Lib Dems stand in ward for first time as new batch of by-elections kick off

The start to the 2023-24 round of principal authority council by-elections has been an unusual one, with a rare Wednesday contest.

It was also though a good start for the Liberal Democrats, contesting for the first time since it was created a ward in Stroud, and finishing ahead of Labour. Expanding the range of seats the party stands in is an important part of our overall growth.

Thank you to Roz Savage and the team for putting the Lib Dems back on the electoral map.

For what all this means for the running total of council by-election results since the last May elections, see my council by-elections scorecard here.

These by-election results round-ups cover principal authority by-elections as it’s only those for which comprehensive results are available.

Understanding the opinion polls

For understanding what is happening in politics, by-elections have the advantage of being real votes in real ballot boxes. But the opinion polls have the advantage of trying to be a representative sample of voters, not just those in the places that happen to have by-elections. To understand the polls properly – and what they do and don’t really tell us – see my book, Polling UnPacked: The History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls.

Get by-election results by email

If you sign up for my daily email with the latest pieces from this site, you’ll also get included as a little bonus the full set of council by-election results each week: