UK local by-elections 2015

[Harry Hayfield]

There is to be a by-election for the mayor of Tower Hamlets after the incumbent elected in 2014 was removed by an election court in London today http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-32428648

[Silent Hunter]

There is to be a by-election for the mayor of Tower Hamlets after the incumbent elected in 2014 was removed by an election court in London today http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-32428648

Not only removed, found guilty of election offences and barred from standing.

Good riddance, personally.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

This is terrible news for Mercedes.

[ObserverIE]

The Holy Word returns.

Cambridgeshire, Wisbech South

Con 63.8 (+32.4)
UKIP 18.6 (-19.6)
Lab 13.7 (-2.8)
Lib Dem 3.8 (-10.1)

Kettering, Rothwell

Con 40.1 (+1.9) (853, 777, 771)
Lab 36.5 (+4.6) (951, 623, 614)
UKIP 18.5 (+18.5) (370)
Green 4.8 (+4.8) (119, 89, 82)

Con gain Wisbech South from UKIP
Con hold 2, Lab hold 1 in Rothwell

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Shenanigans occurring in the TH by-election, according to the Standard. Who'd have thunk it?

[YL]

The Tower Hamlets mayoral by-election is on Thursday.  (Whoever thought having an elected mayor in Tower Hamlets was a good idea anyway?)  Based on past form, maybe we'll know the result by about Sunday.

There is also an ordinary by-election in Tower Hamlets, in Stepney Green ward, plus another London by-election and a delayed election in Wyre Forest (where the local political scene is also quite strange).  Holy Word here.

[ObserverIE]

Wyre Forest, Areley Kings and Riverside

Lab 32.2 (633, 561, 532)
Con 32.0 (662, 564, 492)
ICHC 20.6 (404, 378, 326)
UKIP 11.5 (213, 209, 196)
Green 3.7 (66)

Sutton, Wallington South

Lib Dem 44.1 (+7.2)
Con 33.0 (+15.7)
Ind 6.4
Lab 6.4 (-2.2)
UKIP 5.8 (-11.8)
Green 4.3 (-3.0)

Tower Hamlets, Stepney Green

Lab 42.1 (+14.1)
Not TH First 37.7 (-6.7)
Green 7.0 (-2.1)
UKIP 5.2 (-3.4)
Con 4.0 (-2.5)
Lib Dem 2.9 (-0.5)
Ind 1.0

Lab gain Stepney Green from TH First

[Harry Hayfield]

Wyre Forest, Areley Kings and Riverside

Lab 32.2 (633, 561, 532)
Con 32.0 (662, 564, 492)
ICHC 20.6 (404, 378, 326)
UKIP 11.5 (213, 209, 196)
Green 3.7 (66)

Sutton, Wallington South

Lib Dem 44.1 (+7.2)
Con 33.0 (+15.7)
Ind 6.4
Lab 6.4 (-2.2)
UKIP 5.8 (-11.
Green 4.3 (-3.0)

Tower Hamlets, Stepney Green

Lab 42.1 (+14.1)
Not TH First 37.7 (-6.7)
Green 7.0 (-2.1)
UKIP 5.2 (-3.4)
Con 4.0 (-2.5)
Lib Dem 2.9 (-0.5)
Ind 1.0

Lab gain Stepney Green from TH First

and Labour GAIN Tower Hamlets from NOC to boot!

[Phony Moderate]

And, of course, Labour defeated the corrupt bastards in the Mayoral election.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

John Biggs, Labour, 40.0%
Rabina Khan, Ind, 37.8%
Peter Golds, Con, 8.7%
John Foster, Green, 3.9%
Elaine Bagshaw, LDem, 3.2%
Andy Erlam, Red Flag, 2.6%
Nicholas McQueen, UKIP, 2.4%
Hafiz Abdul Kadir, Ind, 0.4%
Vanessa Hudson, Animal Welfare, 0.4%
M. Motiur Nanu Rahman, Ind, 0.4%

John Biggs, Labour, 55.4%
Rabina Khan, Ind, 44.6%

Maj. 6,370 (10.8%), Turnout 37.7%

Second prefs split nearly 90/10 to Biggs.

