local by-elections

Losing more than 1,000 councillors last May, and suffering regular by-election defeats, the Conservatives must be hoping fortunes improve as the next General Election looms.

Labour’s victory in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West parliamentary by-election ensures that the imminent contests in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth will be examined for further evidence of a resurgence.

Almost half of the local by-election contests held over the summer resulted in a seat changing hands.

In the latest batch of by-elections, the Greens continued to make gains, one each from Labour and Conservative, but lost a seat of their own.

These latest by-elections, which include some county contests held on 4 May, largely support the general pattern of voting seen in the main local elections.

Labour will have to wait to see if May’s local election results presage a General Election victory.  

This year’s local elections in England encompass more than 8,000 seats in 230 councils, with 49 of them having undergone a boundary review. 

There are just four by-elections to report but three may offer clues about the May elections.