Showing posts with label Derbyshire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Derbyshire. Show all posts

Tuesday, 3 March 2026

DR SANDHER'S MELTING POT MYTH

If a general election were held now, Labour's Jeevun Sandher would be toast.  His fellow MP wife - Louise Sandher-Jones - would also be a goner.  Even if the Greens and Lib Dems stood aside in their East Midlands seats, this couple would be departing the Westminster gravy train forthwith, such is the seismic electoral shift against the establishment.

Hence Mr and Mrs Sandher are desperate to hold onto their seats and their lucrative joint political career.  As most Labour MPs are these days, they are the kind of privileged bourgeois university-educated types who have never had a proper job in their lives.  Like Karl Mark himself, they are the kind of people dictating policies for a demographic that is alien to them, and who they secretly regard with total disgust.

For Mr Sandher's part, he tends to pump out regime sketches on social media, supporting the Starmer regime and party policy.  He uses the title 'Dr', but he is not a medical doctor, otherwise he would have probably sorted out his sinus problem as he speaks like he has a permanently blocked nose.  No, his doctorate is in 'political economics'.  This is a source of amusement for many social media users who bear witness to his little video clips, which quite often revolve around the dire imposition of net zero.

Sandher is aware of how the tide is turning and the knock on effect of every significant defeat at the ballot box for Labour.  As did countless PLP comrades of the 'centrist' persuasion, Sandher got himself across to Gorton and Denton for the recent by-election.  As has become customary, he made a little video along the way.  Walking across what appears to be open moorland, the bearded Sikh smears Reform's by-election candidate Matt Goodwin as 'not very British'.  Yes, seriously.

Watch below (two minute watch).


With regards to Sandher's opening salvo, Matt Goodwin denies that he has ever defined British people in such a way.  Certainly to do so may incur the wrath of his party leader, who has been increasingly critical of ethnic nationalism recently (in truth, he always has been).

Sandher goes on to invoke Winston Churchill for the second time in recent weeks and repeatedly uses the word 'our' to describe a collective Britishness.  He appears to suggest that Churchill would not pass the 'Goodwin test' that he made up, presumably because one of Churchill's grandparents was American.  However, Churchill's grandfather was of Western European descent - a French Huguenot - who are closely related to English people in terms of ethnicity, religion and culture.  Contrast that with Sandher himself, who claims to be just as British as the rest of us.  If that's the case, why was he specifically singled out to chair the All-Parliamentary Committee on Indian Affairs?  Why does he appear in an article of The Economic Times listing a record number of 'Indian-origin MPs'?

Yes, Britain has always been made up of different communities, but if these had repeatedly 'come together' as he suggests, we would have become a melting pot a long time ago and regional differences would have disappeared.  Why then, after thousands of years, is Welsh and Gaelic still spoken in isolated communities?  Why has Cornish only recently been driven to the brink of extinction?  Why are regional dialects only now beginning to die out (due to mass immigration)?

Migrant communities that have sprung up in the last century are no different in their desire to maintain their own secluded existence, in fact even more so.  If one goes to any big town or city, one can clearly see that these communities have certainly not 'come together'.  Our cities are heavily divided on ethnic lines and the recent Gorton and Denton by-election is a prime example.

Yes, people came from across the British Empire to fight in World War II, but they did not 'come together' in multi-culti regiments as Sandher would have you believe.  As for that 'fascist' sleight towards Reform UK, the old 'Nazi' jibe against anyone who is right of Labour is getting a bit tiresome now.

Thursday, 22 January 2026

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 22.01.26


Five seats were contested on Thursday, with two additional by-elections held in Derbyshire on Tuesday.  In those earlier elections, the Greens finally got a result they could truly celebrate, with an impressive gain from Reform.  Tuesday was a mixed evening for Reform, with the party gaining from Labour in the other seat.  These were also the first electoral outings for Ben Habib's Advance UK, with mixed results.  They did not have a particularly damaging effect on Reform in either seat, but this could change over time.

Labour lost to Reform again on Thursday, losing a seat in north Wales.  Their vote share was down across the board, finishing last in Norfolk and pushed into distant third by Reform in an embarrassing result north of the border.

Despite their gain on Tuesday, the Greens failed to impress elsewhere and their vote share was down in the four other seats the party contested.  This included two wooden spoons that included a particularly disastrous result in which they lost a seat to the Lib Dems.

It was a better week for the Tories, despite the notion of their looming demise gaining traction.  They managed to hold onto two seats, in spite of a decreased vote share in both.  Straws clutched.

Willaston & Thornton, Cheshire West and Chester Council

Con: 997 (53.8%) -7.1%
Lab: 318 (17.2%) -9.3%
Ref: 299 (16.1%) New
LDm: 132 (7.1%) +2.4%
Grn: 107 (5.8%) -2.2%

Con HOLD

The Rissingtons, Cotswold District Council

LDm: 321 (37.5%) New
Con: 268 (31.3%) -11.5%
Ref: 221 (25.8%) New
Grn: 47 (5.5%) -51.7%

LDm GAIN from Grn

Glenrothes West & Kinglassie, Fife Council

(first preference votes)

SNP: 1,167 (44.3%) -5.3%
Ref: 725 (27.5%) New
Lab: 413 (15.7%) -16.8%
Con: 182 (6.9%) -4.7%
LDm: 125 (4.7%) +0.9%
SFP: 25 (0.9%) New

SNP HOLD

Leeswood, Flintshire County Council

Ref: 160 (22.3%) New
Ind: 138 (19.2%) -5.6%
Ind: 135 (18.8%) +4.3%
Lab: 87 (12.1%) -48.5%
Ind: 79 (11.0%) New
LDm: 68 (9.5%) New
Con: 34 (4.7%) New
Ind: 17 (2.4%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

Central Wymondham, South Norfolk District Council

Con: 545 (31.1%) -4.6%
Grn: 454 (25.9%) -3.7%
Ref: 363 (20.7%) +15.1%
LDm: 211 (12.0%) New
Lab: 182 (10.4%) -18.8%

Con HOLD

The following contests were held on Tuesday.

Codnor, Langley Mill & Aldercar, Amber Valley Borough Council

Ref: 595 (45.6%) +24.1%
Lab: 249 (19.1%) -20.8%
Adv: 161 (12.3%) New
Con: 130 (10.0%) -15.3%
Grn: 77 (5.9%) -5.5%
Ind: 50 (3.8%) New
LDm: 42 (3.2%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

Horsley, Derbyshire County Council

Grn: 1,341 (43.6%) +16.7%
Ref: 1,091 (35.5%) +0.6%
Con: 426 (13.9%) -8.9%
Lab: 116 (3.8%) -6.5%
Adv: 57 (1.9%) New
LDm: 43 (1.4%) -2.0%

Grn GAIN from Ref

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative
Lab = Labour
Ref = Reform UK
LDm = Liberal Democrat
Grn = Green
SNP = Scottish National Party
SFP = Scottish Family Party
Adv = Advance UK
Ind = Independents and local groups

Thursday, 4 December 2025

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 04.12.25


Five seats were being contested on Thursday, following Tuesday's by-election in Derbyshire.  The Derbyshire vacancy arose through the resignation of one of last May's crop of Reform councillors.  Reform held the seat by a wafer thin majority of 23, with the second placed Tories having significantly closed the gap.

Reform took advantage of an even slimmer margin to take a Lib Dem seat in Middlesbrough, pipping the incumbents by just 13 votes.  Labour finished last here and the best they could muster on Thursday was a couple of fourth places.

Labour were on a proxy defence in Nottinghamshire, where the incumbent was elected as a Labour councillor before he left for the local independent group last January.  He passed away in August, sparking a by-election.  The Broxtowe Alliance to which he belonged easily held the seat, which was technically a gain from Labour.  Labour slumped from first to fourth.

We still await any solid evidence of the Green surge, who only managed to contest four of the six seats and couldn't achieve anything better than Labour's fourth place.  Still, that's better than anything achieved by the Fruit and Nuts of Sultana and Corbyn...

