Friday, 19 November 2021

COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 18.11.21


There were nine by-elections this week across England, including three in the Labour stronghold of Liverpool.  While Labour held all three of those seats with ease, their vote share dipped considerably in each ward.  Labour were defending three seats elsewhere and held two - one in Ribble, Lancashire and another in Manchester.  They lost a seat to the Green Party in Canterbury.

There were no Conservative defences this week, but they sensationally gained a seat from the Lib Dems in Devon where they won by one vote.  In that contest the Lib Dems slipped to third, while a Labour surge fell short of victory by a single vote.

In other action there was a free-for-all in Gloucestershire and a defence for one of Britain's oldest parties.  The independently minded residents of Tewkesbury replaced one independent with another, while the Liberal Party held a seat in Ryedale, North Yorkshire.  The Liberals, as opposed to its descendent party the Liberal Democrats, only holds eight council seats across the UK.  However, it faired far better than the Lib Dems in two of the Liverpool by-elections held on Thursday, finishing second in both.

UKIP did not contest three seats it had previously stood in (Bamber Bridge East, Brockworth East and Bere Ferrer).

Gorrell, Canterbury City Council

Grn: 1,149 (43.9%) +10.3%
Lab: 803 (30.7%) -6.0%
Con: 608 (23.2%) +0.2%
WPB: 58 (2.2%) New

Grn GAIN from Lab

Anfield, Liverpool City Council

Lab: 604 (55.9%) -11.5%
Lib: 281 (26.0%) +15.0%
LDem: 73 (6.8%) +2.1%
Grn: 72 (6.7%) -0.9%
Con: 42 (3.9%) -1.4%
Ind: 9 (0.8%) -3.3%

Lab HOLD

Clubmoor, Liverpool City Council

Lab: 787 (54.5%) -7.6%
Lib: 324 (22.4%) +3.2%
Ind: 167 (11.6%) New
TUSC: 54 (3.7%) New
Grn: 45 (3.1%) -4.7%
LDem: 34 (2.4%) -3.2%
Con: 33 (2.3%) -3.0%

Lab HOLD

Kirkdale, Liverpool City Council

Lab: 852 (61.7%) -20.5%
Ind: 171 (12.4%) New
Grn: 160 (11.6%) +7.5%
TUSC: 84 (6.1%) +0.2%
Con: 57 (4.1%) +0.1%
LDem: 57 (4.1%) +1.1%

Lab HOLD

Chorlton, Manchester City Council

Lab: 1,581 (52.1%) -4.9%
LDem: 657 (21.7%) +8.9%
Grn: 608 (20.1%) -1.0%
Con: 93 (3.1%) -1.6%
WEP: 66 (2.2%) -1.1%
Ind: 27 (0.9%) New

Lab HOLD

Cropton, Ryedale District Council

Lib: 202 (39.6%) -15.5%
Con: 155 (30.4%) +10.9%
Grn: 121 (23.7%) New
Lab: 32 (6.3%) New

Lib HOLD

Bamber Bridge East, South Ribble Borough Council

Lab: 376 (53.7%) +7.2%
Con: 275 (39.3%) +9.5%
Grn: 49 (7.0%) New

Lab HOLD

Brockworth East, Tewkesbury Borough Council

Ind: 499 (68.3%) New
Con: 110 (15.0%) -9.4%
LDem: 87 (11.9%) -1.0%
Lab: 35 (4.8%) New

Ind GAIN from Ind

Bere Ferrers, West Devon Borough Council

Con: 362 (32.5%) +2.4%
Lab: 361 (32.4%) +12.1%
LDem: 216 19.4%) -11.8%
Grn: 176 (15.8%) New

Con GAIN from LDem

Abbreviations

Grn = Green
Lab = Labour
Con = Conservative
WPB = Workers Party of Britain
Lib = Liberal
LDem = Liberal Democrat
TUSC = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
WEP = Women's Equality Party
Ind = Independents