UK local by-elections 2013

[joevsimp]

A set of universally good results for Labour this week, although a different story for the Greens - who got near to a fifth of the vote in Alexandra at the 2004 locals, and no-shows in Thanet and Barking despite making it in the teens when contesting? Hilariously bad for Liberals everywhere (which will never get old).  

Might get around to commenting on some of the more remarkable results in last week's by-elections. 100+ ffs - an overwhelming amount - while we're having to make do with less than a handful each Thursday - spread it around!

srsly, oldham but not leicester?

[minionofmidas]

Oldham, Alexandra

Lab 70.7 (+24.3)
UKIP 18.8 (+18.
Lib Dem 4.4 (-14.4)
Con 3.6 (-31.2)
Green 2.5 (+2.5)

Lol, I presume there's a story behind the Tories' performance though?

[ObserverIE]

Oldham, Alexandra

Lab 70.7 (+24.3)
UKIP 18.8 (+18.8 )
Lib Dem 4.4 (-14.4)
Con 3.6 (-31.2)
Green 2.5 (+2.5)

Lol, I presume there's a story behind the Tories' performance though?

In 2012, the Labour candidate was called Dilys Fletcher and the Conservative was Raja Iqbal.

In 2013, the Labour candidate was called Zahid Chauhan and the Conservative was Neil Allsopp.

[Leftbehind]

srsly, oldham but not leicester?

Can you clarify?

[joevsimp]

srsly, oldham but not leicester?

Can you clarify?

not contesting byelections in thanet and barking is one thing, but we have councillors in Leicester, and nothing as far as I know in Oldham

[Leftbehind]

Oh right, yeah. Although as I say, Alexandra did give them a good result once. Councillors in Leicester? They were lost in 2011, no?

[joevsimp]

Oh right, yeah. Although as I say, Alexandra did give them a good result once. Councillors in Leicester? They were lost in 2011, no?

you are right now i remember, one died falling out of a tree and we lost the byelection, and the other lost in the normal election a few months later

[MaxQue]

A Green councillor died falling of a tree? For real or its wierd British humour?

[Leftbehind]

or its wierd British humour?

lol

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8676696.stm

[Chancellor of the Duchy of Little Lever and Darcy Lever]

Oldham, Alexandra

Lab 70.7 (+24.3)
UKIP 18.8 (+18.8 )
Lib Dem 4.4 (-14.4)
Con 3.6 (-31.2)
Green 2.5 (+2.5)

Lol, I presume there's a story behind the Tories' performance though?

In 2012, the Labour candidate was called Dilys Fletcher and the Conservative was Raja Iqbal.

In 2013, the Labour candidate was called Zahid Chauhan and the Conservative was Neil Allsopp.

Yes, that just about sums it up.

It's probably a good thing I'm otherwise engaged and can't write previews at the moment, as the residents of Alexandra ward would probably take great exception to what I would write.  Hint: I don't like Oldham much.

[minionofmidas]

It's probably a good thing I'm otherwise engaged and can't write previews at the moment

BLASPHEMY

I presume there is a white and more suburban - but probably still fairly working class - side to the ward... but the Tory vote there went over to UKIP?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The ward is over 60% white.

[ObserverIE]

Weymouth and Portland, Melcombe Regis

Lab 26.5 (+6.9)
Con 24.5 (-9.0)
Ind 19.4
Lib Dem 16.1 (-13.0)
Green 13.6 (-5.3)

Rotherham, Rawmarsh

UKIP 46.5 (+46.5)
Lab 42.3 (-23.9)
Con 4.4 (-8.5)
BNP 3.3 (-17.6)
TUSC 2.5 (+2.5)
Lib Dem 1.1 (+1.1)

Somerset, Coker

Con 37.8
Lib Dem 31.3
UKIP 20.4
Lab 5.7
Green 4.8

(new boundaries; seat held by Lib Dems in 2009)

[Leftbehind]

Weymouth and Portland, Melcombe Regis

Lab 26.5 (+6.9)
Con 24.5 (-9.0)
Ind 19.4
Lib Dem 16.1 (-13.0)
Green 13.6 (-5.3)

lol 5-way marginal under FPTP.

[You kip if you want to...]

Weymouth and Portland, Melcombe Regis

Lab 26.5 (+6.9)
Con 24.5 (-9.0)
Ind 19.4
Lib Dem 16.1 (-13.0)
Green 13.6 (-5.3)

lol 5-way marginal under FPTP.

Labour coming from 4th is pretty impressive.