Stapleford South East, Broxtowe Borough Council

Ind: 388 (34.6%) New
Ref: 245 (21.9%) New
LDm: 149 (13.3%) -8.2%
Lab: 128 (11.4%) -14.7%
Con: 108 (9.6%) -9.5%
Ind: 102 (9.2%) New

Ind GAIN from Lab

Exmouth Halsdon, East Devon District Council

LDm: 551 (35.9%) -4.0%
Ref: 438 (28.5%) New
Con: 393 (25.6%) -4.1%
Grn: 153 (10.0%) New

LDm HOLD

Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough Borough Council

Ref: 563 (35.8%) New
LDm: 550 (35.0%) -1.3%
Con: 328 (20.9%) -14.2%
Grn: 79 (5.0%) New
Lab: 53 (3.3%) -6.7%

Ref GAIN from LDm

Winkleigh, Torridge District Council

LDm: 325 (42.3%) +8.7%
Ref: 252 (32.8%) New
Con: 191 (24.9%) -23.7%

LDm GAIN from Con

Tudor, Watford Borough Council

LDm: 821 (52.6%) +4.3%
Ref: 433 (27.2%) +17.8%
Con: 148 (9.3%) -10.5%
Lab: 111 (7.0%) -16.4%
Grn: 77 (4.8%) New

LDm HOLD

Long Eaton North, Derbyshire County Council

(held on Tuesday)

Ref: 745 (28.1%) -7.7%
Con: 722 (27.2%) +4.2%
Lab: 579 (21.8%) -2.7%
Grn: 314 (11.8%) +4.5%
LDm: 154 (5.8%) -3.6%
Ind: 141 (5.3%) New

Ref HOLD

Thursday, 6 November 2025

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 06.11.25


Eight seats were contested on Thursday, including two notional defences for Labour that they were destined to lose.  Both of these seats had been won by the outgoing councillor, having finished second and picking up a seat by way of multi-vacancy elections.

In Scotland, this was achieved by Cllr David Graham, trailing in behind the SNP.  Graham was thrown out of office earlier this year when he was convicted and jailed for grooming and sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl.  The 43-year-old is now serving a sentence of two years and five months.  As expected, the SNP took the seat this time around, with Labour being pushed into third by Reform UK.

You'd be mistaken for thinking that Labour may have stood a better chance of holding in Derbyshire, where they previously trailed behind an independent.  Not so.  This had been a Tory seat up until 2021, but independents topped the last two polls.  We expected this to go either independent or Reform this time around, but it was no contest as the independent candidate romped home with more than twice the Reform vote.  Labour crashed into fourth place, behind the Conservatives.

Labour's vote share was down in all of the seats it contested on Thursday, and down by double digits in all but one.

It was another good week for Reform and the Lib Dems.  Reform either topped the polls or came second in all the seats it contested, gaining two from independents and one from the Conservatives.  The Lib Dems managed to gain two seats, one each from the Conservatives and Greens.  The latter could not even muster a candidate to defend their seat, making yet more mockery of the supposed 'Green surge' hyped up by the media.  The best the Greens could achieve this week was a third place finish in Nottinghamshire, in which only four candidates stood.

Buckhaven, Methil & Wemyss Villages, Fife Council

(first preference votes)

SNP: 1,594 (42.6%) -4.8%
Ref: 1,080 (28.9%) New
Lab: 778 (20.8) -11.4%
LDm: 99 (2.6%) +0.3%
Alb: 83 (2.2%) +0.9%
Con: 64 (1.7%) -4.8%
Sov: 45 (1.2%) New

SNP GAIN from Lab (elected stage 6)

Fleckney, Harborough District Council

Ref: 551 (35.0%) New
LDm: 453 (28.7%) +2.1%
Con: 416 (26.4%) -6.0%
Grn: 102 (6.5%) -6.2%
Lab: 54 (3.4%) -11.6%

Ref GAIN from Con

Balderton North & Coddington, Newark and Sherwood District Council

Ref: 545 (42.0%) New
Con: 480 (37.0%) +5.0%
Grn: 173 (13.3%) New
Lab: 101 (7.8%) -8.6%

Ref GAIN from Ind

Castle, Newark and Sherwood District Council

Ref: 204 (29.0%) New
Con: 193 (27.4%) -4.0%
Lab: 88 (12.5%) -21.3%
Ind: 74 (10.5%) New
LDm: 70 (9.9%) New
Grn: 61 (8.7%) New
Ind: 14 (2.0%) New

Ref GAIN from Ind

Seales, South Derbyshire District Council

Ind: 713 (55.7%) New
Ref: 309 (24.1%) New
Con: 105 (8.2%) -14.1%
Lab: 82 (6.4%) -20.0%
LDm: 72 (5.6%) New

Ind GAIN from Lab

Westway, Tandridge District Council

LDm: 539 (42.3%) -0.6%
Ref: 420 (33.0%) New
Con: 202 (15.9%) -13.3%
Lab: 112 (8.8%) -19.1%

LDm GAIN from Con

Lingfield,  Crowhurst & Tandridge, Tandridge District Council

Ind: 457 (38.0%) +3.2%
Ref: 329 (27.3%) New
Ind: 158 (13.1%) New
Con: 128 (10.6%) -1.3%
LDm: 90 (7.5%) -1.4%
Lab: 42 (3.5%) -13.4%

Ind HOLD

Okehampton South, West Devon Borough Council

LDm: 356 (57.1%) New
Con: 152 (24.4%) -5.9%
Ind: 116 (18.6%) New

LDm GAIN from Grn

A further two by-elections were contested earlier in the week, taking place on the somewhat unorthodox day of Tuesday.  These were both Labour defences in Burnley, Lancashire.  The party lost both seats to independents and were pushed into distant third places by Reform in both seats.

Queensgate, Burnley Borough Council

Ind: 679 (55.7%) New
Ref: 240 (19.7%) New
Lab: 133 (10.9%) -9.1%
Grn: 71 (5.8%) New
Ind: 52 (4.3%) New
Con: 43 (3.5%) -7.2%

Ind GAIN from Lab

Lanehead, Burnley Borough Council

Ind: 706 (44.4%) New
Ref: 510 (32.1%) New
Lab: 262 (16.5%) -25.9%
Con: 61 (3.8%) -11.6%
Grn: 50 (3.1%) New

Ind GAIN from Lab

Abbreviations

SNP = Scottish National Party
Ref = Reform UK
Lab = Labour
LDm = Liberal Democrat
Alb = Alba
Con = Conservative
Sov = Sovereignty
Grn = Green
Ind = Independents and local residents' groups

Friday, 6 June 2025

BY-ELECTIONS 05.06.25


It was a busy Thursday this week, with a major by-election north of the border, plus eight council by-elections south of the border.

In Hamilton there was an MSP vacancy following the death of the SNP incumbent.  Usually such elections are a walkover for the defending party, but the declining popularity of the SNP saw the party lose to Labour and narrowly avoid a third place finish.  The SNP had been defending a 4,582 majority.  

Once again, Reform UK came from nowhere to push the main parties in a tight three-way contest.  Reform also enjoyed a significant swing from the SNP, in line with recent polling that suggested even some pro-independence voters were considering a vote for Reform.  We live in interesting times.

Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse, Scottish Parliament

(first past the post)

Lab: 8,559 (31.5%) -2.0%
SNP: 7,957 (29.4%) -16.8%
Ref: 7,088 (26.2%) New
Con: 1,621 (6.0%) -11.5%
Grn: 695 (2.6%) New
LDm: 533 (2.0%) -0.8%
SSP: 278 (1.0%) New
SFP: 219 (0.8%) New
Ind: 109 (0.4%) New
UKIP: 50 (0.2%) New

Lab GAIN from SNP

While Labour will be cock-a-hoop with the Holyrood result, the story further south was dismal.  They lost all three seats they were defending to Reform.  The Labour vote share was down in every single ward, ranging from a marginal 0.2 per cent to a whopping 50.5 per cent.

Reform also gained a seat from the Conservatives, while it was also a good night for the Lib Dems who held two and gained two, both from the Tories.

