COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 09.10.25

Seven by-elections were held this week, including a Wednesday contest that was easily held by the Lib Dems.  The following day the Lib Dems held again, this time in Somerset, and also took a seat from the Conservatives in neighbouring Devon.

This week was a good test of how the Tory party conference had played out to the electorate, with three seats being defended - one each in the north of England, south of England and Midlands.  They lost all three.  Furthermore, their vote share was down in all seven seats, including double digit drops in four of them.  In all three losses they slumped to third place.

Reform took two of the Tory seats, while they held in Northamptonshire.  If you recall, Reform were struggling to hold seats following the local elections, but they have now held their last four defences.

Labour's only defence was a seat in Lancashire, in which the outgoing councillor had resigned from the party last year before continuing as an independent.  Labour failed to retake the seat, losing out to residents' group Our West Lancashire and being pushed into third by Reform.

Widcombe & Lydcombe, Bath and North East Somerset Council

LDm: 769 (44.4%) -11.8%

Grn: 267 (15.4%) +0.6%

Lab: 212 (12.2%) +4.7%

Ref: 206 (11.9%) New

Con: 149 (8.6%) -12.8%

Ind: 83 (4.8%) New

Ind: 45 (2.6%) New

LDm HOLD

Lloyds & Corby Village, North Northamptonshire Council

Ref: 754 (38.5%) +2.1%

Lab: 635 (32.4%) -11.8%

Grn: 371 (18.9%) +9.7%

LDm: 113 (5.8%) +1.5%

Con: 86 (4.4%) -1.5%

Ref HOLD

Skelton East, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council

Ref: 839 (65.3%) New

Lab: 247 (19.2%) -10.7%

Con: 179 (13.9%) -29.4%

LDm: 19 (1.5%) -1.5%

Ref GAIN from Con

Kenn Valley, Teignbridge District Council

LDm: 1,116 (50.4%) +11.0%

Ref: 512 (23.1%) New

Con: 212 (9.6%) -19.0%

Ind: 181 (8.2%) New

Grn: 122 (5.5%) -13.9%

Lab: 59 (2.7%) -9.9%

Ind: 12 (0.5%) New

LDm GAIN from Con

Aughton & Holborn, West Lancashire Borough Council

Ind: 704 (35.5%) +10.4%

Ref: 478 (24.1%) +18.6%

Lab: 385 (19.4%) -21.3%

Con: 295 (14.9%) -8.7%

Grn: 78 (3.9%) -1.1%

LDm: 42 (2.1%) New

Ind GAIN from Lab

Bretforton & Offenham, Wychavon District Council

Ref: 357 (43.5%) New

Grn: 213 (25.9%) New

Con: 165 (20.1%) -35.4%

Lab: 33 (4.0%) -25.9%

LDm: 31 (3.8%) -10.8%

Ind: 12 (1.5%) New

Ind: 10 (1.2%) New

Ref GAIN from Con

Yateley West, Hart District Council

(held on Wednesday)

LDm: 1,101 (54.7%) -5.9%

Ref: 562 (27.9%) New

Con: 348 (17.3%) -8.2%

LDm HOLD

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 12.06.25

Seven council seats are up for grabs this week, with polling day falling on a Wednesday in Gloucestershire.  The other four contests took place on the traditional Thursday, including double vacancies in both Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.

Labour were defending two seats this week, losing both of them.  They lost to the Greens in Gloucestershire, slumping to a humiliating fourth place with a big swing to Reform.  They also lost a seat to Reform in Nottinghamshire, where two seats had been vacant.

Elsewhere, Reform continued to perform exceptionally well, taking seats from an independent group in Leeds and the other Nottinghamshire seat from the Tories.  They would probably have also won two new seats in Northamptonshire, except for some bizarre reason they fielded too many candidates.  Three Reform candidates appeared on the ballot paper, but there were only two vacancies!

