Electoral momentum
Reform UK’s electoral momentum continues with another five gains (three from Labour, two from Conservative), bringing its total to 13 since the general election.
local by-elections
Democracy is about more than efficiencies
By-elections were thin on the ground in January, with attention in the local government community focused instead on the structural reforms proposed in the recent English Devolution White Paper, and the consequent postponement of some of this year’s scheduled county council elections.
Disengaged voters
The final by-elections of 2024 only served to emphasise what we have been pointing out for months – that the electorate appears both volatile and disengaged.
Electoral lottery
Labour has lost a net 22 council seats in by-elections since July, with its average vote share in all such contests falling by more than 10 percentage points.
Low turnout ‘troubling’
Thirteen by-elections followed the resignation of Labour councillors after being voted into Parliament, with a net loss of nine seats.
Voter volatility
Following a general election, especially one as dramatic as 4 July’s, council by-elections can provide evidence about voters in the new political environment.
A fragmented vote distribution
Many councillors took the opportunity of the snap general election to resign their seats, minimising the costs to local authorities of conducting by-elections.
A sparsity of results
There is usually a sparsity of local by-elections in the weeks before the annual May contests, and 2024 is no exception.
Local elections 2024 preview
On 2 May, 107 councils across England go to the polls, with more than 2,600 seats at stake.