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.

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

BY-ELECTIONS 20.07.23

The comprehensive Tory disaster that was widely anticipated on Super Thursday did not materialise thanks to a surprise result in the one seat that, on paper, they were most likely to lose.  A backlash against Khan's despicable ULEZ expansion saved them in Uxbridge, albeit with a reduced majority - down from 7,210 in 2019 to just 495.  Despite the backlash, Labour still piled on almost six percentage points.  Everyone else lost their deposit.

In the other two parliamentary elections, the Conservatives suffered crushing defeats.  In North Yorkshire they lost a seat they had held since its inception in 2010, with Labour overturning a 2019 majority of 20,137.  Their 25-year-old candidate comfortable surged past his Tory opponent with a 4,151 majority of his own, instantly replacing Nadia Whittome as the new Baby of the House.  The third placed Green Party candidate was the only other to save his deposit.

In Somerset the Lib Dems ploughed resources into a seat they had previously held between 1997 and 2015.  Since then the Tories had created a solid majority which stood at 19,213 in 2019.  On Thursday the Lib Dems decimated the Conservative lead and returned to Somerton and Frome with an 11,008 majority.  Again, the Green Party saved their deposit in third place.

Turnout was predictably low in all three seats: 44.8% in Selby, 44.2% in Somerton and 46.2% in Uxbridge.

Selby & Ainsty

Keir Mather (Lab) 16,456 (46.0%) +21.4%

Claire Holmes (Con) 12,295 (34.3%) -26.0%

Arnold Warneken (Grn) 1,838 (5.1%) +1.9%

Mike Jordan (Yrks) 1,503 (4.2%) +0.8%

Dave Kent (RefUK) 1,332 (3.7%) New

Matt Walker (LDem) 1,188 (3.3%) -5.3%

Nick Palmer (Ind) 342 (1.0%) New

John Waterstone (SDP) 314 (0.9%) New

Sir Archibald Stanton (Loon) 172 (0.5%) New

Guy Phoenix (Herit) 162 (0.5%) New

Andrew Gray (Ind) 99 (0.3%) New

Tyler Wilson-Kerr (Ind) 67 (0.2%) New

Luke Wellock (Clim) 39 (0.1%) New

Lab GAIN from Con

Somerton & Frome

Sarah Dyke (LDem) 21,187 (54.6%) +28.4%

Faye Purbrick (Con) 10,179 (26.2%) -29.6%

Martin Dimery (Grn) 3,944 (10.2%) +5.1%

Bruce Evans (RefUK) 1,303 (3.4%) New

Neil Guild (Lab) 1,009 (2.6%) -10.3%

Rosie Mitchell (Ind) 635 (1.6%) New

Peter Richardson (UKIP) 275 (0.7%) New

Lorna Corke (CPA) 256 (0.7%) New

LDem GAIN from Con

Uxbridge & South Ruislip

Steve Tuckwell (Con) 13,965 (45.2%) -7.5%

Danny Beales (Lab) 13,470 (43.6%) +5.9%

Sarah Green (Grn) 893(2.9%) +0.6%

Laurence Fox (Rclm) 714 (2.3%) New

Blaise Baquiche (LDem) 526 (1.7%) -4.6%

Steve Gardner (SDP) 248 (0.8%) New

Kingsley Hamilton Anti-Ulez (Ind) 208 (0.7%) New

Count Binface (Bin) 190 (0.6%) +0.5%

No-Ulez Leo Phaure (Ind) 186 (0.6%) New

Richard Hewison (Rejoin) 105 (0.3%) New

Piers Corbyn (LLL) 101 (0.3%) New

Cameron Bell (Ind) 91 (0.3%) New

Enomfon Ntefon (CPA) 78 (0.3%) New

Rebecca Jane (UKIP) 61 (0.2%) -0.4%

Ed Gemmell (Clim) 49 (0.2%) New

Howling Laud Hope (Loon) 32 (0.1%) -0.2%

77 Joseph (Ind) 8 (0.1%<) New

Con HOLD

There were also three council by-elections on Thursday, one each in West Wales, Swindon and Worcester.  The Lib Dems narrowly held off a Plaid surge in Ceredigion and Labour scored an easy hold in Worcester.  In Swindon there was an intriguing result as the Conservatives gained a seat from Labour.