Severn, Stroud District Council

(held on Wednesday)

Grn: 439 (27.8%) +10.0%

Con: 425 (26.9%) -6.6%

Ref: 421 (26.7%) New

Lab: 177 (11.2%) -21.3%

LDm: 112 (7.1%) -9.1%

UKIP: 5 (0.3%) New

Grn GAIN from Lab

Morley South, Leeds City Council

Ref: 2,119 (36.8%) +29.8%

Ind: 1,415  (25.2%) -12.9%

LDm: 1,009 (17,5%) +15.9%

Lab: 634 (11.0%) -20.3%

Grn: 314 (5.4%) -3.5%

Con: 230 (4.0%) -5.6%

Ref GAIN from Ind

Haughley, Stowupland & Wetherden, Mid Suffolk District Council

Grn: 901 (64.1%) -11.4%

Con: 444 (31.6%) +7.1%

LDm: 61 (4.3%) New

Grn HOLD

Higham Ferrers, North Northamptonshire Council

(two seats, new boundaries)

Ref: 656, 556 & 335 (27.5%)

Con: 559 & 511 (23.4%)

Grn: 529 & 449 (22.2%)

Lab: 264 & 256 (11.1%)

Ind: 215 & 187 (9.0%)

LDm: 165 (6.9%)

Ref WIN x 1

Con WIN x 1

Mansfield North, Nottinghamshire County Council

(two seats)

Ref: 3,077 & 2,998 (59.3%) +57.5%

Lab: 1,259 & 1,211 (24.3%) -5.7%

Con: 500 & 426 (9.6%) -37.7%

Grn: 292 (5.6%) +2.8%

TUS: 62 & 39 (1.2%) +0.4%

Ref GAIN x 2 (1 from Con, 1 from Lab)

Abbreviations

Grn = Green

Con = Conservative

Ref = Reform UK

Lab = Labour

LDm = Liberal Democrat

UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party

TUS = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Ind = Independent

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

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.

BY-ELECTIONS 15.02.24

Labour have struck a double blow to Rishi Sunak with two huge Westminster gains in Thursday's two big by-elections.  In the Gloucestershire seat of Kingswood, Labour required an 11.4 per cent swing and achieved 16.4 per cent.  In Northamptonshire the result was even more impressive.  For victory in Wellingborough, the party required at least 17.9 per cent and they smashed it with a whopping 28.5 per cent.  Election guru Professor John Curtice says the latter was the second biggest swing from Tory to Labour since the Second World War and says the results show the government is in 'deep, deep electoral trouble'.  Keir Starmer 'still looks on course to be Britain's next Prime Minister', he added.

As the Tory vote plummeted, Labour were not the only beneficiaries.  Reform UK came from nowhere in both seats to easily hold onto their deposits.  The Lib Dems lost both of theirs.

The two Labour victories may be short-lived - boundary changes mean both constituencies will disappear at the next election - but even so, these results are a devastating reminder that a Labour government is almost certainly on the way.

Kingswood Parliamentary By-Election

Damien Egan (Lab) 11,176 (44.9%) +11.5%

Sam Bromiley (Con) 8,675 (34.5%) -21.7%

Rupert Lowe (RefUK) 2,578 (10.4%) New

Lorraine Francis (Grn) 1,450 (5.8%) +3.4%

Andrew Brown (LDem) 861 (3.5%) -3.5%

Nicholas Wood (UKIP) 129 (0.5%) New

Lab GAIN from Con

Wellingborough Parliamentary By-Election

Gen Kitchen (Lab) 13,844 (45.9%) +19.4%

Helen Harrison (Con) 7,408 (24.6%) -37.6%

Ben Habib (RefUK) 3,919 (13.0%) New

Ana Gunn (LDem) 1,422 (4.7%) -3.2%

Marion Turner-Hawes (Ind) 1,115 (3.7%) New

Will Morris (Grn) 1,020 (3.4%) -0.1%

Kev Watts (Ind) 533 (1.8%) New

Alex Merola (BritF) 477 (1.6%) New

Nick the Flying Brick (Loon) 217 (0.7%) New

Andre Pyne-Bailey (Ind) 172 (0.6%) New

Ankit Love Jknpp Jay Mala Post-Mortem (Ind) 18 (0.1%) New

Lab GAIN from Con

There were also five council by-elections on Thursday and proceedings largely belonged to the Lib Dems with two strong holds and a gain from Labour.  The Tory vote was down in the three elections it contested, with Labour having mixed results, albeit they gained an independent seat in south Wales.