Somercotes, Amber Valley Borough Council

Ref: 396 (45.3%) New
Lab: 346 (39.6%) -27.0%
Con: 53 (6.1%) -15.1%
LDm: 48 (5.5%) -1.1%
Grn: 20 (2.3%) -3.3%
Ind: 11 (1.3%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

Fairstead, Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Ref: 289 (39.1%) New
LDm: 275 (37.2%) New
Lab: 118 (16.0%) -29.7%
Grn: 36 (4.9%) -16.9%
Ind: 21 (2.8%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

North Lynn, Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Ref: 278 (49.6%) New
LDm: 123 (22.0%) New
Lab: 107 (19.1%) -50.5%
Grn: 52 (9.3%) New

Ref GAIN from Lab

Frinton, Tendring District Council

Ref: 1,222 (57.2%) New
Con: 577 (27.0%) -15.0%
Lab: 168 (7.9%) -7.0%
Grn: 93 (4.3%) -8.0%
LDm: 78 (3.6%) New

Ref GAIN from Con

Burgess Hill North, West Sussex County Council

LDm: 1,088 (40.9%) n/c
Ref: 707 (26.6%) New
Con: 618 (23.3%) -14.9%
Grn: 153 (5.8%) -5.4%
Lab: 92 (4.7%) -5.0%

LDm HOLD

Hassocks & Burgess Hill South, West Sussex County Council

LDm: 1,694 (55.3%) -6.6%
Ref: 762 (24.9%) New
Con: 310 (10.1%) -15.9%
Grn: 175 (5.7%) New
Lab: 123 (4.0%) -8.1%

LDm HOLD

St Leonard's Forest, West Sussex County Council

LDm: 644 (32.5%) +2.2%
Ref: 584 (29.5%) New
Con: 401 (20.2%) -34.3%
Grn: 259 (13.1%) New
Lab: 94 (4.7%) -10.5%

LDm GAIN from Con

Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates, Wokingham Borough Council

LDm: 1,028 (31.2%) +3.2%
Lab: 793 (24.1%) -0.2%
Con: 788 (23.9%) -4.2%
Ref: 486 (14.8%) New
Grn: 189 (5.5%) -6.2%
TUS: 17 (0.5%) New

LDm GAIN from Con

Abbreviations

SNP = Scottish National Party
Lab = Labour
Ref = Reform UK
Con = Conservative
Grn = Green
LDm = Liberal Democrat
SSP = Scottish Socialist Party
SFP = Scottish Family Party
UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party
TUS = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Ind = Independent

Friday, 2 May 2025

COUNCIL RESULTS


23 council authorities held elections on Thursday, the vast majority of them county councils.  Labour were defending just one - the City of Doncaster - which they lost to Reform with a huge swing.  Ed Miliband and the rest of the local Labour MPs are likely to be toast based on these results, although a lot can change in four years.

The astonishing level of support for Reform meant that zero councils at the start of the day turned into ten by the end of it.  Eight of those gains came from the Conservatives, who had an exceptionally torrid day, losing control of every single council they were defending.  While Reform had an overall net gain of 677 council seats, the Tories had a net loss of 676.  It's no coincidence that these two figures are so close.  Reform are not just a threat to Labour, they are demolishing the Conservatives as well.

The only other party that won control of any councils on Thursday was the Lib Dems, who gained three in total.

The results are as follows.  The figures provided are the total number of council seats won per party and the difference in brackets from previous local elections.

Buckinghamshire County Council

Con: 46 (-31)
LDm: 27 (+19)
Ind: 13 (+6)
Lab: 5 (+1)
Ref: 3 (+3)
Grn: 3 (+2)

NOC GAIN from Con

Cambridgeshire County Council

LDm: 31 (+11)
Ref: 10 (+10)
Con: 10 (-18)
Lab: 5 (-4)
Grn: 3 (+3)
Ind: 2 (-2)

LDm GAIN from NOC

City of Doncaster Council

Ref: 37 (+37)
Lab: 12 (-28)
Con: 6 (-5)
Ind: 0 (-4)

Ref GAIN from Lab

Cornwall Council

Ref: 28 (+28)
LDm: 26 (+13)
Ind: 16 (n/c)
Con: 7 (-40)
Lab: 4 (-1)
Grn: 3 (+2)
MebK: 3 (-2)

NOC HOLD

Derbyshire County Council

Ref: 42 (+42)
Con: 12 (-33)
LDm: 3 (-1)
Lab: 3 (-11)
Ind: 2 (+2)
Grn: 2 (+1)

Ref GAIN from Con

Devon County Council

LDm: 27 (+18)
Ref: 18 (+18)
Con: 7 (-32)
Grn: 6 (+4)
Ind: 2 (-1)
Lab: 0 (-7)

NOC GAIN from Con

Durham County Council

Ref: 65 (+65)
LDm: 14 (+1)
Ind: 12 (-14)
Lab: 4 (-38)
Grn: 2 (+1)
Con: 1 (-15)

Ref GAIN from NOC

Gloucestershire County Council

LDm: 27 (+11)
Ref: 11 (+11)
Grn: 9 (+5)
Con: 6 (-24)
Ind: 1 (+1)
Lab: 1 (-4)

NOC HOLD

Hertfordshire County Council

LDm: 31 (+8)
Con: 22 (-24)
Ref: 14 (+14)
Grn: 5 (+4)
Lab: 5 (-2)
Ind: 1 (n/c)

NOC GAIN from Con

Kent County Council

Ref: 57 (+57)
LDm: 12 (+6)
Grn: 5 (+1)
Con: 5 (-57)
Lab: 2 (-5)
Ind: 0 (-1)
RA: 0 (-1)

Ref GAIN from Con

Lancashire County Council

Ref: 53 (+53)
Ind: 9 (+9)
Con: 8 (-40)
Lab: 5 (-27)
LDm: 5 (+3)
Grn: 4 (+2)

Ref GAIN from Con

Leicestershire County Council

Ref: 25 (+25)
Con: 15 (-27)
LDm: 11 (+2)
Lab: 2 (-2)
Grn: 1 (+1)
Ind: 1 (+1)

NOC GAIN from Con

Lincolnshire County Council

Ref: 44 (+44)
Con: 14 (-40)
LDm: 5 (+2)
Ind: 4 (-5)
Lab: 3 (-1)

Ref GAIN from Con

North Northamptonshire Council

Ref: 39 (+39)
Con: 13 (-37)
Grn: 8 (+5)
Lab: 4 (-8)
Ind: 1 (n/c)
LDm: 1 (+1)

Ref GAIN from Con

Northumberland County Council

Con: 26 (-10)
Ref: 23 (+23)
Lab: 8 (-12)
Ind: 7 (-1)
LDm: 3 (n/c)
Grn 2 (n/c)

NOC HOLD

Nottinghamshire County Council

Ref: 40 (+40)
Con: 17 (-19)
Lab: 4 (-10)
Ind: 2 (-1)
RA: 1 (-9)
LDm: 0 (-1)

Ref GAIN from Con

Oxfordshire County Council

LDm: 36 (+12)
Lab: 12 (-3)
Con: 10 (-15)
Grn: 7 (+4)
Ind: 2 (+1)
Ref: 1 (+1)
RA: 1 (n/c)

LDm GAIN from NOC

Shropshire County Council

LDm: 42 (+29)
Ref: 16 (+16)
Con: 7 (-38)
Grn: 4 (n/c)
Lab: 4 (-5)
Ind: 1 (-2)

LDm GAIN from Con

Staffordshire County Council

Ref: 49 (+49)
Con: 10 (-46)
Grn: 1 (+1)
Ind: 1 (n/c)
Lab: 0 (-4)

Ref GAIN from Con

Warwickshire County Council

Ref: 23 (+23)
LDm: 14 (+9)
Con: 9 (-33)
Grn: 7 (+4)
Lab: 3 (-3)
RA: 1 (n/c)

NOC GAIN from Con

West Northamptonshire Council

Ref: 42 (+42)
Con: 17 (-35)
Lab: 9 (-9)
LDm: 6 (+2)
Ind: 2 (n/c)

Ref GAIN from Con

Wiltshire County Council

LDm: 43 (+16)
Con: 37 (-24)
Ref: 10 (+10)
Ind: 7 (n/c)
Lab: 1 (-2)

NOC GAIN from Con

Worcestershire County Council

Ref: 27 (+27)
Con: 12 (-33)
Grn: 8 (+5)
LDm: 6 (+2)
Ind: 2 (n/c)
Lab: 2 (-1)

NOC GAIN from Con

Tuesday, 18 March 2025

RESPITE FOR REFORM?

