Patterns of party competition
There are just four by-elections to report but three may offer clues about the May elections.
elections
Electoral counts and coronations
Early May looks like being a particularly busy period for local government (as if there is ever a quiet moment!).
Making a choice on who runs services
We are now just days away from the local elections, where voters face a choice at the ballot box over who runs vital local public services.
The most trusted form of government
Can I send a big thank you to those standing down as councillors this May. You have made a real difference to thousands of people across the country.
Greens ‘becoming stronger’
Only one seat changed hands in this latest batch of 10 local by-elections, as the Greens recaptured Hythe West in Kent from the Conservatives.
Rising number of Independents
As the local elections approach, for many it is a time for planning and focusing on local issues, as well as an expectation of the effect of national politics on the outcomes that we will see on 5 May.
Casual vacancies
Most, though not all, by-elections now being held are in councils that do not have contests scheduled for May.
Voter ID and May polls
Although there have been no postal strikes since Christmas with their potential impact on postal voting, a cold January has done little to persuade a seemingly unenthused electorate to turn out in numbers.
Record low turnout
Wigan’s Ashton ward has established an unenviable record, recording the lowest turnout in any council by-election: just 5.3 per cent.
Turnovers, defeats and split decisions
Sixteen of the latest batch of 33 councillor vacancies (48 per cent) saw a seat change hands.