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

Two postponed polls on 18th May, both in southern England:

HOLMWOODS, Mole Valley district council, Surrey; a double-vacancy election, caused by the resignation of the council's only UKIP member Stephen Musgrove, which was postponed from 7th May due to the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Mick Longhurst, who had been nominated for re-election.  Longhurst, who died at the age of 82, had been a Mole Valley District councillor for fifteen years following a 30-year career at Johnston Engineering in Dorking; a keen Chelsea fan, he had formerly been vice-president of Dorking FC.  Musgrove, who had been a councillor for less than a year, has moved away from the district and now lives in East Sussex.

The Holmwoods ward lies immediately south of Dorking and covers various localities called Holmwood.  Much the larger is North Holmwood, effectively a Dorking suburb much of which is built on the site of the former Dorking Brickworks, which closed in 1983 after exhausting the local clay supply.  Further south along the A24 Dorking-Horsham road is South Holmwood, centre of the Holmwood civil parish and birthplace of the 1930s novelist E Arnot Robertson.

During the last Labour government Holmwoods was a safe Liberal Democrat ward, with the Tories in a fairly distant second.  The general election turnout enabled the Conservatives to get within nine points of the Lib Dems in 2010, and after a further pro-Tory swing in 2011 the Lib Dem lead was down to six points, but the Lib Dems pulled away in 2012 as the Tories bled votes to UKIP.  The Lib Dems also easily won the local county division (Dorking South and The Holmwoods) in 2013.  So is the ward safe Lib Dem now?  Not a bit of it: a close three-way result in 2014 saw a UKIP gain with 32% of the vote, to 29% for the Tories and 26% for the Lib Dems, with Labour's 7% just beating the Greens for fourth place.  The Lib Dems are very much on the defensive here, having lost four seats to the Conservatives in May in the rest of Mole Valley district, while UKIP's local machine does not appear to be in good shape; Musgrove was due to be the UKIP parliamentary candidate for Mole Valley in May, but he was actually the second choice after the previous candidate, UKIP general secretary Roger Bird, stood down over accusations of - what else with a name like that? - sexual harassment.

UKIP and the Lib Dems are defending one seat each.  On the UKIP slate are Michael Foulston, who fought this ward in 2012 for UKIP and in 2002 and 2003 for the Tories, and Stephen Morgan.  The Lib Dems have selected Claire Malcomson, who appears to be an actress who once appeared on Jonathan Creek, and Clayton Wellman.  The Tory slate consists of James Baird, a former Horley town councillor who was runner-up here in 2014, and his fiancée Emma Whittinger.  Labour appear to have given up, so the ballot paper is completed by the Green Party slate, Jeff Zie (who fought the ward in 2014) being joined by second choice candidate Eugene Suggett.

Parliamentary constituency: Mole Valley
Surrey county council division: Dorking South and the Holmwoods
ONS Travel to Work Area: Crawley

May 2014 result UKIP 608 C 551 LD 504 Lab 133 Grn 127
May 2012 result LD 727 C 447 UKIP 287 Lab 154
May 2011 result LD 863 C 743 UKIP 238 Lab 226
May 2010 result LD 1507 C 1208 UKIP 319 Lab 297
May 2008 result LD 870 C 563 UKIP 269
May 2007 result LD 894 C 556 UKIP 107 Lab 100 Grn 85
May 2006 result LD 1062 C 532 Lab 130
June 2004 result LD 996 C 694 Lab 160
May 2003 result LD 848 C 441 Lab 135
May 2002 result LD 965 C 430 Lab 207


NORTH HIGHCLIFFE AND WALKFORD, Christchurch district council, Dorset; postponed from 7th May due to the death of Labour candidate Richard Walls.

Dorset's most easterly electoral ward, this covers the northern half of the town of Highcliffe, now part of the Bournemouth/Poole conurbation but in Victorian and Edwardian times a popular health and leisure resort: Wilhelm II stayed in Highcliffe in 1907 to recover from the strain of political scandals in Germany.  At the north-west corner of the ward is Highcliffe's railway station, curiously named Hinton Admiral.  The census bears out the fact that this is a retirement area: 25% of the population is retired and 32% are aged 65 or over; owner-occupation rates are also notably high.

Christchurch was the site of a famous Lib Dem by-election win during the Major government, but Liberalism is essentially extinct here now.  The most recent district election here saw the Tory slate poll 75% against opposition from a single Labour candidate.  However, the 2013 Dorset county council elections suggest that UKIP could be stiffer competition: the Kippers had 39% across the larger Highcliffe and Walkford county division, although it wasn't enough to beat the Tories who had 50%.

The two previous Tory councillors for the ward, Sally Derham Wilkes and Nick Geary, are both standing for re-election.  On the Labour slate Donald Barr, the only opposition candidate in 2011, is joined by Richard Walls' son Gareth.  The ballot paper is completed by the UKIP slate of Robin Grey and Janet Hatton.

Parliamentary constituency: Christchurch
Dorset county council division: Highcliffe and Walkford
ONS Travel to Work Area: Bournemouth

May 2011 result C 1136/1001 Lab 381
May 2007 result C 1117/1004 LD 415 Lab 179
May 2003 result C 651/627 LD 503/470 UKIP 129 Lab 65

[ObserverIE]

Christchurch, North Highcliffe and Walkford

Con 64.1 (-9.6) (793, 775)
UKIP 24.7 (+24.7) (315, 288)
Lab 11.2 (-15.1) (143, 132)

Mole Valley, Holmwoods

Lib Dem 50.9 (+24.7) (804, 768)
Con 30.8 (+2.1) (492, 458)
UKIP 12.3 (-19.3) (201, 180)
Green 5.9 (-0.7) (105, 78)

Con hold 2 in North Highcliffe and Walkford
Lib Dem hold 1 and gain 1 from UKIP in Holmwoods

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

Today's polls:

MARKET AND WEST DEEPING, South Kesteven district council, Lincolnshire; postponed from 7th May due to the death of outgoing independent councillor Reg Howard, who was standing for re-election.

Welcome to Market Deeping, the western half of the settlement known as The Deepings: a small town on the north bank of the River Welland which here forms the Lincolnshire/Cambridgeshire boundary.  The market of the name has been held here for eight centuries, but the town's economy is now underpinned by being a service centre for the fenland to the north, some light industry, and commuting to Peterborough.  Possibly the town's best-known resident is Martin Adams, a three-time winner of one flavour of the darts world championships.  The ward also includes the parish of West Deeping, a tiny village to the west of the town.

The town's local election results are weird.  In 2003 there were only three candidates for the three seats who were therefore elected unopposed: Reg Howard and one candidate each from Labour and the Tories.  The Labour councillor lost his seat for non-attendance in 2006 and the Tories won the by-election, again unopposed.  In 2007 there was finally a contested election, which saw the Tories lose their second seat to an independent candidate, Bob Broughton.  There was no change in partisan balance in 2011, but the previous Conservative councillor Michael Exton lost his seat to his running-mate, Paul Cosham; that year the Tory slate topped the poll with 40% to 35% for the independents and 26% for the Green Party.  At county level the Market and West Deeping county division (which is slightly larger than this ward) is normally safe Conservative but in 2013 the Tories finished only seventeen votes ahead of the Lincolnshire Independents candidate.

The Conservatives this time stand only one candidate.  Paul Cosham has stood down and is replaced by Nick Neilson.  On the independent side, Bob Broughton is standing for re-election and is joined by Ashley Baxter, who fought this ward for the Green Party in 2007 and 2011 and was runner-up in the 2013 county election here, and David Shelton.  There is a full UKIP slate of William Learoyd, Robert O'Farrell and Roger Woodbridge (two of whom give addresses in Bourne, Lincolnshire) and the ballot paper is completed by a single Lib Dem candidate, Adam Brookes.

Parliamentary constituency: South Holland and the Deepings
Lincolnshire county council division: Market and West Deeping
ONS Travel to Work Area: Peterborough

May 2011 result C 959/766 Ind 847/844/533 Grn 622/330/302
May 2007 result Ind 903/806 C 827 Grn 667 Lab 360
March 2006 by-election C unopposed
May 2003 result Lab/Ind/C unopposed

ROMSEY, Cambridgeshire county council; caused by the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Killian Bourke, who has a new job in London.  He had been a Cambridgeshire county councillor since winning a by-election in May 2008.

Romsey is a division of eastern Cambridge, to the east of the railway line.  Developed either side of Mill Road during the Victorian era, it was predominantly settled by railway workers and is thus very much on the "town" side of Cambridge's traditional town/gown divide.  Romsey Town, as the area is known, is traditionally a working-class area and its local politics had a socialist tradition.

