Three by-elections this week and all in the south of England. It was a clean sweep for the Lib Dems who held a seat in Eastleigh, while gaining two more - at the expense of an independent in Somerset and the Conservatives in Wealden. Their gain in Wealden appears to have been assisted by the absence of a Labour candidate this time. Last time Labour picked up 24.7 per cent of the vote.
The Lib Dem share of the vote was up in all three seats, while it was another fairly disappointing night for Labour who saw their vote share dip in both seats contested.
There were rare outings for Reform UK and the SDP, both of whom finished last. A mixture of scant resources and the rarity of electoral appearances will continue to hinder the progress of any small party, regardless of how many MEPs they had three years ago.
Independent candidates were absent from both the Eastleigh and Somerset contests. The latter was triggered by the incumbent independent having been disqualified from the council due to lack of attendance.
Eastleigh Central, Eastleigh Borough Council
LDem: 781 (43.9%) +7.0%
Lab: 433 (24.3%) -4.5%
Con: 362 (20.3%) -4.8%
Grn: 140 (7.9%) New
RefUK: 64 (3.6%) +0.2%
LDem HOLD
Alcombe, Somerset West and Taunton Council
LDem: 259 (50.2%) +17.7%
Con: 223 (43.2%) +24.2%
Lab: 21 (4.1%) -6.8%
Ind: 13 (2.5%) New
LDem GAIN from Ind
Hailsham South, Wealden District Council
LDem: 394 (59.7%) +30.9%
Con: 254 (38.5%) -8.1%
SDP: 12 (1.8%) New
LDem GAIN from Con
Abbreviations
LDem = Liberal Democrats
Lab = Labour
Con = Conservative
Grn = Green
RefUK = Reform UK
SDP = Social and Democratic Party
Ind = Independents
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