UK local by-elections 2012

[minionofmidas]

That's a good result for PBP.

Can't even beat the Tories in Lewisham. Joke party.

[Leftbehind]

Hey, less than twenty votes away!

[ObserverIE]

No sign of a Holy Word tonight over at BritainVotes, but there are four by-elections:

Boston, Frampton and Holme

Caused by an independent councillor resigning.

2011 result: Ind 57.0 Boston Borough Independent 28.9 UKIP 14.1

Candidates: Con, Lab, UKIP and two independents.

Brighton, East Brighton

Caused by a Labour councillor resigning.

2011 result: Lab 47.2 Con 21.9 Green 20.4 Lib Dem 6.9 TUSC 3.6

Candidates: Lab, Con, Green, Lib Dem, TUSC and UKIP.

Kent, Maidstone Central

Caused by the death of a Lib Dem councillor.

2009 result: Lib Dem 44.2 Con 26.8 UKIP 13.7 Green 9.0 Lab 6.3

Candidates: Lib Dem, Con, UKIP, Green, Lab and English Democrats.

Maidstone, Allington

Caused by the death of (presumably the same) Lib Dem councillor.

2012 result: Lib Dem 56.6 Con 30.3 Lab 13.1

Candidates: Lib Dem, Con, Lab, UKIP and Green.

[ObserverIE]

Brighton and Hove, East Brighton

Lab 56.1 (+8.9)
Con 18.7 (-3.2)
Green 16.0 (-4.4)
UKIP 5.2 (+5.2)
Lib Dem 2.1 (-4.8 )
TUSC 1.9 (-1.7)

Maidstone, Allington

Lib Dem 52.4 (-4.2)
Con 25.7 (-4.6)
Lab 10.6 (-2.5)
UKIP 9.6 (+9.6)
Green 1.8 (+1.8 )

Kent, Maidstone Central

Lib Dem 40.1 (-4.1)
Con 24.1 (-2.7)
Lab 17.4 (+11.1)
UKIP 9.4 (-4.3)
Green 7.3 (-1.7)
Eng Dem 1.6 (+1.6)

[minionofmidas]

Frampton & Holme
i (Ashton) 39.2
i (Peberdy) 26.7
Con 24.2
UKIP 6.2
Lab 3.7

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

I'm going to start posting these again here as I get the impression Britain-Votes is on its last legs.

There are five by-elections this week in the final week of by-elections before the Police and Crime Commissioner elections on 15th November; more than thirty by-elections have now been called for that date and I'm not sure whether I'll do a column for that number.  If I do, it'll be a very abbreviated one-paragraph job on each.  So enjoy what will be the last normal by-election preview for a month.  We're off to memories of my childhood in Hartlepool, and there are also polls in the towns of Didcot, New Tredegar, Maidenhead and Whittlesey.


SEATON, Hartlepool borough council, Co Durham; caused by the resignation of Independent councillor Mike Turner to care for his parents.

My grandparents used to live in Hartlepool, and Seaton Carew, on the coast just south of Hartlepool, is a place I have very fond memories of.  To the wider world Seaton Carew is known for three things: the Hartlepool nuclear power station on Seal Sands, the controversial Able UK shipbreaking facility at Graythorp basin, and the curious case of John Darwin, who faked his own death in a canoeing accident here in 2002.  

What Seaton Carew should be known for is its wide, sandy beach which was the reason it was built in the first place, as a seaside resort for Quaker families from Darlington.  You find a lot of things on the beach: as well as the usual flotsam and jetsam there is lots of coal washed up with every high tide from an open seam out to sea.  Some people still make a living collecting seacoal from the beach.  More unusual items on the beach are the wreck of a collier brig which occasionally appears out of the sands, and a submerged forest along the shore between Seaton and Hartlepool.

