held easily in Grantham Arnoldfield, but lost to an independent in Stamford All Saints.
Bromley Cross, Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
Con: 1,732 (70.0%) +6.8%
Lab: 409 (16.5%) -5.6%
Grn: 165 (6.7%) -1.4%
BFC: 99 (4.0%) New
LDem: 68 (2.7%) -3.8%
Con HOLD
Currock & Upperby, Carlisle City Council
Lab: 636 (57.5%) +20.7%
Con: 412 (37.2%) +22.2%
Grn: 59 (5.3%) -6.3%
Lab GAIN from UKIP
South, Luton Borough Council
Lab: 547 (44.1%) +4.3%
LDem: 332 (26.8%) New
Con: 198 (16.0%) +0.1%
Ind: 134 (10.8%) -0.2%
CPB: 28 (2.3%) New
Lab HOLD
Grantham Arnoldfield, South Kesteven District Council
Con: 460 (65.0%) -8.9%
Lab: 136 (19.2%) -6.9%
Grn: 112 (15.8%) New
Con HOLD
Stamford All Saints, South Kesteven District Council
Ind: 496 (57.0%) New
Con: 214 (24.6%) -37.5%
Ind: 114 (13.1%) New
Ind: 46 (5.3%) New
Ind GAIN from Con
Kinver, South Staffordshire District Council
Con: 865 (74.1%) +29.3%
Grn: 154 (13.2%) -15.9%
Lab: 149 (12.8%) New
Con HOLD
Wombourne South East, South Staffordshire District Council
Con: 370 (50.3%) -22.7%
Grn: 323 (43.9%) New
Lab: 42 (5.7%) -21.3%
Con HOLD
Gresford East & West, Wrexham County Borough Council
Con: 351 (42.7%) -30.3%
LDem: 165 (20.1%) +10.1%
Plaid: 163 (19.8%) New
Lab: 132 (16.1%) -0.2%
RefUK: 6 (0.7%) New
Grn: 5 (0.6%) New
Con HOLD
Abbreviations
Con = Conservative
Lab = Labour
Grn = Green
LDem = Liberal Democrat
BFC = Bolton For Change
CPB = Communist Party of Britain
Plaid = Plaid Cymru
RefUK = Reform UK
Ind = Independents
