6 council by-elections this week, 5 Lib Dem candidates

Six council by-elections this week. Five Liberal Democrat candidates, including one in the Liberal Democrat defence (phew). The others are three Labour defences and one each for Conservatives and Plaid.

Besses, Bury

Gareth Lloyd-Johnson was the Liberal Democrat candidate.

Saron, Carmarthenshire

Caryl Tandy was the Liberal Democrat candidate in a ward the party has never contested before – that covers six previous contests stretching back to 1995.

Bletchley East, Milton Keynes

Richard Greenwood was the Liberal Democrat in a ward where the party has always finished last, even when there have been both Ukip and Green candidates.

St George, Northamptonshire

Martin Sawyer was the Liberal Democrat in a ward which the party won in 2013 but then lost in 2017.

Headington, Oxford

The ward where JRR Tolkien lived for many years was up this week as a Liberal Democrat defence. Stef Garden was looking to succeed Ruth Wilkinson, and she did:

Hesketh-with-Becconsall, West Lancashire

The ward without a Lib Dem, even though the party contested this seat in the local elections earlier this year.

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.