The people who live in Seaton are an independent-minded lot compared to Hartlepool as a whole, and Hartlepool's a rather idiosyncratic place in itself.  You might not appreciate this from its parliamentary history, with the town (or towns; West and Old Hartlepool were independent before the 1960s) having mostly been safe Labour since the war; it took a very famous Conservative to win the Hartlepools parliamentary seat in the Macmillan landslide of 1959, Cdr John Kerans who basically won on his record as commander of the ship involved in the Yangtse Incident, something which will have gone down well in a town with such strong naval links.  Kerans didn't stand for re-election in 1964 and Labour took The Hartlepools back with the long-serving MP Ted Leadbitter, whom my grandparents knew and respected much more than his successor, Peter Mandelson.

My grandmother always said that a monkey would win in Hartlepool if it had a red rosette.  Notoriously, it turned out that the red rosette wasn't actually required, with the first Hartlepool mayoral election in 2002 won by a man in his twenties called Stuart Drummond who was standing as a publicity stunt for the local football club, for which he was the mascot 'H'Angus the Monkey'.  Despite failing to fulfil his only campaign promise - free bananas for local schoolchildren - Drummond is now well into his third term of office.  (He's had more wins than The Pool have had so far this season.)

One way in which Drummond has left his mark on the council came this May when the town got new ward boundaries; the Mayor argued that much fewer councillors were required under a Mayoral system, and the size of the council was cut from 47 to 33 councillors in May.  The resulting major changes to ward boundaries make it difficult to read much into any Hartlepool ward results before 2012.  Mike Turner had won a previous Seaton ward in 2002 as Labour, narrowly defeating the Conservatives' David Young, but that was the last team the old Seaton ward voted Labour; Turner was re-elected on new boundaries in 2004 as a wildly popular Independent and elected a running-mate, with Young narrowly defeating UKIP for the final seat.  Seaton ward has had a full slate of Independent councillors since Young lost his seat in 2010, and all three councillors were re-elected on the new boundaries in May 2012 by a large majority over a Putting Hartlepool First candidate.

Six candidates are in the ring to succeed Mike Turner.  The new Independent candidate is David Young, who would appear to have fallen out with the Conservatives for whom he stood in the hopeless Headland and Harbour ward in May.  The Headland - Old Hartlepool - always was a strange place to West Hartlepudlians and it would appear that the feeling is mutual.  Local resident Kelly Atkinson is standing for Putting Hartlepool First after finishing as runner-up in May.  Ann Marshall, who lost out to Putting Hartlepool First in the neighbouring Fens and Rossmere ward in May, is the Labour candidate, Tom Hind represents the town's active UKIP branch, Shane Moore is the official Conservative candidate (both Hind and Moore fought Hart ward at the other end of town in May), and Jim Tighe is trying for the Liberal Democrats.

Parliamentary constituency: Hartlepool
ONS Travel to Work Area: Hartlepool

Kelly Atkinson (Putting Hartlepool First)
Tom Hind (UKIP)
Ann Marshall (Lab)
Shane Moore (C)
Jim Tighe (LD)
David Young (Ind)

May 2012 result Ind 1168/883/769 Putting Hartlepool First 328/172 Lab 287/274/237 UKIP 243 C 158


DIDCOT ALL SAINTS, South Oxfordshire district council; caused by the resignation of Labour councillor Terry Joslin for health reasons.

Perhaps surprisingly the largest town in South Oxfordshire district, Didcot is one of the towns which boomed thanks to the railway; Didcot Parkway is the junction station for Oxford off the Great Western main line.  The town is home to a large power station and there is much scientific employment in the area thanks to projects including the Joint European Torus and the recently-completed Diamond Light Source synchrotron.

The Didcot All Saints ward, one of four wards covering Didcot, consists of the centre and west of the town just south of Didcot Parkway station.

While Didcot All Saints has had at least one Conservative councillor since 2003, Didcot is the only part of South Oxfordshire district to have a significant Labour vote, and in 2011 Labour snatched the second seat in the ward from the Conservatives (who had held it since 2007 after gaining it from an independent).  The result was very close, with just five votes separating the top Labour and Conservative candidates.