Llanfarian, Ceredigion County Council

LDem: 298 (48.2%) -19.8%

Plaid: 290 (46.9%) +15.0%

Con: 30 (4.9%) New

LDem HOLD

St Margaret & South Marston, Swindon Borough Council

Con: 1,143 (50.6%) +2.1%

Lab: 1,118 (49.4%) -2.1%

Con GAIN from Lab

Nunnery, Worcester City Council

Lab: 1,048 (59.7%) +11.9%

Con: 518 (29.5%) -2.8%

LDem: 102 (5.8%) -0.5%

Ind: 88 (5.0%) -0.1%

Lab HOLD

Abbreviations

Lab = Labour

Con = Conservative

Grn = Green

Yrks = Yorkshire

RefUK = ReformUK

LDem = Liberal Democrat

SDP = Social Democratic Party

Loon = Monster Raving Loony

Clim = Climate

Herit = Heritage

UKIP = United Kingdom Independence Party

CPA = Christian Peoples Alliance

Rclm = Reclaim

Bin = Binface

Rejoin = Rejoin EU

LLL = Let London Live

Plaid = Plaid Cymru

Ind = Independent

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 03.11.22

Seven seats were on offer this week in six by-elections.  The Conservatives were defending four and lost three.  They held in Croydon, but their vote share plummeted.  They lost to Labour in Lichfield, the Lib Dems in Wiltshire and an independent in Nottinghamshire.  In Wiltshire and Nottinghamshire they slipped to third place.

There was better news for the Tories in South Cambridgeshire, where they took one of two seats the Lib Dems were defending.

In Moray the SNP gained a seat from the Lib Dems in an intriguing contest.  In May's local elections the Lib Dems, SNP and Conservatives each put forward a candidate for three vacancies.  As they were the only three candidates, they were all elected unopposed.  The Lib Dem winner since resigned, hence the by-election.  The Lib Dems came nowhere, leaving the SNP to do battle with an impressive Tory turnout.

Absentees in this week's polls were the Greens in Nottinghamshire and Wiltshire, and the Lib Dems in Nottinghamshire.

Selsdon Vale & Forestdale, Croydon London Borough Council

Con: 983 (46.3%) -21.2%

Grn: 530 (24.9%) +8.8%

Lab: 372 (17.5%) +1.0%

Ind: 168 (7.9%) New

LDem: 72 (3.4%) New

Con HOLD

Chasetown, Lichfield District Council

Lab: 318 (73.3%) +15.2%

Con: 116 (26.7%) -15.2%

Lab GAIN from Con

Buckie, Moray Council

(first preference votes)

SNP: 1,172 (48.9%)

Con: 879 (36.7%)

Lab: 239 (10.0%)

LDem: 67 (2.8%)

Ind: 38 (1.6%)

SNP GAIN from LDem (elected at stage 4)

Eastwood, Nottinghamshire County Council

Ind: 1,223 (43.1%) New

Lab: 1,182 (41.7%) -0.1%

Con: 431 (15.2%) -31.2%

Ind GAIN from Con

Longstanton, South Cambridgeshire District Council

(two seats)

LDem: 578 (16.9%) elected

Con: 566 (16.5%) elected

LDem: 534 (15.6%)

Ind: 422 (12.3%)

Lab: 411 (12.0%)

Con: 394 (11.5%)

Lab: 266 (7.8%)

Grn: 169 (4.9%)

Grn: 85 (2.5%)

LDem HOLD

Con GAIN from LDem

Salisbury St Paul’s, Wiltshire Council

LDem: 813 (64.8%) +34.8%

Lab: 237 (18.5%) -3.3%

Con: 213 (16.6%) -15.6%

LDem GAIN from Con

THE WEEK IN CARTOONS 27 FEB-5 MAR

More than ever it is important to stress that the reproduction of a cartoon does not necessarily represent our own views.

