COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 13.10.22

Five council seats were up for grabs this week and despite overwhelmingly negative media coverage and dreadful polling, it was a good return for the Conservatives.  They not only held their one defence (Gloucester), they gained seats from both Labour and the Greens.

It was a narrow hold for the Tories in Gloucester, where the absence of an independent candidate appeared to help the Lib Dems almost surge to victory.  The winning margin was just 15 votes.

In Epping Forest the Greens were defending a seat they had previously gained in a head-to-head contest against the incumbent Conservatives.  It was a two-way battle again, but on this occasion the Tory candidate triumphed.  The most sensational result of the night came in Leicester where Labour were defending one of their 50 council seats (from 54 in total).  The Conservatives stormed to victory, doubling their existing tally of one council seat.  The Green Party also enjoyed a surge, leaving Labour trailing behind in third.

Labour managed to hold its other two defences, but lost ground to the Liberal Democrats in Stockport where the absence of a Conservative candidate appeared to benefit the Lib Dems.  Interesting to note that of the four seats Labour contested on Thursday, their vote share was down in three of them with the fourth presenting a meagre advance of 0.1 per cent.

Waltham Abbey South West, Epping Forest District Council

Con: 260 (55.2%) +17.2%

Grn: 211 (44.8%) -17.2%

Con GAIN from Grn

Tuffley, Gloucester City Council

Con: 502 (34.9%) -13.5%

LDem: 487 (33.8%) +28.3%

Lab: 451 (31.3%) -2.7%

Con HOLD

Throston, Hartlepool Borough Council

Lab: 450 (50.8%) +0.1%

Ind: 280 (31.6%) +4.7%

Con: 124 (14.0%) -8.5%

LDem: 32 (3.6%) New

Lab HOLD

North Evington, Leicester City Council

Con: 3,441 (49.6%) +32.7%

Grn: 1,790 (25.8%) +20.0%

Lab: 1,563 (22.5%) -49.8%

LDem: 100 (1.4%) -3.5%

TUSC: 45 (0.6%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Edgeley & Cheadle Heath, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Lab: 1,172 (52.9%) -19.6%

LDem: 844 (38.1%) +32.1%

Grn: 200 (9.0%) +0.5%

Lab HOLD

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative

Grn = Green

LDem = Liberal Democrat

Lab = Labour

TUSC = Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Ind = Independents