Political

More council seats than wards up for election this week

Seven seats up for election in this week’s by-elections although they only span six wards due to one double vacancy. Five of those six wards (and five of those seven vacancies) have Liberal Democrat candidates.

This regular pattern over the last few weeks of most but not quite 100% of by-elections being contested by the Liberal Democrats reinforces my view that if the party really put its mind to taking fighting every by-election seriously (and it’s worth doing even if you have no chance of winning) then it could. The occasional exhortation isn’t enough; it should be a built-in part of the internal communications of all parts of the party.

First up, that double vacancy without any Lib Dem candidates:

Then another Labour hold:

The last Lib Dem candidate in this ward had been back in 2010, and there was only a candidate once in the four other contests prior to that after the ward was created. So particularly good to see Shaun Offerman flying the Lib Dem flag this time.

A Conservative hold in the Midlands, with Rebecca Goodall fighting the ward for the Lib Dems to make it the first time the party has fought the ward since its creation for the May 2003 elections:

With that strong a Lib Dem showing, let’s hope it isn’t another 14 years before the party fights the ward again.

Rather less promising news from Herefordshire however:

Next up a Conservative hold in what used to be a Lib Dem ward, but where the party first lost one seat in 2011 and then the other through defection in 2014. There was no Lib Dem candidate at all in 2015:

And finally:

These by-election results round-ups cover principal authority by-elections. See my post The danger in celebrating parish and town council wins for your own party for the reasons to avoid straying too often into covering town, parish or community council by-elections.

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