That socialist tradition can be seen in Colin Rosenstiel's excellent archive of Cambridge's election results, and comparison is eased by the fact that this county division has the same boundaries as the Romsey ward of Cambridge city council.  There has been a Romsey ward since before the Second World War, and from 1935 until 1998 the ward voted Labour at both county and city level at every opportunity, with the exception of a by-election in November 1981 which was won by the SDP.  In 1998 the Lib Dems broke through to the city council; they gained a second city council seat from Labour in 2003, completed the set in 2004 and finished off by gaining the county council seat from Labour in 2005.  By 2010 Romsey had become safe Lib Dem, but the changed political environment after the formation of the Coalition turned the ward back into a Labour/Lib Dem marginal during the Parliament just gone.  Labour gained city council seats in 2011 and 2014, but the Lib Dems held the other city council seat in 2012 and the county seat in 2013.  Killian Bourke did well in his last re-election in 2013 to beat Labour 48-32, the Greens' 6% winning a close four-way race for third.  Romsey went to the polls in May to elect a Cambridge city councillor: Labour held the seat with 38%, the Lib Dems were second on 30% and the Greens had a strong performance to finish third on 22%.

Defending for the Lib Dems is Nichola Martin.  Zoe Moghadas, who retired as a city councillor here in May, is the Labour candidate.  The Green Party have selected Debbie Aitchison.  Also standing are Rahatul Raja for the Tories (who is straight back on the campaign trail after standing for the city council in May) and UKIP's Richard Jeffs.

Parliamentary constituency: Cambridge
Cambridgeshire county council division: Romsey
ONS Travel to Work Area: Peterborough

May 2015 city council result Lab 1636 LD 1314 Grn 951 C 436
May 2014 city council result Lab 1205 LD 1093 Grn 394 C 206
May 2013 result LD 1118 Lab 741 Grn 138 UKIP 118 Cambridge Socialists 118 C 103
May 2012 city council result LD 1020 Lab 813 Cambridge Socialists 457 C 175
May 2011 city council result Lab 996 LD 870 Grn 411 C 360 Cambridge Socialists 356
May 2010 city council result LD 1615 Lab 928 Grn 697 C 600 Cambridge Socialists 404
June 2009 result LD 829 Lab 493 Ind 425 Grn 297 C 270 UKIP 96
May 2008 by-election LD 781 Lab 597 C 289 Grn 237 Left List 207
May 2008 city council result LD 791 Lab 535 Left List 328 C 285 Grn 189
May 2007 city council result LD 774 Lab 496 Respect 358 Grn 271 C 238
May 2006 by-election LD 955 Lab 656 Grn 265 C 258 Respect 240
May 2006 city council double vacancy LD 1065/815 Lab 623/491 Grn 358/216 Respect 294/268 C 235/216
May 2005 result LD 1668 Lab 1235 Grn 402 C 359 UKIP 45
June 2004 city council result LD 1192/1184/1125 Lab 746/658/577 Grn 394/360 C 206/186/172 UKIP 119

[ObserverIE]

Cambridgeshire, Romsey (changes since 2013 with changes since May city council election in italics)

Lab 37.3 (+5.6) (-0.4)
Lib Dem 35.2 (-12.7) (+4.9)
Green 21.0 (+15.1) (-0.9)
Con 4.5 (+0.1) (-5.6)
UKIP 2.1 (-3.0) (+2.1)

South Kesteven, Market and West Deeping

Con 39.2 (-3.5) (605)
Ind 35.6 (612, 609, 426)
Lib Dem 14.9 (+14.9) (229)
UKIP 10.3 (+10.3) (224, 129, 123)

Lab gain Romsey from Lib Dem
Ind hold 2 (Broughton, Baxter) and Con hold 1 in Market and West Deeping

[ObserverIE]

Cardiff, Pentyrch

Con 40.2 (-14.2)
PC 39.0 (+26.9)
Lab 16.8 (-12.3)
Ind 1.7
Green 1.6 (-1.2)
Lib Dem 0.7 (-0.9)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Taffia Central - Con Hold

[ObserverIE]

Lincolnshire, Grantham Barrowby

Con 49.5 (+11.7)
Lab 22.0 (-7.9)
UKIP 15.3 (+15.3)
Lincs Ind 13.2 (-19.0)

Richmond-upon-Thames, Hampton Wick

Lib Dem 43.0 (+25.1)
Con 39.1 (-9.1)
Green 8.5 (-11.0)
Lab 6.7 (-7.7)
UKIP 2.5 (+2.5)
Ind 0.3

