COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 23.01.25

Six seats were up for grabs on Thursday, four of which were north of the border and two of those were a double header in Edinburgh.

The Lib Dems and SNP were defending a seat each in Edinburgh, but lost to the Tories and Labour.  The Conservative vote did particularly well in this by election.  Elsewhere in Scotland, Labour lost to the SNP in Stirling, while the party did not even bother defending their Shetland seat.

South of the border it was a Lib Dem hold in Liverpool and a Labour hold in the Potteries.  The latter saw a very strong swing to Reform UK who had not previously contested the seat.

Colinton/Fairmilehead, City of Edinburgh Council

(two seats, first preference votes)

Con: 2,027 (32.6%) +12.9%

Lab: 1,146 (18.4%) -1.1%

LDm: 1,009 (16.2%) -20.0%

SNP: 840 (13.5%) +2.7%

Grn: 426 (6.8%) +1.5%

Ref: 345 (5.5%) +1.9%

Ind: 256 (4.1%) +1.8%

SFP: 65 (1.0%) +0.4%

Ind: 38 (0.6%) -0.2%

Ind: 30 (0.5%) +0.2%

Ind: 23 (0.4%) -0.3%

Ind: 13 (0.2%) New

Ind: 5 (0.1%) New

Con GAIN from LDm (elected at stage 8)

Lab GAIN from SNP (elected at stage 13)

Much Woolton & Hunts Cross, Liverpool City Council

LDm: 1,011 (51.1%) -2.4%

Lab: 537 (27.1%) -4.2%

Ref: 218 (11.0%) New

Grn: 170 (8.6%) -2.0%

Con: 42 (2.1%) -2.3%

LDm HOLD

Bannockburn, Stirling Council

(first preference votes)

SNP: 565 (35.9%) +7.2%

Lab: 376 (23.9%) +3.1%

Ref: 358 (22.7%) New

Con: 169 (10.7%) -8.4%

LDm: 55 (3.5%) +1.4%

Grn: 53 (3.4%) +1.0%

SNP GAIN from Lab (elected at stage 6)

Town, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council

Lab: 309 (39.9%) -28.4%

Con: 226 (29.2%) -2.5%

Ref: 168 (21.7%) New

LDm: 78 (9.2%) New

Lab HOLD

Shetland North, Shetland Islands Council

(first preference votes)

Ind: 887 (90.4%) New

Ind: 94 (9.5%) New

Ind GAIN from Lab

Abbreviations

Con = Conservative

Lab = Labour

LDm = Liberal Democrat

SNP = Scottish National Party

Grn = Green

Ref = Reform UK
SFP = Scottish Family Party

Ind = Independents