There were some fascinating stories, but no clear electoral trends emerged from this latest, large and disparate set of by-elections.
Running contrary to a national trend that sees the Conservatives under pressure, the party made some by-election gains.
The narrow margin of 19 votes saw it regain control of Surrey Heath Borough Council after taking a Liberal Democrat seat in Frimley Green. The absence of any UKIP candidate this time helped the Conservatives’ cause.
In West Devon’s Bere Ferrers ward, the Liberal Democrat fate was sealed following a strong Labour performance and the intervention of the Greens, which assisted Conservative victory.
In North Kesteven’s Metheringham ward, the Conservatives were only denied two wins in the double vacancy when the second seat was decided by lot after a tie with the Lincolnshire Independents.
The Conservatives had an easier ride in the Sleaford Castle ward, when the Independents did not defend their seat.
In South Kesteven, however, local support for Independent Richard Cleaver, the winner of the Sleaford West division in the county election last May, resulted in a Conservative defeat in Stamford All Saints ward.
Gloucester’s Longlevens ward saw Lib Dem Sarah Sawyer and Conservative Julie Evans resume their battle for election. Last May, the three-member ward divided its support, giving the Lib Dem’s one seat and the Conservatives two with Sawyer narrowly losing out then – but winning this latest contest.
The Lib Dem gain in West Sussex provides a further example of perseverance rewarded. The Bourne division was contested by Andrew Kerry-Bedell in a 2019 by-election which saw a Conservative returned. Earlier this year he had another go, again finishing a distant second. Undaunted, he tried and succeeded at the third time of asking.
Labour struggles to progress. Its win in Carlisle’s Currock and Upperby ward was a gain from UKIP where the now largely defunct party did not field a candidate.
In Newark and Sherwood’s Rainworth South and Blidworth ward, Labour had the misfortune to run into Independent Tina Thompson. She failed by just 54 votes to win the Blidworth county division from the Conservatives but was too strong for her Labour opponent this time.
Labour failed too in Canterbury, where the Greens captured the vacant seat in Gorrell ward. In 2019, Labour won all three seats but their third-placed victor finished just nine votes ahead of the Green.
Next May’s elections should provide some interesting battles between these two parties.
But there was better news for Labour in Cardiff’s Heath division, which the Heath and Birchgrove Independents decided not to contest, and better still in Rutland where Labour’s Leah Toseland provided the party with a very rare victory.
She prevailed in a straight fight with her Conservative opponent for the privilege of representing Oakham North West ward. According to our records, this is the first elected Labour member on Rutland County Council since 2002.
The latest results:
| local by-elections |
|---|
| Birmingham, Yardley East LIB DEM HELD 35% over Lab Turnout 25.4% |
| Bolton, Bromley Cross CON HELD 53.5% over Lab Turnout 23.5% |
| Canterbury, Gorrell GREEN GAIN FROM LAB 13.2% over Lab Turnout 31.5% |
| Cardiff, Heath LAB GAIN FROM IND 16.4% over Con Turnout 38.2% |
| Carlisle, Currock and Upperby LAB GAIN FROM UKIP 20.2% over Con Turnout 17% |
| Denbighshire, Llandrillo PLAID CYMRU HELD 9.6% over Ind Turnout 42% |
| Gloucester, Longlevens LIB DEM GAIN FROM CON 29.3% over Con Turnout 34.7% |
| Harrow, Pinner South CON HELD 43.5% over Lib Dem Turnout 28.8% |
| Horsham, Forest LIB DEM HELD 20.8% over Lab Turnout 28.6% |
| Huntingdonshire, Huntingdon East LIB DEM HELD 10.7% over Con Turnout 27.9% |
| Lancaster, University and Scotforth Rural LAB HELD 4.9% over Green Turnout 13.4% |
| Liverpool, Anfield LAB HELD 29.9% over Lib Turnout 11.9% |
| Liverpool, Clubmoor LAB HELD 32.1% over Lib Turnout 12.8% |
| Liverpool, Kirkdale LAB HELD 49.3% over Ind Turnout 11.8% |
| Luton, South LAB HELD 17.4% over Lib Dem Turnout 11.9% |
| Manchester, Chorlton LAB HELD 30.5% over Lib Dem Turnout 27.9% |
| Melton, Melton Dorian CON HELD 12.1% over Lab Turnout 15.3% |
| Newark and Sherwood, Rainworth South and Blidworth IND GAIN FROM LAB 49.1% over Con Turnout 22.2% |
| North Kesteven, Metheringham (2) CON GAIN FROM LINCS IND LINCS IND HELD 2% over Lincs Ind Turnout 21.3% |
| North Kesteven, Sleaford Castle CON GAIN FROM LINCS IND 13.1% over Lab Turnout 14.8% |
| Rutland, Oakham North West LAB GAIN FROM IND 25.2% over Con Turnout 18.5% |
| Ryedale, Cropton LIB HELD 9.2% over Con Turnout 36.5% |
| Salford, Blackfriars and Trinity LAB HELD 31.5% over Green Turnout 10.1% |
| South Kesteven, Grantham Arnoldfield CON HELD 45.8% over Lab Turnout 17.7% |
| South Kesteven, Stamford All Saints IND GAIN FROM CON 32.4% over Con Turnout 23.2% |
| South Ribble, Bamber Bridge East LAB HELD 14.4% over Con Turnout 20.2% |
| South Staffordshire, Kinver CON HELD 60.9% over Green Turnout 19.5% |
| South Staffordshire, Wombourne South East CON HELD 6.4% over Green Turnout 13.9% |
| Surrey Heath, Frimley Green CON GAIN FROM LIB DEM 1% over Lib Dem Turnout 35.7% |
| Tewkesbury, Brockworth East IND HELD 53.2% over Con Turnout 26.2% |
| Thanet, Thanet Villages GREEN HELD 26.3% over Con Turnout 18.5% |
| West Devon, Bere Ferrers CON GAIN FROM LIB DEM 0.1% over Lab Turnout 37.5% |
| West Lancashire, North Meols CON HELD 29.8% over Lab Turnout 27.4% |
| West Sussex, Bourne LIB DEM GAIN FROM CON 12.6% over Con Turnout 22.5% |
| Wigan, Leigh West LAB HELD 32.5% over Con Turnout 16.4% |
| Wrexham, Gresford East and West CON HELD 22.6% over Lib Dem Turnout 28.5% |