[Leftbehind]

Weymouth and Portland, Melcombe Regis

Lab 26.5 (+6.9)
Con 24.5 (-9.0)
Ind 19.4
Lib Dem 16.1 (-13.0)
Green 13.6 (-5.3)

lol 5-way marginal under FPTP.

Labour coming from 4th is pretty impressive.

Well it sounds a great deal more impressive than a 7-point increase allowing them to win on a quarter of the vote.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Not exactly a surprise, unfortunately. Idiotic choice of candidate, absolutely idiotic.

[You kip if you want to...]

UKIP gain from Labour in Rotherham. Part of John Healey's Wentworth constituency...

Although, if you're reading this thread, I'm sure none of need us reminding of some of the funny business from Rotherham council...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

One of those being accusations of nepotism.

The by-election was caused by the resignation of the new Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire. The Labour candidate was... his wife. Who is related to several current and former councillors.

There is such a thing as scoring an own goal.

[Leftbehind]

Impressive way of handing UKIP a propaganda victory. Dread to think how often UKIP will make use of it.

[Chancellor of the Duchy of Little Lever and Darcy Lever]

Better late than never, this week's preview.  There is just one local by-election this week, on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border.

WHITWELL, Bolsover district council, Derbyshire; caused by the resignation of Green Party councillor Duncan Kerr, who has moved to the west of England.

The large village of Whitwell can be found at the very north-eastern corner of Derbyshire, just off the A619 Worksop-Chesterfield road about four miles west of Worksop.  Possibly best known as the home of snooker player Joe Davis, who held the title of world champion continuously from 1927 until retiring undefeated in 1946, Whitwell once claimed to have the largest number of licensed premises per capita in the country, with eleven pubs for residents to choose from.  While much of Bolsover is a coal-mining (or ex-coal-mining) area, Whitwell's main export is limestone from a large quarry outside the village.  The village's railway station reopened in 1998 as part of the Robin Hood Line from Nottingham to Worksop, and has a generally hourly service (but no trains on Sundays).

While Bolsover district as a whole is generally a Labour fiefdom (fittingly for the area which returns Dennis Skinner to Parliament), Whitwell is very much an exception to the rule, with its election results normally dominated by the Whitwell Residents Association.  The Residents held the ward's two district council seats from at least 2003 until 2011, when one of them was taken by the Green Party candidate Duncan Kerr in a rather close result, with Labour and an Independent candidate only about 70 votes behind Kerr and the remaining Residents councillor.  Kerr didn't stand in the simultaneous parish council election (the ward and parish have the same boundaries), which saw Labour winning four seats, the Residents three and the remaining seat going to an independent.  The village went to the polls just three weeks ago in the Derbyshire county council election, but with no Whitwell Residents candidate for the county council the result (Labour winning easily in Bolsover North division, UKIP a distant second, TUSC beating the Conservatives for third) isn't all that relevant to this by-election.

Duncan Kerr effectively was the Green Party in Bolsover (he had been the council's only Green candidate in 2011) and so there is no defending Green candidate in the by-election which is a straight fight between the Residents and Labour.  The Residents' candidate, parish councillor Viv Mills, is trying to get back on the district council after losing her seat in the 2011 election (in which she finished last).  The Labour candidate Frank Raspin was the runner-up in the 2011 parish council election and is married to a Labour parish councillor.

Parliamentary constituency: Bolsover
Derbyshire county council division: Bolsover North
ONS Travel to Work Area: Worksop and Retford

Viv Mills (Whitwell Res Assoc)
Frank Raspin (Lab)

May 2011 result Grn 453 Whitwell Res Assoc 452/326 Lab 383/342 Ind 378
May 2007 result Whitwell Res Assoc 631/468 Ind 429 Lab 357/308
May 2003 result Whitwell Res Assoc 755/618 Lab 428/373

[Gary J]

Whitwell Ward by-election result

Mills, Vivienne Patricia (Whitwell Residents Association)   347 (elected)
Raspin, Frank Philip   (Labour Party)                                 256

[ObserverIE]

Bolsover, Whitwell

Residents 57.5 (+32.9)
Lab 42.5 (+19.6)

[YL]

Better late than never, this week's preview.  There is just one local by-election this week, on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border.

WHITWELL, Bolsover district council, Derbyshire; caused by the resignation of Green Party councillor Duncan Kerr, who has moved to the west of England.

Good to see these back.

[ObserverIE]

Lichfield, Fazeley

Con 53.0 (-1.1)
Lab 47.0 (+1.1)