Council by-elections 22 July: Lib Dem Gain from Tories in Northampton

There were holds in nine of the ten council by-elections contested last night, but in the other the Liberal Democrats continued their impressive recent form by taking Northampton Westone from the Conservatives.  The Lib Dems saw their vote rise by 36.4%.  Although this was partly earned by a reduction in the Labour vote (a recent feature of Lib Dem successes), the Tories saw their vote share drop by 28.7%.


Other features:


- Labour held Hackney Central with an increased share of the vote, largely at the expense of the Greens.  Labour also increased its share of the vote in Reading Southcote, though there was a very low turnout in both of these seats.


- The UKIP vote fell in all of the four seats it contested last time.  This ranged from a 4% fall in Tandridge (Warlington West) to a 6.7% in the South Staffordshire ward of Great Wyrely Town.


- With the exception of their loss to the Lib Dems in Northampton, and to an extent their performance in Reading Southcote, the Conservative vote held pretty steady and marginally increased in places.




22/7/16 Council By-Election Results (source: Britain Elects)

East Devon	Exmouth Littleham		CON Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Conservative	547	45.3	19
Liberal Democrat	467	38.7	20.2
Labour	193	16	16
East Devon	Honiton St Michael's		CON Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Conservative	362	39.8	0.3
Independent	211	23.2	2.8
Labour	197	21.6	21.6
UKIP	140	15.4	-5.3
Gwynedd	Waunfawr		PC Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Plaid Cymru	358	75.8	18.6
Labour	114	24.2	24.2
Hackney	Hackney Central		LAB Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Labour	1,354	75.2	11.2
Green	178	9.9	-13
Liberal Democrat	113	6.3	-1.1
Conservative	101	5.6	-0.2
Independent	55	3.1	3.1
Lancashire	Chorley Rural North		CON Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Conservative	1,144	43.8	2.6
Labour	1,042	39.9	2.1
UKIP	303	11.6	-5.7
Liberal Democrat	125	4.8	1
Lewisham	Bellingham		LAB Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Labour	940	56.8	2.8
Conservative	302	18.2	5.4
Liberal Democrat	180	10.9	5.1
People Before Profit	129	7.8	-5.6
UKIP	104	6.3	6.3
Newak & Sherwood	Balderton South		CON Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Conservative	483	82.4	25.5
Liberal Democrat	103	17.6	17.6
Northampton	Westone		LIB DEM Gain
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Liberal Democrat	583	49.7	36.4
Conservative	319	27.2	-28.7
Labour	270	23	-7.6
Reading	Southcote		LAB Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Labour	934	64.1	21.4
Conservative	381	26.1	-8.8
Liberal Democrat	77	5.3	1
Green	66	4.5	0.1
South Staffordshire	Great Wyrley Town		CON Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Conservative	357	50.9	1.2
Labour	230	32.8	5.5
UKIP	114	16.3	-6.7
Tandridge	Warlingham West		CON Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Conservative	367	56.5	-0.6
Liberal Democrat	218	33.6	12.6
UKIP	64	9.9	-4