In a by-election in East Hampshire caused by the death of Conservative councillor Judy Ounslow, voters went to the polls, unusually, on a Tuesday, and the Liberal Democrats continued their excellent local by-election form of late by almost pulling off a stunning victory in The Hangers & Forest.
The Lib Dems didn't contest the seat in the local elections, yet only missed out here by 9 votes, gaining 43.6%, while the Tories saw their vote reduced by 23.7%.
It's a result that suggests that recent Lib Dem successes in the south of England are no fluke and that the party is once again beginning to re-emerge as an electoral force, at least in some areas of the country. They clearly ate heavily into both Conservative and Labour totals, with the latter reduced to a mere 17 votes, beaten into fourth place by the Justice & Anti-Corruption candidate.
The result:
| East Hampshire | The Hangers & Forest | CON Hold | |
| PARTY | VOTE | PCT. | CHG. |
| Conservative | 236 | 45.3 | -23.7 |
| Liberal Democrat | 227 | 43.6 | 43.6 |
| Justice & Anti-Corruption | 41 | 7.9 | 7.9 |
| Labour | 17 | 3.3 | -9.7 |
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