Lib Dem gain Hampton Wick from Con

[joevsimp]

Cardiff, Pentyrch

Con 40.2 (-14.2)
PC 39.0 (+26.9)
Lab 16.8 (-12.3)
Ind 1.7
Green 1.6 (-1.2)
Lib Dem 0.7 (-0.9)

what's the margin of victory in votes? I can imagine that the turnout was quite low (and the lib dem total)

[ObserverIE]

Cardiff, Pentyrch

Con 40.2 (-14.2)
PC 39.0 (+26.9)
Lab 16.8 (-12.3)
Ind 1.7
Green 1.6 (-1.2)
Lib Dem 0.7 (-0.9)

what's the margin of victory in votes? I can imagine that the turnout was quite low (and the lib dem total)

Con 561 40.2%
PC 543 39.0%
Lab 234 16.8%
Ind 24 1.7%
Green 22 1.6%
Lib Dem 10 0.7%

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Turnout was actually quite high for a local election (in the 40s) because this is a self-contained and affluent village.

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

The Holy Word has been delegated this week because I had to change my working hours at short notice.

Anyway, this week's by-elections are:

OLD HASTINGS AND TRESSELL, East Sussex county council; and CENTRAL ST LEONARDS, Hastings borough council; caused by the death of the Labour leader of Hastings council.  These are both safe Labour areas (Central St Leonards is by all accounts a notorious dump).  Combined with ST HELENS, Hastings borough council; caused by the resignation of a Tory councillor whom it now turns out has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences; this is a marginal ward which Labour won in 2012 (by two votes) and the Tories in 2014.

BRENTFORD, London Borough of Hounslow; caused by the resignation of the new Labour MP for Brentford and Isleworth.  West London suburbia; safe Labour now but the Lib Dems won a seat here in 2006 and a single-issue party campaigning for a new stadium for Brentford FC won a seat in 2002.

NEWTON, People's Republic of Sandwell; caused by the resignation of a Labour councillor on health grounds.  Birmingham suburbia; this was a Lib Dem ward until 2011 and the resigning councillor was originally elected as such.  Safe Labour now.

SPRING HILL, Hyndburn borough council, Lancashire; caused by the death of a Labour councillor.  It's Accrington; do I need to say more?  Consistently Labour although the Tories rode the Asian vote to do well at the last election.

MORFA NEFYN, Gwynedd county council; caused by the resignation of the new Plaid MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd.  Tiny seaside resort on the north coast of the Llŷn; the by-election is Plaid vs Llais Gwynedd, who in this part of the world are the anti-Plaid.

THORNIEWOOD, North Lanarkshire; caused by the resignation of an SNP councillor.  Glasgow exurbia between Uddingston and Bellshill with a lot of industry; 71% Labour in 2012 but you'd have to back the SNP to hold this now.

[ObserverIE]

Gwynedd, Morfa Nefyn

PC 71.9 (-5.6)
LlG 28.1 (+5.6)

Hyndburn, Spring Hill

Lab 55.3 (+5.4)
Con 33.8 (-0.4)
UKIP 9.7 (-6.1)
Green 1.2 (+1.2)

Sandwell, Newton

Lab 59.1 (+11.1)
Con 23.2 (-5.6)
UKIP 15.9 (-7.3)
Green 1.8 (+1.8)

Hounslow, Brentford

Lab 54.0 (+9.8)
Con 27.7 (+12.6)
Green 8.7 (-5.7)
Lib Dem 4.8 (-0.5)
UKIP 4.7 (-8.2)

Hastings, Central St Leonards

Lab 44.0 (-9.1)
Con 23.7 (+10.9)
Ind 16.8 (+9.4)
UKIP 7.0 (-8.8)
Green 6.9 (-0.9)
Lib Dem 1.6 (-1.5)

Hastings, St Helens

Con 43.5 (+3.6)
Lab 36.5 (+2.1)
Lib Dem 8.9 (+5.0)
UKIP 7.9 (-13.9)
Green 3.1 (+3.1)

East Sussex, Old Hastings and Tressel

Lab 56.5 (+7.3)
Con 21.6 (+6.0)
UKIP 10.2 (-12.3)
Green 8.8 (+0.5)
Lib Dem 2.8 (-1.6)