The defending Labour candidate is Denise MacDonald, a scientist at the Medical Research Council complex in nearby Harwell.  The Conservative candidate Jane Murphy is the only one on the ballot paper not to give an address in Didcot, but she is a town councillor for this ward and was the unsuccessful Conservative candidate here in 2011, standing here rather than the marginal Didcot Northbourne ward which she had been councillor for from 2007.  The ballot paper is completed by Andrew Jones, who was the top Lib Dem candidate here last year.

Parliamentary constituency: Wantage
ONS Travel to Work Area: Oxford

Andrew Jones (LD)
Denise MacDonald (Lab)
Jane Murphy (C)

May 2011 result Lab 647/597 C 642/635 LD 226/185
May 2007 result C 809/791 Lab 434/391 LD 320
May 2003 result C 552/419 Ind 438 Lab 391/381 LD 204


NEW TREDEGAR, Caerphilly county borough council; caused by the death of Labour councillor Les Rees at the age of 78.

There's not a lot to say about New Tredegar really: it's an ex-pit village deep in the Rhymney Valley, with everything that implies.  The division includes all of the village together with other hamlets in the valley which are part of the New Tredegar community, such as Brithdir.  The ward is linked to Cardiff by Brithdir and Tir-Phil railway stations on the Rhymney Valley line, with hourly trains to Cardiff.

Labour have not been seriously challenged in this ward in the last few elections, and in May the two Labour councillors were opposed only by a single Independent candidate who lost by 73% to 27%.

The new Labour candidate is Les Rees' daughter Eluned Stenner who is chairman of the community council and the only candidate to live in the ward.  Care home worker Gill Jones will try to get back onto the council for Plaid Cymru; she has previously represented Bargoed division.  The Tories have found a candidate in Cameron Muir-Jones, who polled impressively badly further down the valley in Llanbradach in May; he completes the ballot paper.

Parliamentary and Assembly constituency: Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
ONS Travel to Work Area: Cardiff

Gillian Jones (PC)
Cameron Muir-Jones (C)
Eluned Stenner (Lab)

May 2012 result Lab 965/744 Ind 362
May 2008 result Lab 930/804 PC 325/310
June 2004 result Lab 1083/928 PC 326


PINKNEYS GREEN, Windsor and Maidenhead royal borough council, Berkshire; caused by the death of Conservative councillor Wilson Hendry.

Pinkneys Green ward is in the Maidenhead half of the Royal Borough, covering the north-western end of Maidenhead.  It's a generally residential area with a little countryside (some of which is National Trust property) and few services.

The ward was safe Liberal Democrat in 2003, but the Conservatives came fairly close to splitting representation in 2007.  Long-serving councillor Wilson Hendry defected to the Conservatives in 2010, and at the 2011 election managed to get himself re-elected and bring a second seat home for the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats holding on to one of their previous seats.

The by-election will boil down to a contest between Catherine Hollingsworth for the Conservatives, who is the wife of the remaining Tory councillor, and former Lib Dem councillor for this ward (and former leader of the council) Simon Werner who lost his seat in 2011 and wants it back.  Also standing are Patrick McDonald for Labour, a parish councillor in the neighbouring parish of White Waltham, and UKIP candidate George Chamberlaine.

Parliamentary constituency: Maidenhead
ONS Travel to Work Area: Wycombe and Slough

May 2011 result C 1338/1239/1234 LD 1248/1043/999 Lab 316/259/228
May 2007 result LD 1405/1254/1192 C 1007/996/892 BNP 211
May 2003 result LD 1480/1360/1341 C 603/598/581 Lab 127

George Chamberlaine (UKIP)
Catherine Hollingsworth (C)
Patrick McDonald (Lab)
Simon Werner (LD)

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

(cont.)

ST MARYS, Fenland district council, Cambridgeshire; caused by the death of Conservative councillor Ken Peachey.

St Marys is one of six wards covering the fenland market town of Whittlesey, an island in the fens about six miles east of Peterborough.  The ward covers the town centre and runs south to the Ely-Peterborough railway line, which serves the town by the misspelt Whittlesea station.  The town's major export today is chips; McCains have a large factory here.  There appears to be a major controversy in the town at the moment involving competing supermarket proposals from Sainsbury and The Evil Supermarket Company.

