COUNCIL BY-ELECTIONS 27.02.25

This week was very much an East Anglian affair, with three of the five contests taking place in Norfolk and Suffolk.  These are the kind of places that Reform UK are looking to do well and they did score a very impressive gain in Norfolk, securing over half of the vote at the first time of asking.  They appear to have picked votes up from both Tories and Labour in Breckland.

Reform were debutants in both Suffolk seats and Westminster also, finishing third in all three.  The Westminster contest was a technical Tory gain, with Labour having previously finished second to take one of the two seats available.

Once again, the Labour vote was down in all four of the seats it contested.

Bedingfeld, Breckland District Council

Ref: 414 (54.3%) New

Con: 209 (27.4%) -25.2%

Lab: 99 (13.0%) -14.1%

Grn: 41 (5.4%) New

Ref GAIN from Con

Rushmere St Andrews, East Suffolk District Council

Con: 377 (29.8%) -17.0%

Grn: 373 (29.5%) +8.9%

Ref: 347 (27.5%) New

Lab: 166 (13.1%) -19.4%

Con HOLD

Woodbridge, East Suffolk District Council

LDm: 1,023 (53.6%) +25.5%

Con: 391 (20.5%) +1.0%

Ref: 274 (14.4%) New

Lab: 219 (11.5%) -8.5%

LDm HOLD

Vincent Square, Westminster City Council

Con: 978 (45.4%) +0.5%

Lab: 700 (32.5%) -10.6%

Ref: 206 (9.6%) New

LDm: 156 (7.2%) -4.8%

Grn: 101 (4.7%) New

CPA: 14 (0.6%) New

Con GAIN from Lab

Eamont & Shap, Westmorland and Furness Council

LDm: 789 (67.2%) +1.5%

Con: 241 (20.5%) -13.8%

Ind: 76 (6.5%) New

Grn: 68 (5.8%) New

LDm HOLD

Abbreviations

Ref = Reform UK

Con = Conservative

Lab = Labour

Grn = Green

LDm = Liberal Democrat

CPA = Christian Peoples Alliance

Ind = Independents and local groups