Farage and Yusuf unveil almost 30 new councillors

The very public mudslinging that has wracked Reform UK in recent weeks won't go away, but Nigel Farage and chairman Zia Yusuf hoped to get the fledgling party back on track with a major announcement on Monday.  The pair announced 29 council defections to Reform from other parties or having previously been independents or members of local residents' groups.  26 of the new members were in attendance at the press conference.

Some of the defections actually occurred up to a month ago, such as the defections of Conservatives Kirk Harrison, Joanne Monk and Stephen Reed, who announced their defections weeks ago.  Clearly, Monday's event was intended as a distraction from the rumblings within.

Of the defections, 15 were Conservatives, 12 were independents or from local residents' groups (two of which had previously been Conservatives) and one each came from Labour and the Lib Dems.  Most of the new Reformers are county councillors.

These are the new Reform councillors that Farage named...
  • Cllr Heather Asker, Uttlesford District Council (was independent)
  • Cllr Stephen Atkinson, Ribble Valley Borough Council (was Conservative and leader of the council)
  • Cllr Bill Barrett, Ashford Borough Council (was independent, previously Conservative)
  • Cllr Felix Bloomfield, Oxfordshire County Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Mandy Clare, Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council (was Labour, reportedly left in opposition to trans ideology)
  • Cllr Stuart Davies, North Somerset Council (was independent)
  • Cllr Emma Ellison, Blackpool Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Paul Ellison, Wyre Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Robert Gibson, Lincolnshire County Council (was independent)
  • Cllr Kirk Harrison, North Northamptonshire Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Manzur Hasan, Lincolnshire County Council (was independent)
  • Cllr Cathy Hunt, Durham County Council (was independent)
  • Cllr Paul Irwin, Buckinghamshire District Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Claire Jonson-Wood, Powys County Council (was independent)
  • Cllr Reg Kain, Cheshire East Council (was Liberal Democrat)
  • Cllr Edward Kirk, Wiltshire Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Karl Lewis, Powys County Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Graham McAndrew, Hertfordshire County Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Iain McIntosh, Powys County Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Joanne Monk, Worcestershire County Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Geoff Morgan, Powys County Council (was independent)
  • Cllr Jan O'Hara, North Northamptonshire Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Christine Palmer, Swale Borough Council (was independent)
  • Cllr Richard Palmer, Swale Borough Council (was independent)
  • Cllr Stephen Reed, North East Derbyshire District Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Dirk Ross, Kent County Council (was independent, previously Conservative)
  • Cllr Matthew Salter, Lancashire County Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Vernon Smith, Gloucestershire County Council (was Conservative)
  • Cllr Thomas Sneath, South Holland District Council (was independent)
A further defection was announced in the form of Julian Kirk, who has resigned his seat on Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council in protest at delayed local elections.  He was an independent, having previously been a Conservative councillor.

These announcements came just as another existing Reform councillor quit the party, a member of East Riding Yorkshire Council.  Still, a big net gain for Farage with the news of such a large influx.

There was quite possibly more important news for Reform on Monday.  Convict MP Mike Amesbury has officially stood down as the member for Runcorn and Helsby, triggering the by-election we've all been waiting for.  This will be a huge indicator of Reform's electoral prowess and ability to shake off its recent troubles.  They remain odds on favourites with the bookies to win the Cheshire seat and those odds have now stabilised, having previously been drifting a little in response to the infighting.

There is no date for the Runcorn by-election as yet.

Friday, 15 November 2024

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 14.11.24


A dozen seats were up for election on Thursday, with Labour defending nine of them.  Two of those fell - both to the Lib Dems - and in both instances (Edinburgh and Oxfordshire) Labour crashed to third place.  Labour's vote share was down in all the seats it contested, except for two seats in Ayrshire.

Colinton & Fairmilehead, City of Edinburgh Council

(First preference votes)

LDm: 2,683 (36.3%) +23.8%
Con: 1,454 (19.6%) -10.3%
Lab: 1,441 (19.5%) -13.9%
SNP: 800 (10.8%) -6.4%
Grn: 393 (5.3%) -0.1%
Ref: 268 (3.6%) New
Ind: 173 (2.3%) New
Ind: 57 (0.8%) New
SFP: 51 (0.7%) -0.9%
Ind: 50 (0.7%) New
Ind: 22 (0.3%) New
SLP: 9 (0.1%) New

LDm GAIN from Lab (elected stage TBC)

Calver & Longstone, Derbyshire Dales District Council

Con: 290 (47.6%) +2.2%
Grn: 263 (43.2%) -11.4%
Lab: 56 (9.2%) New

Con GAIN from Grn

Doon Valley, East Ayrshire Council

(First preference votes)

Lab: 516 (32.4%) +9.1%
Con: 410 (25.6%) +8.9%
SNP: 379 (23.7%) +2.9%
Ind: 172 (10.7%) New
LDm: 68 (4.2%) New
Grn: 48 (3.0%) New
Ind: 9 (0.6%) New

Lab HOLD (elected stage TBC)

Kilmarnock West & Crosshouse, East Ayrshire Council

(First preference votes)

Lab: 1,213 (39.4%) +11.1%
SNP: 1,025 (33.3%) -5.1%
Con: 623 (20.2%) -1.8%
LDm: 145 (4.7%) New
Ind: 75 (2.4%) New

Lab HOLD (elected stage TBC)

Shooters Hill, Greenwich London Borough Council

Lab: 1,043 (57.9%) -1.6%
Con: 237 (13.2%) -0.8%
Grn: 185 (10.3%) -4.8%
Ref: 179 (9.9%) +7.1%
LDm: 158 (8.8%) +0.1%

Lab HOLD

Bradwell, Milton Keynes City Council

LDm: 1,129 (56.1%) +2.3%
Lab: 329 (16.3%) -8.6%
Ref: 228 (11.3%) New
Con: 226 (11.2%) -2.5%
Grn: 101 (5.0%) -2.5%

LDm HOLD

Broughton, Milton Keynes City Council

LDm: 1,169 (51.5%) +5.6%
Con: 541 (23.8%) -2.2%
Lab: 360 (15.9%) -5.5%
Grn: 138 (6.1%) +1.2%
Hrt: 61 (2.7%) +0.9%

LDm HOLD

Wanstead Park, Redbridge London Borough Council

Lab: 934 (46.9%) -5.5%
Con: 349 (17.5%) -1.5%
Ind: 284 (14.2%) New
Grn: 222 (11.1%) -7.5%
LDm: 109 (5.5%) -4.6%
Ref: 95 (4.8%) New

Lab HOLD

Hadley & Leegomery, Telford and Wrekin Council

Lab: 778 (45.3%) -11.8%
Con: 539 (31.4%) +16.7%
Ref: 274 (15.9%) New
Grn: 75 (4.4%) -3.1%
LDm: 53 (3.1%) New

Lab HOLD

The Nedge, Telford and Wrekin Council

Lab: 636 (33.8%) -20.6%
Con: 620 (33.0%) +7.0%
Ref: 427 (22.7%)  New
Grn: 84 (4.5%) New
Ind: 61 (3.2%) -6.6%
LDm: 53 (2.8%) -7.0%

Lab HOLD

Whitburn & Blackburn, West Lothian Council

(First preference votes)

Lab: 1,093 (30.9%) -6.7%
SNP: 1,022 (28.9%) -9.8%
Ref: 578 (16.3%) New
Ind: 421 (11.9%) New
Con: 239 (6.7%) -11.7%
LDm: 97 (2.7%) +0.3%
Grn: 92 (2.6%) -0.5%

Lab HOLD (elected stage 7)

Chipping Norton, West Oxfordshire District Council

LDm: 403 (31.3%) +24.6%
Con: 383 (29.7%) +9.0%
Lab: 350 (27.2%) -34.2%
Grn: 152 (11.8%) +0.5%

LDm GAIN from Lab

Abbreviations

LDm = Liberal Democrat
Con = Conservative
Lab = Labour
SNP = Scottish National Party
Grn = Green
Ref = Reform UK
SFP = Scottish Family Party
SLP = Scottish Libertarian Party
Hrt = Heritage
Ind = Independents

Friday, 11 October 2024

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 10.10.24


There were a whopping 20 council seats up for grabs on Thursday, over half of which Labour were defending.  The Labour vote was down in all but two of the seats they contested.  In four seats the Labour vote was down by over 20 per cent and they lost four of the eleven seats they were defending.  The Tories took two of those seats, while the Greens and Lib Dems took one each.

The Conservatives also gained an additional three seats, two of which from independents and one from the Lib Dems.

St Michael's, Coventry City Council

Lab: 899 (49.1%) -20.7%
TUS: 327 (17.9%) +4.2%
WPB: 212 (11.6%) New
Con: 145 (7.9%) -2.0%
Grn: 86 (5.2%) -1.4%
Ind: 94 (5.1%) -0.1%
LDm: 57 (3.1%) -1.0%

Lab HOLD

Hanger Hill, Ealing London Borough Council

LDm: 1,655 (52.3%) +19.3%
Con: 814 (25.7%) -5.1%
Lab: 315 (10.0%) -13.3%
Grn: 245 (7.7%) -5.1%
Ref: 98 (3.1%) New
WPB: 35 (1.1%) New

LDm HOLD

Northolt Mandeville, Ealing London Borough Council

Lab: 1,126 (44.7%) -10.3%
Con:730  (29.0%) +2.5%
Ref: 271 (10.8%) New
Grn: 199 (7.9%) -3.9%
LDm: 114 (4.5%) -2.2%
WPB: 90 (3.2%) New

Lab HOLD

South Acton, Ealing London Borough Council

Lab: 1,009 (48.5%) -1.2%
Con: 303 (14.6%) -0.9%
Grn: 287 (13.8%) -6.1%
LDm: 208 (10.0%) -1.8%
Ref: 159 (7.6%) New
Ind: 65 (3.1%) New
WPB: 32 (1.5%) New
TUS: 18 (0.9%) -0.3%

Lab HOLD

Hersham Village, Elmbridge Borough Council

Con: 1,029 (55.4%) +11.0%
LDm: 736 (39.6%) -5.5%
Lab: 94 (5.1%) -5.5%

Con GAIN from LDm

Weybridge St George's Hill, Elmbridge Borough Council

Con: 608 (46.0%) -5.5%
Ind: 598 (45.2%) +9.3%
Grn: 116 (8.8%) New

Con HOLD

Warton, Fylde Borough Council

Con: 351 (51.2%) +20.2%
Ind: 223 (32.5%) New
Lab: 78 (11.4%) -16.7%
Grn: 34 (5.0%) New

Con GAIN from Ind

Little Parndon & Town Centre, Harlow District Council

Lab: 511 (50.2%) -9.2%
Con: 227 (22.3%) -8.0%
Ref: 201 (19.7%) New
Grn: 56 (5.5%) -4.9%
UKIP: 23 (2.3%) New

Lab HOLD

Farnley & Wortley, Leeds City Council

Grn: 1,450 (38.7%) +4.7%
Lab: 965 (25.8%) -22.2%
Ref: 912 (24.4%) New
Con: 202 (5.4%) -12.5%
LDm: 118 (3.2%) New
Ind: 70 (1.9%) New
SDP: 26 (0.7%) -0.9%

Grn GAIN from Lab

Wivelsfield, Lewes District Council

Grn: 315 (42.3%) -10.3%
LDm: 216 (29.0%) +18.2%
Con: 213 (28.6%) -7.9%

Grn HOLD

Clay Cross North, North East Derbyshire District Council

Con: 624 (51.0%) +10.1%
Lab: 356 (29.1%) -21.2%
LDm: 175 (14.3%) +5.5%
Grn: 69 (5.6%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Fortissat, North Lanarkshire Council

(first preference votes)

Lab: 807 (36.6%) +0.1%
Ind: 529 (24.0%) New
SNP: 447 (20.3%) -10.6%
BUP: 241 (10.9%) -7.9%
Con: 124 (5.6%) -5.6%
LDm: 57 (2.6%) New

Lab HOLD (stage TBC)

Mossend & Holytown, North Lanarkshire Council

(first preferences votes)

Lab: 616 (36.5%) -2.9%
SNP: 586 (34.8%) -7.8%
Ref: 263 (15.6%) New
Con: 127 (7.5%) -5.3%
LDm: 83 (4.9%) New
UKIP: 11 (0.7%) New

Lab HOLD (elected at stage 5)

Burton & Broughton, North Northamptonshire Council

Con: 939 (46.4)% -2.8%
Grn: 489 (24.2%) -7.9%
LDm: 337 (16.6%) -12.7%
Lab: 260 (12.8%) -16.5%

Con HOLD

The Havens, Pembrokeshire County Council

Con: 365 (49.1%) +7.8%
Ind: 201 (27.0%) New
LDm: 145 (18.1%) New
Ind: 43 (5.8%) New

Con GAIN from Ind

Addlestone South, Runnymede Borough Council

Con: 520 (55.9%) +11.6%
Lab: 262 (28.2%) +3.5%
LDm: 83 (9.1%) New
Grn: 43 (6.8%) -6.0%

Con HOLD

Shirley, Southampton City Council

LDm: 1,249 (39.2%) +25.6%
Con: 770 (24.2%) -4.4%
Lab: 764 (24.0%) -19.5%
Grn: 241 (7.6%) -4.7%
Ind: 117 (3.7%) New
TUS: 44 (1.4%) New

LDm GAIN from Lab

Bamber Bridge West, South Ribble Borough Council

Lab: 253 (44.8%) -21.6%
Con: 186 (32.9%) -0.7%
LDm: 126 (22.3%) New

Lab HOLD

Hoxne & Eye, Suffolk County Council

Con: 895 (45.3%) +0.3%
Grn: 891 (45.1%) New
LDm: 102 (5.2%) -14.0%
Lab: 89 (4.5%) -10.4%

Con HOLD

Heene, Worthing Borough Council

Con: 742 (42.1%) +6.6%
Lab: 704 (39.9%) -13.6%
Grn: 186 (10.5%) -0.5%
LDm: 132 (7.5%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour
TUS = Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition
WPB = Workers Party of Britain
Con = Conservative
Grn = Green
LDm = Liberal Democrat
Ref = Reform UK
UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party
SDP = Social Democratic Party
SNP = Scottish National Party
BUP = British Unionist Party
Ind = Independents and local groups

Friday, 3 May 2024

POLICE & CRIME COMMISSIONERS 2024

The results of the police and crime commissioner elections will appear below as they come in.

Avon & Somerset

Clare Moody (Lab) 95,982 (32.3%) +8.6%
Mark Shelford (Con) 91,006 (30.6%) -4.1%
Katy Grant (Grn) 64,623 (21.7%) +5.3%
Benet Allen (LDem) 45,864 (15.4%) +2.0%

Lab GAIN from Con

Bedfordshire

John Tizard (Lab) 40,745 (40.5%) +5.5%
Festus Akinbusoye (Con) 35,688 (35.5%) -6.9%
Jasbir Singh Parmar (LDem) 15,857 (15.8%) -2.7%
Waheed Akbar (WkP) 8,396 (8.3%) New

Lab GAIN from Con

Cambridgeshire

Darryl Preston (Con) 61,688 (38.1%) -4.8%
Anna Smith (Lab) 58,304 (36.0%) +4.7%
Edna Murphy (LDem) 41,984 (25.9%) +3.6%

Con HOLD

Cheshire

Dan Price (Lab) 86,279 (48.1%) +10.8%
John Dwyer (Con) 65,836 (36.7%) -7.9%
Paul Duffy (LDem) 27,342 (15.2%) +0.7%

Lab GAIN from Con

Cleveland

Matt Storey (Lab) 65,418 (52.6%) +23.7%
Steve Turner (Con) 58,977 (47.4%) -6.8%

Lab GAIN from Con

Cumbria

David Allen (Lab) 38,708 (47.4%) +21.3%
Mike Johnson (Con) 24,863 (30.4%) -23.1%
Adrian Waite (LDem) 18,100 (22.2%) +1.8%

Lab GAIN from Con

Derbyshire

Nicolle Ndiweni (Lab) 93,260 (43.6%) +6.1%
Angelique Foster (Con) 65,293 (30.5%) -25.5%
Russell Armstrong (RefUK) 32,944 (15.4%) +11.6%
David Hancock (LDem) 22,540 (12.1%) +2.8%

Lab GAIN from Con

Devon & Cornwall

Alison Hernandez (Con) 131,764 (43.3%) -6.7%
Daniel Steel (Lab) 107,897 (35.4%) +15.2%
Steve Lodge (LDem) 64,790 (21.3%) +3.4%

Con HOLD

Dorset

David Sidwick (Con) 57,994 (38.2%) -4.3%
Howard Legg (LDem) 34,774 (22.9%) +11.1%
Marianne Storey (Ind) 32,237 (21.2%) New
David Stokes (Lab) 26,884 (17.7%) +6.8%

Con HOLD

Durham

Joy Allen (Lab) 66,852 (56.0%) +12.2%
Rob Potts (Con) 37,773 (31.7%) -11.3%
Nigel Boddy (LDem) 14,678 (12.3%) -0.9%

Lab HOLD

Dyfed-Powys

Dafydd Llywelyn (Plaid) 31,323 (40.9%) -7.3%
Ian Harrison (Con) 19,134 (25.0%) -9.0%
Philippa Thompson (Lab) 18,353 (24.0%) +0.3%
Justin Griffiths (LDem) 7,719 (10.1%) +1.4%

Plaid HOLD

Essex

Roger Hirst (Con) 126,447 (37.1%) -16.9%
Adam Fox (Lab) 116,875 (34.3%) +11.4%
Kieron Franks (LDem) 52,922 (15.5%) +2.2%
Robin Tilbrook (EDem) 34,153 (13.2%) +3.4%

Con HOLD

Gloucestershire

Chris Nelson (Con) 47,838 (32.7%) -8.0%
Martin Surl (LDem) 46,352 (31.7%) +12.7%
Ashley Smith (Lab) 35,069 (24.0%) +7.9%
Matthew Randolph (Ind) 15,240 (10.4%) +10.4%

Con HOLD

Gwent

Jane Mudd (Lab) 28,476 (41.7%) -0.1%
Hannah Jarvis (Con) 21,919 (32.1%) +3.2%
Donna Cushing (Plaid) 9,864 (14.4%) -1.8%
Mike Hamilton (LDem) 8,078 (11.8%) +7.6%

Lab HOLD

Hampshire & Isle of Wight

Donna Jones (Con) 175,953 (42.3%) -7.5%
Becky Williams (Lab) 106,141 (25.5%) +6.2%
Prad Bains (LDem) 92,843 (22.3%) +4.5%
Don Jerrard (JAC) 40,691 (9.8%) New

Con HOLD

Hertfordshire

Jonathan Ash-Edwards (Con) 93,658 (36.7%) -11.8%
Sean Prendergast (LDem) 68,264 (26.7%) -0.7%
Tom Plater (Lab) 66,585 (26.1%) +2.0%
Matt Fisher (Grn) 26,714 (10.5%) New
 
Con HOLD

Humberside

Jonathan Evison (Con) 51,083 (39.7%) -5.9%
Simon O'Rourke (Lab) 46,846 (36.4%) -3.0%
Bob Morgan (LDem) 30,834 (24.0%) +8.9%

Con HOLD

Kent

Matthew Scott (Con) 120,491 (44.1%) -13.7%
Lenny Rolles (Lab) 92,508 (33.9%) +8.6%
Graham Colley (LDem) 60,279 (22.1%) +5.1%

Con HOLD

Lancashire

Clive Grunshaw (Lab) 135,638 (47.1%) +2.3%
Andrew Snowden (Con) 101,281 (35.1%) -6.5%
Neil Darby (LDem) 51,252 (17.8%) +9.0%

Lab GAIN from Con

Leicestershire

Rupert Matthews (Con) 62,280 (35.3%) -14.0%
Rory Palmer (Lab) 61,420 (34.8%) +1.5%
Aasiya Bora (Grn) 23,649 (13.4%) New
Ian Sharpe (LDem) 22,041 (12.5%) -5.0%
Fizza Askari (OneL) 7,104 (4.0%) New

Con HOLD

Lincolnshire

Marc Jones (Con) 39,639 (36.5%) -23.2%
Mike Horder (Lab) 31,931 (29.5%) +9.5%
Peter Escreet (RefUK) 15,518 (14.3%) +10.8%
Lesley Rollings (LDem) 13,380 (12.4%) +6.4%
David Dickason (EDem) 7,739 (7.2%) New

Con HOLD

Merseyside

Emily Spurrell (Lab) 152,640 (61.7%) +4.9%
Bob Teesdale (Con) 35,221 (14.2%) -8.6%
Amanda Onwuemene (Grn) 31,330 (12.7%) +12.7%
Christopher Carubia (LDem) 28,093 (11.4%) -5.2%

Lab HOLD

Norfolk

Sarah Taylor (Lab) 52,445 (35.2%) +13.1%
Giles Orpen-Smellie (Con) 50,567 (33.9%) -11.2%
Martin Schmierer (Grn) 23,628 (15.8%) +5.6%
John Crofts (LDem) 22,525 (15.1%) +1.4%

Lab GAIN from Con

Northamptonshire

Danielle Stone (Lab) 43,684 (39.3%) +11.8%
Martyn Emberson (Con) 39,714 (35.7%) -17.5%
Ana Savage Gunn (LDem) 27,799 (25.0%) +9.7%

Lab GAIN from Con

Northumbria

Susan Dungworth (Lab) 176,311 (51.0%) +4.4%
Ros Munro (Con) 78,818 (22.8%) -8.1%
John Appleby (LDem) 58,574 (17.0%) +6.3%
Mustaque Rahman (Ind) 31,773 (9.2%) New

Lab HOLD

North Wales

Andy Dunbobbin (Lab) 31,950 (36.0%) +6.9%
Brian Jones (Con) 26,281 (29.6%) -2.0%
Ann Griffith (Plaid) 23,466 (26.4%) -2.0%
Richard Marbrow (LDem) 7,129 (8.0%) +3.7%

Lab HOLD

Nottinghamshire

Gary Godden (Lab) 119,355 (52.1%) +8.6%
Caroline Henry (Con) 77,148 (33.7%) -14.2%
David Watts (LDem) 32,410 (14.2%) +5.5%

Lab GAIN from Con

South Wales

Emma Wools (Lab) 73,128 (45.2%) +4.2%
George Carroll (Con) 43,344 (26.8%) +2.5%
Dennis Clarke (Plaid) 27,410 (16.9%) -2.1%
Sam Bennett (LDem) 17,908 (11.1%) +6.5%

Lab HOLD

Staffordshire

Ben Adams (Con) 73,500 (45.6%) -10.1%
Alastair Watson (Lab) 70,128 (43.5%) +16.0%
Alec Sandiford (LDem) 17,666 (11.0%) +6.6%

Con HOLD

Suffolk

Tim Passmore (Con) 52,968 (40.2%) -14.5%
Robin Wales (Lab) 41,734 (31.7%) +8.7%
Rachel Smith-Lyte (Grn) 22,488 (17.1%) +3.5%
James Sandbach (LDem) 14,541 (11.0%) -2.8%

Con HOLD

Surrey

Lisa Townsend (Con) 95,538 (36.0%) +2.5%
Paul Kennedy (LDem) 82,213 (30.9%) +10.2%
Kate Chinn (Lab) 42,813 (16.1%) +0.2%
Alex Coley (Ind) 42,052 (15.8%) New

Con HOLD

Sussex

Katy Bourne (Con) 122,495 (39.0%) -8.3%
Paul Richards 99,502 (31.7%) +13.0%
Jamie Bennett (LDem) 48,923 (15.6%) +1.7%
Jonathan Kent (Grn) 43,105 (13.7%) +0.3%

Con HOLD

Thames Valley

Matthew Barber (Con) 144,092 (32.1%) -10.4%
Tim Starkey (Lab) 141,749 (31.6%) +3.8%
Tim Bearder (LDem) 84,341 (18.8%) +1.3%
Ben Holden-Crowther (MPTV) 46,853 (10.4%) New
Russell Douglas Fowler (Ind) 31,460 (7.0%) New

Con HOLD

Warwickshire

Philip Seccomb (Con) 45,638 (39.4%) -12.7%
Labour Co-op Sarah Feeney (Lab) 45,377 (39.2%) +11.5%
Richard Dickson (LDem) 24,867 (21.5%) +5.3%

Con HOLD

West Mercia

John-Paul Campion (Con) 73,395 (34.3%) -21.0%
Richard Overton (Lab) 63,082 (29.5%) +5.5%
Sarah Murray (LDem) 33,782 (15.8%) +0.2%
Julian Dean (Grn) 22,021 (10.3%) New
Henry Curteis (EDem) 21,645 (10.1%) New

Con HOLD

West Midlands

Simon Foster (Lab) 327,844 (57.5%) +12.0%
Tom Byrne (Con) 241,827 (42.5%) +3.1%

Lab HOLD

Wiltshire

Philip Wilkinson (Con) 38,578 (31.0%) -5.0%
Stanka Adamcova (Lab) 36,345 (29.2%) +14.9%
Mike Rees (Ind) 29,035 (23.3%) -4.5%
Alan Hagger (LDem) 20,485 (16.5%) -3.3%

Con HOLD

Friday, 18 November 2022

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 17.11.22


There were eight by-elections this week with action in England, Scotland and Wales.  It was a Tory wipeout with the Conservatives losing both seats they were defending, both in Lancashire and both to Labour.  In Blackburn they lost by a margin of just seven votes, while it was a more comprehensive defeat in Blackpool.

It was a good night all round for Labour.  In addition to the two gains, they managed to hold all four seats they were defending.  There was also an impressive hold for the Greens in Suffolk, while Shetland was an independent affair.

Absentees this week were independents in Bolsover and Shetland, the Lib Dems in Bolsover and Propel in Rhondda.

Darwen South, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Lab: 569 (44.9%) +6.6%
Con: 562 (44.3%) -1.8%
LDem: 137 (10.8%) -4.9%

Lab GAIN from Con

Greenlands, Blackpool Council

Lab: 550 (48.0%) -0.1%
Con: 518 (45.2%) -6.6%
LDem: 77 (6.7%) New

Lab GAIN from Con

Pinxton, Bolsover District Council

Lab: 376 (63.3%) +24.3%
Con: 218 (36.7%) +36.7%

Lab HOLD

Linn, Glasgow City Council

(first preference votes)

Lab: 2,227 (43.4%) +11.4%
SNP: 1,702 (33.2%) -0.2%
Grn: 409 (8.0%) +1.9%
Con: 327 (6.4%) -5.1%
LDem: 294 (5.7%) -0.6%
Alba: 90 (1.8%) +0.5%
SSP: 46 (0.9%) New
UKIP: 19 (0.4%) New
Frdm: 19 (0.4%) New

Lab HOLD (elected at stage 8)

Hollinwood, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

Lab: 718 (44.8%) -14.1%
Con: 639 (39.8%) +21.6%
Ind: 152 (9.5%) New
NHP: 59 (3.7%) -6.5%
LDem: 36 (2.2%) -6.6%

Lab HOLD

Abercynon, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Lab: 520 (80.0%) +18.7%
Con: 56 (8.6%) -1.7%
Plaid: 56 (8.6%) -7.0%
Grn: 18 (2.8%) New

Lab HOLD

Shetland West, Shetland Islands Council

(first preference votes)

Ind: 375 (76.4%) +59.5%
Grn: 67 (13.6%) +4.5%
SNP: 49 (10.0%) +2.2%

Ind GAIN from Ind (elected at stage 1)

Beccles, Suffolk County Council

Grn: 2,114 (70.8%) +17.8%
Con: 624 (20.9%) -15.2%
Lab: 260 (8.4%) +0.9%

Grn HOLD

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour
Con = Conservatives
LDem = Liberal Democrats
SNP = Scottish National Party
Grn = Green
Alba = Alba
SSP = Scottish Socialist Party
UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party
Frdm = Freedom Alliance
NHP = National Housing Party
Plaid = Plaid Cymru
Ind = Independents

Friday, 28 October 2022

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 27.10.22


Just the two by-elections this week, both in the Midlands and both won by Labour.  Labour held in Sandwell, while they gained a seat in Derbyshire from the Tories.  There were no absentees in either poll.

Long Eaton, Derbyshire Country Council

Lab: 1,104 (51.1%) +15.0%
Con: 723 (33.5%) -16.5%
LDem: 239 (11.1%) +5.0%
Grn: 94 (4.4%) -3.5%

Lab GAIN from Con

Wednesbury South, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Lab: 854 (51.3%) +0.9%
Con: 654 (39.3%) -2.8%
LDem: 77 (4.6%) New
Grn: 56 (3.4%) New
TUSC: 23 (1.4%) New

Lab HOLD

Friday, 29 July 2022

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 28.07.22


Just the two council by-elections this week - a Conservative and Labour defence apiece.  Both held.

A Green absence in Colchester bizarrely increased the Tory lead, with Labour falling further behind and the the Lib Dems failing to gain.

In North East Derbyshire the absence of an independent candidate aided everybody apart from the Lib Dems.  This week's results suggest the 'progressive alliance' could be in a spot of bother...

Lexden & Braiswick, Colchester Borough Council

Con: 1,372 (63.7%) +11.8%
LDem: 621 (28.8%) +6.6%
Lab: 161 (7.5%) -7.4%

Con HOLD

Pilsley & Morton, North East Derbyshire District Council

Lab: 806 (65.9%) +34.6%
Con: 361 (29.5%) +14.4%
Grn: 34 (2.8%) New
LDem: 22 (1.8%) -8.9

Lab HOLD

Friday, 8 July 2022

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 07.07.22


Eight council seats were up for grabs this week with most of the action taking place in London and the south-east of England.  Labour were defending five, the Conservatives one and a residents association one.  The eighth seat was free-for-all in Epsom.

It was a mixed night for Labour.  They held four of the five defences and won the Epsom free-for-all.  However, they had a rough night in London, slipping to third place as the Lib Dems defeated them in Camden.  Their share of the vote also plummeted in Hackney, where they only just managed to hold off the Greens by 27 votes.

The Tories lost their defence in Mole Valley to the Greens and were also overtaken by the Lib Dems.  There was no evidence of the 'progressive alliance' in any of this week's contests.  In Chesterfield there were no Lib Dem or Tory candidates this time.  The only other absentee was UKIP in Mole Valley.