North Lanarkshire, Thorniewood

SNP 47.0 (+24.3)
Lab 42.6 (-27.9)
Con 4.5 (-0.7)
SSP 2.4 (+2.4)
Green 1.5 (+1.5)
SCP 1.0 (+1.0)
UKIP 0.9 (+0.9)

SNP	1555	1556	1565	1586	1622	1647
Lab	1410	1417	1422	1433	1456	1517
Con	149	158	167	172	175
SSP	81	81	82	89
Green	51	55	61
SCP	33	37
UKIP	29

SNP hold Thorniewood

[Clyde1998]

North Lanarkshire, Thorniewood

SNP 47.0 (+24.3)
Lab 42.6 (-27.9)
Con 4.5 (-0.7)
SSP 2.4 (+2.4)
Green 1.5 (+1.5)
SCP 1.0 (+1.0)
UKIP 0.9 (+0.9)

SNP	1555	1556	1565	1586	1622	1647
Lab	1410	1417	1422	1433	1456	1517
Con	149	158	167	172	175
SSP	81	81	82	89
Green	51	55	61
SCP	33	37
UKIP	29

SNP hold Thorniewood

UKIP Transfers: Con 9, Lab 7, Grn 4, SCP 4, SNP 1, SSP 0 Exh 4
SCP Transfers: SNP 9, Con 9, Grn 6, Lab 5, SSP 1, Exh 7
Grn Transfers: SNP 21, Lab 11, SSP 7, Con 5, Exh 17
SSP Transfers: SNP 36, Lab 23, Con 3, Exh 27
Con Transfers: Lab 61, SNP 25, Exh 89

A few points:
SNP won more transfer votes from left-wing parties (SSP/Greens) than Labour.

Labour won more transfer votes from right-wing parties (UKIP/Con) than SNP.

Who were those three people who voted Socialist then voted Conservative before Labour and SNP!?

By-elections in Scottish councils make no sense - SNP hold the seat despite starting 46% behind Labour. (I know why it's an SNP hold, FTR ).

[ObserverIE]

Holy Words here and here.

Tendring, Rush Green

UKIP 38.5 (-9.7)
Con 33.1 (+3.6)
Lab 24.3 (+2.0)
Ind 4.1

Denbighshire, Prestatyn East

Con 50.9 (+10.0)
Lab 36.0 (+6.8)
Ind 7.3
PC 5.8 (+5.8)

Norfolk, Gorleston St Andrews

Con 42.7 (+15.3)
Lab 37.7 (+1.8)
UKIP 13.9 (-22.8)
Lib Dem 3.2 (+3.2)
Green 2.5 (+2.5)

Norfolk, Mile Cross (changes in italics since city council by-election in May 2015)

Lab 51.8 (+7.2) (+14.9)
Con 19.3 (+8.7) (+0.5)
Green 14.4 (-6.8) (-11.5)
UKIP 10.2 (-9.2) (-2.4)
Lib Dem 4.3 (+0.1) (-1.4)

Rother, Battle Town

Lib Dem 57.8 (+13.9)
Con 26.3 (-14.0)
UKIP 8.2 (+8.2)
Lab 7.7 (-8.1)

Kingston-upon-Thames, Grove (changes in italics since by-election in May 2015)

Lib Dem 59.9 (+26.2) (+27.8)
Con 26.1 (-6.5) (-5.7)
Lab 8.5 (-11.9) (-8.3)
Green 3.3 (-10.0) (-5.7)
UKIP 2.2 (+2.2) (-2.5)

Wrexham, Llay

Lib Dem 52.2 (+52.2)
Lab 26.3 (-39.6)
Ind Broderick 9.2
Con 4.8 (+4.8)
UKIP 4.5 (+4.5)
Ind Dodd 3.1

Cumbria, Greystoke and Hesket

Con 55.1 (+2.2)
Lib Dem 44.9 (+22.1)

Con gain Gorleston St Andrews from UKIP
Lib Dem gain Battle Town from Con
Lib Dem gain Llay from Lab (outgoing councillor had defected to Ind)

[YL]

Wrexham, Llay

Lib Dem 52.2 (+52.2)
Lab 26.3 (-39.6)
Ind Dodd 9.2
Con 4.8 (+4.
UKIP 4.5 (+4.5)
Ind Broderick 3.1

Any idea what was going on here?

(Also, how do you pronounce the name of this place?  "Ll" looks very Welsh, "ay" looks very not Welsh.)