4 August: A Mixed Bag

The first council by-elections for August threw up something of a mixed bag of results.  There was the customary Liberal Democrat gain: they benefitted from the lack of a Labour candidate in Eden's Alston Moor seat to take the seat from the Conservatives.


There was also some unusual cheer for Labour, who not only held onto their East Brighton seat with an increased share of the vote but also trounced UKIP to make a gain in the Silverdale & Parksite seat of Newcastle Under Lyme: the party's first by-election gain of the summer.  It was, in fact, more of a re-gain as Labour had held the seat until losing it to UKIP last time out, following the defection to UKIP of Labour councillor Derrick Huckfield.


UKIP, however, also reversed their recent bad run of form by not only seeing their share of the vote increase in a council seat for the first time since the Brexit vote, but also gaining the seat in question - Beaver in Ashford - from Labour.


The Tories held on to South East Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire and beat off challenges from Independent candidates in Nottinghamshire and Rushcliffe to hold on there too.


The results:

Ashford	Beaver		UKIP Gain
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
UKIP	373	42.1	11.6
Labour	243	27.4	-3.3
Conservative	240	27.1	0.2
Green	31	3.5	-3.8
Brighton & Hove	East Brighton		LAB Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Labour	1,488	57.5	11.1
Conservative	514	19.9	-2.6
Green	286	11.1	-8.5
UKIP	152	5.9	5.9
Liberal Democrat	116	4.5	-3.4
Independent	31	1.2	1.2
Yorks East Riding	S E Holderness		CON Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Conservative	917	38.5	3.6
Labour	806	33.8	7.9
UKIP	390	16.4	-13.3
Independent	173	7.3	7.3
Liberal Democrat	98	4.1	4.1
Eden	Alston Moor		LIB DEM Gain
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Liberal Democrat	302	54.6	54.6
Conservative	251	45.4	15.7
Newcastle under Lyme	Silverdale & Parksite		LAB Gain
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Labour	399	56.4	19.5
UKIP	174	24.6	-21.2
Conservative	80	11.3	-0.4
Independent	54	7.6	7.6
Nottinghamshire	Bingham		CON Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Conservative	1,270	44	2.2
Independent	1,232	42.7	42.7
Labour	382	13.2	-7
Rushcliffe	Cramner		CON Hold
PARTY	VOTE	PCT.	CHG.
Conservative	318	54.3	-16.6
Independent	138	23.5	23.5
Labour	130	22.2	-7