Hampstead Town, Camden London Borough Council

LDem: 919 (40.9%) +18.6%
Con: 620 (27.6%) -12.3%
Lab: 559 (24.9%) -12.9%
Grn: 104 (4.6%) New
Ind: 44 (2.0%) New
NHP: 1 (0.0%) New

LDem GAIN from Lab

Hollingwood & Inkersall, Chesterfield Borough Council

Lab: 747 (48.5%) +15.2%
Ind: 676 (43.9%) -9.1%
Grn: 118 (7.7%) New

Lab GAIN from Ind

West Ewell, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council

RA: 549 (43.4%) -35.3%
Lab: 395 (31.2%) +19.1%
Con: 205 (16.2%) +7.0%
LDem: 117 (9.2%) New

RA HOLD

De Beauvoir, Hackney London Borough Council

Lab: 758 (41.8%) -15.5%
Grn: 731 (40.3%) +18.3%
LDem: 133 (7.3%) -5.0%
Ind: 83 (4.6%) -3.8%
Con: 82 (4.5%) New
WEP: 27 (1.5%) New

Lab HOLD

Woughton & Fishermead, Milton Keynes Council

Lab: 1,355 (73.3%) +3.4%
Con: 340 (18.4%) -1.8%
LDem: 154 (8.3%) -1.6%

Lab HOLD

Charlwood, Mole Valley District Council

Grn: 284 (41.7%) +13.6%
LDem: 210 (30.8%) +19.5%
Con: 166 (24.4%) -22.0%
Lab: 40 (3.1%) New

Grn GAIN from Con

Hatfield Central, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Lab: 599 (53.5%) +8.4%
Con: 273 (24.7%) -9.0%
LDem: 183 (16.3%) -4.9%
ATV: 61 (5.4%) New

Lab HOLD

Worthing West, West Sussex County Council

Lab: 1,262 (52.0%) +5.7%
Con: 795 (32.8%) -6.4%
LDem: 235 (9.7%) +5.3%
Grn: 133 (5.5%) -1.8%

Lab HOLD

Abbreviations

LDem = Liberal Democrat
Con = Conservative
Lab = Labour
Grn = Green
NHP = National Housing Party
RA = Residents Association
WEP = Women's Equality Party
ATV = Abolish The TV Licence
Ind = Independents

Friday, 1 July 2022

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 30.06.22


Ten local elections this week - five Conservative defences, two Labour defences and three open contests.  Two of those free-for-alls came in the Outer Hebrides, where two seats were up for grabs following boundary changes.  The council authority used to be called the Western Isles Council, but this was replaced in 1997 with its Gaelic name - Na h-Eileanan Siar - making it the only council authority in the UK with a Gaelic name.  Both contests were dominated and won by independents.  Please note that Scotland uses a form of proportional representation ie. the single transferable vote.

The other free-for-all was a gain for Labour as they took a seat in Middlesbrough previously held by an independent.

It was another difficult night for the Tories as they lost three of the five seats they were defending - two to the Lib Dems (Bernwood and Bridlington North) and one to Labour (Midway).  Labour held both seats they were defending.

Absences this week were UKIP (Bridlington North, Midway), the Liberal Party (Fazakerley), the Conservatives (Fazakerley) and three independents in Bridlington North.

Bernwood, Buckinghamshire County Council

LDem: 1,158 (38.7%) +21.4%
Grn: 1,030 (34.4%) -3.9%
Con: 723 (24.1%) -9.8%
Lab: 85 (2.8%) -7.7%

LDem GAIN from Con

Barraigh agus Bhatarsaigh, Na h-Eileanan Siar

(first preference votes)

Ind: 189 (49.3%)
Ind: 181 (47.3%)
Ind: 13 (3.4%)

Ind GAIN (elected at stage 2)

Sgìr’ Ă™ige agus CĂ rlabhagh, Na h-Eileanan Siar

(first preference votes)

Ind: 222 (35.4%)
LDem: 128 (20.4%)
Ind: 113 (18%)
SNP: 96 (15.3%)
Grn: 57 (9.1%)
Ind: 11 (1.8%)
Ind: 1 (0.2%)

Ind GAIN (elected at stage 6)

South Croydon, Croydon London Borough Council

Con: 1,306 (42.9%) +2.9%
Lab: 821 (27.0%) -2.1%
LDem: 448 (14.7%) +0.6%
Grn: 269 (8.8%) -5.5%
Ind: 158 (5.2%) New
UKIP: 25 (0.8%) -1.6%
Ind: 18 (0.6%) New

Con HOLD

Bridlington North, East Riding of Yorkshire Council

LDem: 1,950 (57.1%) +16.8%
Con: 1,077 (31.5%) +6.4%
Lab: 171 (5.0%) -4.7%
SDP: 125 (3.7%) New
Yorks: 93 (2.7%) -8.0%

LDem GAIN from Con

Fazakerley, Liverpool City Council

Lab: 1,365 (57.5%) -25.6%
Ind: 638 (26.9%) New
LDem: 290 (12.2%) +8.2%
Grn: 79 (3.3%) -1.0%

Lab HOLD

Berwick Hills & Pallister, Middlesbrough Council

Lab: 361 (56.8%) +26.5%
Ind: 204 (32.1%) New
Con: 53 (8.3%) +2.8%
LDem: 11 (1.7%) New
Grn: 7 (1.1%) New

Lab GAIN from Ind

Ollerton, Newark & Sherwood District Council

Lab: 962 (64.9%) +0.6%
Con: 395 26.7%) -9.0%
Ind: 125 (8.4%) New

Lab HOLD

Midway, South Derbyshire District Council

Lab: 600 (52.6%) +14.8%
Con: 540 (47.4%) +9.1%

Lab GAIN from Con

Cleveleys Park, Wyre Borough Council

Con: 721 (53.7%) -9.0%
Lab: 621 (46.3%) +9.0%

Con HOLD

Abbreviations

LDem = Liberal Democrat
Grn = Green
Con =  Conservative
Lab = Labour
SNP = Scottish National Party
UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party
SDP = Social Democratic Party
Yorks = Yorkshire
Ind = Independence

Friday, 8 April 2022

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 07.04.22


There were nine by-elections on Thursday and it was a very mixed bag with all but four of those seats changing hands.

The Conservatives were defending three seats - one each in Dorset, East Yorkshire and West Sussex.  They lost all three seats - two to the Greens and one to the Lib Dems.  The Green success in Horsham was particularly stunning as they were newcomers to the poll, but were undoubtedly assisted by the absence of a Labour candidate this time.

There was better news for the Tories in Derbyshire where they gained a seat from Labour and tipped High Peak Borough Council into No Overall Control.

Labour were the only party to hold any seats on Thursday, successfully defending all four.  However, there was a significant reduction in their vote in two Liverpool seats.

The remaining seat was an open contest in Devon, caused by a retiring independent.  The Lib Dems mopped up there.

Absentees this week were UKIP in East Yorkshire and Telford, Labour in Horsham, the Liberal Party in Warbreck (Liverpool) and Mid-Devon.  Independents were absent from Mid-Devon and Wolverhampton.

Lyme & Charmouth, Dorset Council

Grn: 594 (43.8%) +27.0%
Con: 359 (26.5%) -13.7%
Ind: 320 (23.6%) -6.7%
Lab: 82 (6.1%) -6.6%

Grn GAIN from Con

South Hunsley, East Riding of Yorkshire Council

LDem: 1,351 (54.7%) +41.1%
Con: 907 (36.8%) -28.5%
Lab: 110 (4.5%) -6.8%
Grn: 100 (4.1%) New

LDem GAIN from Con

Cote Heath, High Peak Borough Council

Con: 585 (55.5%) +5.4%
Lab: 413 (39.2%) -10.7%
Grn: 56 (5.3%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Storrington & Washington, Horsham District Council

Grn: 1,281 (47.9%) New
Con: 943 (35.2%) -16.1%
LDem: 453 (16.9%) -13.5%

Grn GAIN from Con

Everton, Liverpool City Council

Lab: 925 (62.0%) -24.6%
Grn: 362 (24.2%) +20.5%
Lib: 84 (5.6%) +3.4%
Con: 51 (3.4%) -1.7%
TUSC: 46 (3.1%) +3.1%
LDem: 25 (1.7%) -0.6%

Lab HOLD

Warbreck, Liverpool City Council

Lab: 912 (48.2%) -31.8%
LDem: 874 (46.2%) +38.3%
Grn: 61 (3.2%) -1.1%
Con: 46 (2.4%) -4.1%

Lab HOLD

Cullompton South, Mid Devon District Council

LDem: 318 (47.9%) +26.2%
Con: 279 (42.0%) +9.3%
Lab: 67 (10.1%) New

LDem GAIN from Ind

Brookside, Telford and Wrekin Council

Lab: 531 (58.8%) +20.0%
Con: 318 (35.2%) +11.8%
LDem: 54 (6.0%) -11.6%

Lab HOLD

East Park, Wolverhampton City Council

Lab: 783 (65.5%) +6.2%
Con: 412 (34.5%) +17.0%

Lab HOLD

Abbreviations

Grn = Green
Con = Conservative
Lab = Labour
LDem = Liberal Democrat
Lib = Liberal
TUSC = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Ind = Independents