Tring West & Rural, Dacorum Borough Council

LDem: 899 (62.7%) +12.9%

Con: 303 (21.1%) -3.0%

Grn: 122 (8.5%) -9.6%

Lab: 109 (7.6%) -0.3%

LDem HOLD

Four Marks & Medstead, East Hampshire District Council

LDem: 1,212 (62.2%) +18.9%

Con: 736 (37.8%) -2.3%

LDem HOLD

Avenue, Hull City Council

LDem: 1,186 (45.7%) +4.3%

Lab: 1,029 (39.7%) -8.4%

Grn: 198 (7.6%) n/c

Ind: 139 (5.3%) New

Con: 43 (1.7%) -1.3%

LDem GAIN from Lab

Briton Ferry East, Neath Port Talbot Council

Lab: 287 (52.4%) +8.0%

Ind: 234 (42.7%) -1.9%

Grn: 27 (4.9%) New

Lab GAIN from Ind

Rhos, Neath Port Talbot Council

Ind: 494 (52.1%) New

Plaid: 242 (25.5%) -29.1%

Lab: 137 (14.5%) -30.9%

LDem: 60 (6.3%) New

Grn: 15 (1.6%) New

Ind GAIN from Plaid

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour

Con = Conservative

RefUK = Reform UK

Grn = Green

LDem = Liberal Democrat

UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party

BritF = Britain First

Loon = Monster Raving Loony

Plaid = Plaid Cymru

Ind = Independent

LABOUR AT THE DOUBLE?

Labour candidates are hoping to succeed outgoing Tory MPs Chris Skidmore (left)
and Peter Bone (right)

Labour cannot now win in Rochdale next week, but they are still odds on favourites to pick up two morale boosting gains from the Conservatives this week.  These imminent Westminster by-elections centre on two shire towns - Kingswood in Gloucestershire and Wellingborough in Northamptonshire.  Labour victories here would be short-lived as both constituencies will cease to exist at the next election thanks to boundary changes.  Kingswood is being abolished altogether and Wellingborough will be redrawn as Wellingborough and Rushden.

The Kingswood constituency will bow out in its fiftieth year, having spent 23 years with a Labour MP (1974-79, 1992-2010) and 27 years with a Tory (1979-1992, 2010-2024).  From 2010 the seat has been represented by Chris Skidmore, a net zero fanatic who wanted to make the ultimate protest statement by resigning before his seat was abolished.  His claim to fame is that he was the minister who signed the government's net zero pledge into law.  That was back in 2019 under the premiership of Theresa May and since then he has become increasingly focused on net zero and so-called 'climate change'.

Skidmore departs the Westminster gravy train with his rattle firmly thrown out of the pram in protest at Rishi Sunak's relaxation of key net zero targets - the PM's 'greatest mistake' according to Skidmore.  The electorate clearly disagree, as we now see Labour too rowing back on their own insane climate pledges.  Is there an election around the corner?

For Labour to win in Kingswood, they require a swing of 11.4 per cent to overturn the Tory majority of 11,220.  There are six candidates in total.

Kingswood Candidates

Sam Bromiley (Con)

Andrew Brown (LDem)

Damien Egan (Lab)

Lorraine Francis (Grn)

Rupert Lowe (RefUK)

Nicholas Wood (UKIP)

The Wellingborough vacancy came about by way of a successful recall petition against its Tory MP Peter Bone.  Since the Recall of MPs Act in 2015, this mechanism has been used five times across the UK, four of which have reached the minimum 10 per cent of signatures required to dismiss the MP in question.  Bone is the second Conservative to be kicked out this way, with 13.2 per cent of his constituents as signatories.

Bone's downfall came after repeated allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct were upheld by an independent body set up specifically to tackle complaints against MPs.  The male complainant contacted the body in 2021 after the issue had been raised with former PMs Cameron and May without success.  The panel recommended that Bone be suspended from the Commons, an outcome that was upheld after appeal.  The suspension triggered the recall process and Bone was stripped of the Tory whip, although he still denies the accusations.

Bone gained the Wellinborough seat from Labour in 2005 and built a solid majority from 2010 onwards, the largest of which was in 2019 and stood at 18,540.  The selection of Bone's lover Helen Harrison as the Tory candidate means that he could still potentially retain the seat by proxy.

At 17.9 per cent, Labour require a bigger swing to win here.  The ballot paper will be a crowded affair, with eleven candidates and a couple of intriguing names.

Wellingborough Candidates

Nick the Flying Brick (Loon)

Ana Gunn (LDem)

Ben Habib (RefUK)

Helen Harrison (Con)

Ankit Love Jknpp Jay Mala Post-Mortem (Ind)

Gen Kitchen (Lab)

Alex Merola (BritF)

Will Morris (Grn)

Andre Pyne-Bailey (Ind)

Marion Turner-Hawes (Ind)

Kev Watts (Ind)

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 08.02.24

It's been a while since we looked in on council by-elections, but with a big month for Westminster by-elections coming up we thought it was time to look in and see what's happening around the country.