Fenland is notorious for the number of unopposed elections to the council, which peaked in 2007 when eighteen of the forty councillors didn't face a contest at the ballot box.  This attracted unfavourable press comment, and in 2011 the opposition to the ruling Conservatives ensured that every Fenland ward was contested.  Ken Peachey, who had been unopposed in St Marys at his first election in 2007, faced a strong challenge from independent candidate Roy Gerstner, eventually winning by the slim margin of 40 votes.

The by-election pits the ward's two Whittlesey town councillors against each other: Gary Swan is the new Conservative candidate, while Roy Gerstner is trying again.  Labour are also fighting the ward for the first time; their candidate Colin Gale completes the ballot paper.

Parliamentary constituency: North East Cambridgeshire
ONS Travel to Work Area: Peterborough

Colin Gale (Lab)
Roy Gerstner (Ind)
Gary Swan (C)

May 2011 result C 364 Ind 324 Grn 104
May 2007 result C unopposed
May 2003 result C unopposed

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A double-barrelled Tory running in New Tredegar? lol.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Evil Supermarket Company.

lol

[ObserverIE]

Caerphilly, New Tredegar

Lab 85.3 (+15.1)
PC 11.7 (+11.7)
Con 3.0 (+3.0)

Windsor and Maidenhead, Pinkneys Green

Lib Dem 43.2 (+1.6)
Con 42.8 (-5.4)
UKIP 7.8 (+7.8 )
Lab 6.2 (-4.0)

Hartlepool, Seaton

Hartlepool First 38.4 (+24.9)
Lab 22.7 (+8.4)
Ind 16.8 (-33.8 )
UKIP 11.1 (-2.0)
Con 8.2 (-0.3)
Lib Dem 2.7 (+2.7)

Fenland, St Mary's

Con 62.5 (+16.5)
Ind 25.2 (-15.7)
Lab 12.3 (+12.3)

South Oxfordshire, Didcot All Saints

Lab 47.0 (+4.6)
Con 36.7 (-6.9)
Lib Dem 16.3 (+2.6)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

dominating

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

Fun news from the Whittlesey count; Electoral Services have forgotten to bring the postal votes to the counting hall.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Fun news from the Whittlesey count; Electoral Services have forgotten to bring the postal votes to the counting hall.

Nice to see that they're doing their bit to maintain the good reputation of Fenland District Council.

[Leftbehind]

Am I remembering correctly in thinking HF are the right wingers by the back door sort? If so that's disappointing, especially when gaining off what appear to be traditional independents.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Anyone would think that New Tredegar and Maidenhead do not have much in common.

[Gary J]

The Maidenhead result was very hard fought. I was speaking to the Lib Dem agent yesterday. The perception from within the campaign was that the Tories had thrown everything they had at the electorate. They also had the advantage of people who had moved in to infill development recently, who knew nothing of the ward's political history and just voted Conservative.

Looking at the result the combination of Liberal Democrat strength in the ward, built up with many years work, and the UKIP intervention was what led to a narrow Tory defeat. There seems to be no love lost between Windsor and Maidenhead Conservatives and UKIP, after two Conservative councillors defected.

[Andrea]

Am I remembering correctly in thinking HF are the right wingers by the back door sort? If so that's disappointing, especially when gaining off what appear to be traditional independents.

I think one of their leading members is the former UKIP local "leader" (the one who beated the Tories in 2004 parliamentary by-election)

[Leftbehind]

Cheers. Hartlepool are letting the side down with that UKIP support.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

What else do you expect from a bunch of monkey murderers?

[ObserverIE]

Bath and North East Somerset, Chew Valley North

Con 50.9 (-22.9)
Lib Dem 33.0 (+19.6)
Ind 12.9 (+12.9)
Green 3.2 (+3.2)

Bournemouth, Littledown and Iford

Con 54.0 (+2.8 )
Lab 16.5 (+0.9)
UKIP 15.3 (+15.3)
Lib Dem 14.3 (+4.0)

Bradford, Wharfedale

Con 54.0 (-6.8 )
Lab 19.4 (+0.7)
Green 12.8 (-2.5)
Lib Dem 8.9 (+3.7)
UKIP 5.0 (+5.0)

Bury, Church

Con 48.6 (-2.6)
Lab 39.2 (+5.2)
UKIP 10.9 (-0.2)
Lib Dem 1.2 (-2.5)

Bury, North Manor

Con 54.3 (-2.4)
Lab 26.4 (-0.8 )
UKIP 10.3 (+10.3)
Green 5.2 (-5.6)
Lib Dem 3.8 (-1.5)

Central Bedfordshire, Biggleswade South

Con 38.3 (-21.7)
Lab 31.2 (-8.8 )
Ind 26.1 (+26.1)
Lib Dem 4.4 (+4.4)

Central Bedfordshire, Silsoe and Shillington

Ind 55.0 (+55.0)
Con 24.6 (-21.6)
UKIP 7.6 (+7.6)
Lib Dem 6.9 (-34.0)
Green 5.8 (-0.7)

Cherwell, Banbury Ruscote

Lab 56.7 (-4.8 )
Con 32.4 (+0.3)
UKIP 10.9 (+10.9)

Chiltern, Central

Con 74.0 (+0.4)
Lib Dem 9.3 (-17.1)
Lab 9.0 (+9.0)
UKIP 7.8 (+7.8 )

Conwy, Deganwy

Con 38.4 (+3.3)
PC 28.7 (+28.7)
Lab 12.5 (+12.5)
Ind Edwards 6.5
UKIP 5.0 (+5.0)
Lib Dem 4.7 (-10.2)
Ind Bullock 4.3

Daventry, Brixworth

Con 63.9 (+20.1)
Green 36.1 (+12.7)

Dumfries and Galloway, Annandale North

Con 46.0 (+5.5)
Lab 25.3 (+5.7)
Green 11.7 (-2.6)
SNP 9.4 (-7.4)
Lib Dem 5.3 (-3.6)
UKIP 2.3 (+2.3)