27.02.22 - David Simonds, Observer

27.02.22 - Andy Davey, Sunday Telegraph

27.02.22 - Morten Morland, Sunday Times

27.02.22 - Ben Garrison, Grrr Graphics

28.02.22 - Josh, Twitter

28.02.22 - AF Branco, Legal Insurrection

28.02.22 - Jimbob, Gab

01.03.22 - AF Branco, Daily Torch

01.03.22 - Elad Shmueli, Instagram

01.03.22 - Chip Bok, Counterpoint

01.03.22 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

02.03.22 - Jimbob, Gab

02.03.22 - Patrick Blower, Daily Telegraph

02.03.22 - Tom Stiglich, Twitter

02.03.22 - Patrick Cross, Twitter

03.03.22 - Michael Ramirez, Twitter

03.03.22 - Patrick Chappatte, Boston Globe

03.03.22 - Bob Moran, Twitter

03.03.22 - Steve Cutts, Twitter

03.03.22 - Matt Pritchett, Daily Telegraph

04.03.22 - Christian Adams, Evening Standard

04.03.22 - Steve Bright, The Sun

04.03.22 - Peter Brookes, The Times

05.03.22 - Peter Brookes, The Times

05.03.22 - Jimbob, Gab

05.03.22 - Paul Wood, Spectator

05.03.22 - Tom Stiglich, Twitter

05.03.22 - Maarten Wolterink, Twitter

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 19.08.21

There were seven council by-elections on Thursday, plus a re-run of the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner election from May.  The PCC election was being held again after the victorious Tory candidate was immediately barred from office over an undeclared drink driving offence.  The Tories successfully held the post, albeit with a much reduced majority thanks to the £1 million cost of having to stage the election again.  Labour, who finished third in May's void election, slipped to fourth.

Labour were fairly anonymous this week, with nothing to defend and failing to contest three elections in Aberdeenshire and Kent that they had previously contested.  It was a mixed night for the Tories, who held two, lost two and gained one.  The Lib Dems will be more than happy with two holds and a gain.

Wiltshire Police & Crime Commissioner

(50% threshold for victory)

Philip Wilkinson (Con) 32,564 (36.0%)

Mike Rees (Ind) 25,197 (27.8%)

Brian Mathew (LDem) 17,966 (19.8%)

Junab Ali (Lab) 12,971 (14.3%)

Julian Malins (RefUK) 1,859 (2.1%)

Final Round

Jonathon Seed (Con) 52.0%

Liz Webster (Ind) 48.0%

Con HOLD

Mid Formartine, Aberdeenshire Council

(First preference votes)

Con: 1,480 (45.7%) +11.1%

SNP: 1,205 (37.2%) +11.4%

LDem: 412 (12.7%) +3.3%

Grn: 144 (4.4%) New

Con GAIN from SNP (elected at stage 3)

Downs North, Ashford Borough Council

Grn: 273 (51.8%) +20.8%

Con: 239 (45.4%) +7.9%

LDem: 15 (2.8%) -8.6%

Grn GAIN from Con

Sandwich, Dover District Council

Con: 721 (51.6%) +37.2%

LDem: 676 (48.4%) +14.1%

Con HOLD

East Wolds & Coastal, East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Con: 1,190 (54.0%) -2.3%

Lab: 447 (20.3%) +7.2%

York: 347 (15.7%) New

Grn: 142 (6.4%) -24.2%

LDem: 72 (3.6%) New

Con HOLD

Littlemoor, Ribble Valley Borough Council

LDem: 281 (49.0%) -8.9%

Con: 216 (37.7%) +14.1%

Lab: 59 (10.3%) -8.2%

Grn: 17 (3.0%) New

LDem HOLD

Primrose, Ribble Valley Borough Council

LDem: 200 (43.9%) -16.5%

Con: 119 (26.1%) +10.4%

Lab: 109 (23.9%) -0.1%

Grn: 28 (6.1%) New

LDem HOLD

Oakham South, Rutland County Council

LDem: 886 (67.8%) +9.8%

Con: 420 (32.2%) -9.8%

LDem GAIN from Con

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative

LDem = Liberal Democrat

Lab = Labour

RefUK = Reform UK

SNP = Scottish National Party

Grn = Green

York = Yorkshire Party

Ind = Independents