This week there were four council seats up for grabs - two in England and two in Wales.  Every seat changed hands, with a gain each for the Tories, Plaid and Lib Dems.  The Crewe Central result raised a few eyebrows in the Twitterverse with the Conservatives taking a seat off Labour with a huge swing.

Ebbw Vale South, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council

Ind: 239 (60.4%) New

Lab: 124 (31.3%) -11.0%

Grn: 33 (8.3%) New

Ind GAIN from Ind

Crewe Central, Cheshire East Council

Con: 335 (43.3%) +19.8%

Lab: 277 (35.8%) -18.9%

CFst: 128 (16.5%) +1.2%

WEP: 22 (2.8%) New

Grn: 12 (1.6%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Criccieth, Cyngor Gwynedd Council

Plaid: 381 (71.9%) +30.3%

Ind: 129 (24.3%) New

LDem: 11 (2.1%) New

Con: 9 (1.7%) New

Plaid GAIN from Ind

East Hunsbury & Shelfleys, West Northamptonshire Council

LDem: 820 (38.8%) +15.8%

Con: 746 (35.3%) -16.9%

Lab: 547 (25.9%) +1.1%

LDem GAIN from Con

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour

Grn = Green

Con = Conservative

CFst = Crewe First

WEP = Women's Equality Party

Plaid = Plaid Cymru

LDem = Liberal Democrat

Ind = Independent

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 17.02.22

Nine seats up for grabs this week - two Conservative defences, one defence each for Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens, plus four open contests triggered by independents.  

Overall the Tories are up two seats, Labour up one, while the Lib Dems and the Greens broke even.  The Tories took two of the independent seats, Labour took a third.  The Tories lost a seat to an impressive Lib Dem surge in Northamptonshire, but gained a seat from the Lib Dems with a stunning victory of their own in Leicestershire (Oadby and Wigston).

The Green Party did not contest Stainburn and Clifton this time round.  UKIP were absent from Park.  Labour stood down in Wigston Meadowcourt, presumably to give the Lib Dems a free run.  This backfired and the Tories took the seat, despite the Labour absence.

Stainburn & Clifton, Allerdale Borough Council

Lab: 354 (54.6%) +25.1%

Con: 294 (45.4%) +28.2%

Lab GAIN from Ind

Southmead, Bristol City Council

Lab: 780 (41.2%) -1.9%

Grn: 729 (38.5%) +19.7%

Con: 279 (14.8%) -13.4%

LDem: 82 (4.3%) -5.7%

TUSC: 22 (1.2%) New

Lab HOLD

Thurston, Mid Suffolk District Council

Grn: 845 (64.4%) +25.2%

Con: 399 (30.4%) -3.5%

LDem: 37 (2.8%) -8.2%

Lab: 32 (2.4%) -4.8%

Grn HOLD

Collingham, Newark & Sherwood District Council

Con: 982 (56.3%) +26.5%

LDem: 594 (34.1%) +18.8%

Lab: 168 (9.6%) New

Con GAIN from Ind

Park, North East Lincolnshire Council

Con: 715 (38.8%) +1.8%

Lab: 578 (31.4%) +13.8%

LDem: 478 (26.0%) -2.0%

TUSC: 70 (3.8%) New

Con HOLD

Oundle, North Northamptonshire Council

LDem: 1,683 (47.2%) +22.6%

Con: 1,423 (39.9%) -3.5%

Lab: 337 (9.4%) -4.9%

Grn: 124 (3.5%) -9.8%

LDem GAIN from Con

Collingham Nottinghamshire County Council

Ind: 2,009 (63.8%) New

Con: 898 (28.5%) -11.7%

Lab: 224 (7.7%) New

Ind GAIN from Ind

Wigston Meadowcourt, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council

Con: 833 (63.4%) +29.3%

LDem: 377 (27.1%) -24.6%

Grn: 133 (9.5%) New

Con GAIN from LDem

Tavistock North, West Devon Borough Council

Con: 379 (39.3%) +24.4%

LDem: 337 (35.0%) +16.3%

Grn: 163 (16.9%) New

Lab: 85 (8.8%) -9.3%

Con GAIN from Ind

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour

Con = Conservative

Grn = Green

LDem = Liberal Democrats

TUSC = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Ind = Independents