Con 1819 1857 1922 1980 Lab 1002 1008 1053 1149 Green 464 475 508 617 SNP 371 375 399 Lib Dem 208 211 UKIP 89 East Northamptonshire, Oundle Con 52.4 (-10.7) Lab 35.6 (-1.3) Lib Dem 12.0 (+12.0) Eden, Penrith Pategill Lib Dem 53.6 (+15.5) Con 20.9 (-20.9) Lab 18.7 (+18.7) BNP 6.8 (+6.8 ) Harlow, Toddbrook Lab 52.5 (-1.7) Con 33.3 (-6.0) UKIP 9.6 (+9.6) Lib Dem 4.6 (-1.8 ) Harrogate, Rossett Lib Dem 46.3 (+21.3) Con 40.4 (-22.3) UKIP 7.3 (+7.3) Lab 6.1 (-6.2) Havant, Battins Lib Dem 51.0 (+15.9) Lab 21.2 (-19.5) Con 17.2 (-7.0) UKIP 10.6 (+10.6) Liverpool, Knotty Ash Lab 68.6 (-2.8 ) Lib Dem 8.4 (-4.7) Lib 7.4 (+4.6) UKIP 5.7 (+5.7) Eng Dem 2.8 (+2.8 ) TUSC 2.7 (-0.1) Con 2.3 (-1.9) Green 2.0 (-3.6) Manchester, Ardwick Lab 80.5 (+0.1) Green 5.1 (-1.7) Lib Dem 4.0 (-0.7) Con 3.9 (-1.3) UKIP 2.6 (+2.6) TUSC 2.2 (-0.8 ) BNP 1.8 (+1.8 ) Melton, Melton Egerton Ind 43.8 (+17.4) Lab 40.2 (+0.2) Con 15.9 (-17.6) Merthyr Tydfil, Cyfarthfa Lab 33.0 (-4.8 ) Merthyr Ind 31.2 (-12.3) Ind 24.8 (+24.8 ) PC 8.7 (-10.0) Con 2.2 (+2.2) Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Ouseburn Lab 47.6 (+11.7) Lib Dem 44.3 (-6.3) Newcastle First 4.9 (+4.9) Con 3.3 (-0.7) North Hertfordshire, Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo Con 56.8 (-7.4) UKIP 15.9 (+15.9) Lab 13.9 (-3.1) Lib Dem 8.1 (+0.4) Green 5.3 (-5.8 ) North Hertfordshire, Letchworth South East Con 51.3 (+12.2) Lab 26.9 (-3.4) UKIP 12.4 (-2.2) Lib Dem 5.9 (-2.3) Green 3.4 (-4.3) North Tyneside, Wallsend Lib Dem 58.2 (+10.4) Lab 34.8 (-13.2) Con 3.6 (-0.6) Green 3.3 (+3.3) Oldham, Failsworth West Lab 54.1 (-6.8 ) UKIP 31.8 (-1.5) Con 7.9 (+7.9) Green 4.4 (+4.4) Lib Dem 1.7 (-4.2) Poole, Branksome East Con 42.0 (-15.8 ) Lib Dem 19.3 (-6.5) Poole People 18.6 (+18.6) UKIP 10.0 (-6.4) Lab 7.9 (+7.9) BNP 2.1 (+2.1) Rugby, New Bilton Lab 49.3 (+1.5) Con 19.1 (-7.6) Green 9.9 (-5.6) UKIP 8.2 (+8.2) Ind 5.6 (+5.6) Lib Dem 4.1 (+4.1) TUSC 3.9 (-6.1) Ryedale, Norton West Lib Dem 59.8 (+29.9) Con 28.4 (+2.4) Lab 11.8 (-0.2) St Edmundsbury, Risbygate Green 51.8 (+29.8 ) Con 31.4 (+5.9) Lab 16.8 (+5.4) Swindon, Blunsdon and Highworth Con 50.9 (+4.8 ) Lab 37.6 (+8.6) UKIP 6.8 (+6.8 ) Green 3.9 (-7.6) Ind 0.8 (+0.8 ) Walsall, Bloxwich West Lab 50.2 (-4.3) Con 37.5 (+4.4) UKIP 9.3 (+9.3) Lib Dem 2.9 (-0.3) Watford, Central Lib Dem 45.9 (-1.7) Lab 35.3 (+4.3) Con 9.7 (-1.1) Green 5.3 (-0.9) UKIP 3.8 (-0.6) Waveney, Beccles South Con 39.6 (+13.4) Green 29.7 (+15.7) Lab 28.1 (-6.3) Lib Dem 3.5 (+3.5) Wealden, Heathfield North and Central Con 49.1 (-20.4) UKIP 21.6 (+21.6) Lab 16.1 (-14.4) Lib Dem 13.2 (+13.2) West Sussex, Midhurst Con 78.2 (+9.8 ) UKIP 21.8 (+21.8 ) Wolverhampton, Park Lab 58.0 (-1.0) Con 27.3 (+6.8 ) Lib Dem 10.1 (+4.3) UKIP 4.6 (-2.3)

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

The Holy Word now has a new home.

[Andrea]

Thanks ObserverIE for the datailed % of last week's by-elections.

[doktorb]

The Holy Word now has a new home.

[YL]

So, any guesses on the turnout in a local by-election on a particularly horrible November day (well, maybe it's not as bad down there as it is here) a week after voters (um, well, some of them) went to the polls for something else?

[ObserverIE]

Shepway, Folkestone Park

Lib Dem 36.2 (+14.3)
Con 25.1 (-17.3)
People First 15.7 (+3.3)
UKIP 12.0 (+1.8 )
Lab 8.7 (-4.4)
Green 2.3 (+2.3)

(Turnout 25.8 )