Following last week’s success in council by-elections this was another week of success for the Liberal Democrats.

Harlow’s by-election came under unusual circumstances when a former Conservative councillor was thrown off the council due to non-attendance as a result of a six month stint on remand.  The by-election campaign was centred on Lib Dem opposition to cuts by the local Conservative council and resulted in a collapse in the Conservative vote of 15%.  Combined with a Lib Dem increase of 6% this saw John Strachan elected by 60 votes to become Harlow’s ninth Lib Dem councillor.  You can find out more about we won this election in an article by Lorna Spenceley on Liberal Democrat Voice.

In Sheffield, we had our first electoral test since taking control of the city council.  Each party focused their campaign on our record since last May and the result saw a resounding 819 vote majority in a ward won by just 74 votes two years ago.  The contest saw a swing from Labour to the Lib Dems and the Conservatives limped home in fourth place despite a very active campaign.  Congratulations to Cllr Colin Taylor and his campaign team that was ably led by Ben Curran and Adam Williams.

Of particular significance this week is that our two by-election wins were in parliamentary seats that are being targeted by the Conservatives at the next General Election.  On this evidence, it shows that the task for the Conservatives is a lot harder than their poll ratings show.  It also gives hope to those people who worry that the Liberal Democrats may be squeezed out.

There were six principal council elections held on the 23rd April. The Lib Dems gained a seat off the Tories, one off Labour and one off Independents. The Tories held two seats and lost a seat to Labour. There was one Town and Parish Council result reported to ALDC, an Independent hold.

In the Totteridge ward of Wycombe District council in Buckinghamshire we took a seat off Labour. The result saw the Liberal Democrats move from third place in 2007 to victory with over 50% of the vote taking the seat from Labour. The main issue of the campaign was the decision by local Conservatives to close the open air swimming pool. Steve Guy and the Lib Dems have been running a campaign to save the pool.

In the Inverness West ward of Highland Council in Scotland , in Danny Alexander MP’s seat we won on the first round with 60% of the vote taking the seat from an Independent. There was a 22% swing to us from the SNP and the Conservatives came a dismal 5th.

In the Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside ward of Aberdeenshire council we took a seat off the Tories. Labour didn’t even bother to field a candidate and the SNP were pushed into 4th place by an Independent candidate.

We also had a 17% increase in our vote in the Wanstead Ward of the London Borough of Redbridge, which will do no harm to our chances in Leyton & Wanstead at the General Election and next year’s locals in London.

In the Alford , Cranleigh Rural and Ellen’s Green Ward in the Borough of Waverley we had a 14% increase in our vote which will boost Sue Doughty’s hopes of returning as the MP for Guildford.

Knock until you drop!

There were seven principal council elections held on the 2nd April. The Tories held four seats and gained one from Labour. The Lib Dems gained one seat from Labour and held one seat. There were two Town and Parish Council results reported to ALDC. One Lib Dem loss to Tory, and two Tory holds.
In the Redcar & Cleveland BC Dormanstown Ward, Ken Lucas achieved a 17.3% increase in vote share to take the seat from Labour. The campaign delivered was based around a mix of leaflets and target mail, with the emphasis on, getting on the doorstep. From having no data for this ward, the local team now have data from 55% of the ward. This shows again that you have to get on the doorstep.

In the Camden Ward of Belsize, Tom Simon achieved an increase of 5.4% against a concerted Conservative campaign, which consisted of lots of leaflets along with lots of negative campaigning being delivered on the doorstep and phone. The Lib Dem campaign was targeted with lots of doorstep voter contact and plenty of leaflets and targeted mailings to identified voters. Yet again showing that doorstep is best for connecting with our voters.
In the Leeds City Council Temple Newsam, Ward Ian Dowling and his team came from 5th in May 2008 with 521 to come only 283 behind the Tories with 1,468, which boads well for the next election in Temple Newsam ward.
In the Arun DC Ward of Felpham West Martin Lury’s team achieved an increase of 6.2%. In the Calderdale Ward of Skircoat the local team led by Pauline Nash came a good second and are in a good place for the next election to go on and win it. In the Huntingdonshire DC ward of Ramsey we came third behind the Tories, In South Holland we achieved 18.9% in a seat where we had not stood before, with more work this is a good start for future elections here.

Mark Alcock
mark.alcock@aldc.org
 

There were five principal council by-elections held on Thursday 19th February. The Liberal Democrats held three seats. Labour held one and lost one to the BNP. In the only parish and Town council election reported to ALDC the Lib Dems gained a seat from the Conservatives.

As you might expect from a by-election in the held Harrogate parliamentary seat we fought the Bilton Ward by-electon hard and well. We managed to build on good canvas returns to get an 89% contact rate. Many agents locally and nationally will be very jealous of that!!

   In holding the two seats in the Downham ward of the London Borough of Lewisham we had an excellent result with majorities in excess of 400. There had been a history of BNP activity in the ward, which has always been confronted by the Liberal Democrats. The BNP only achieved 10% in this election yet Labour’s only campaign pledge was to get the Union Jack flying over the Town Hall, which they could have done at any point in their last 37 years of control in Lewisham. This was seen by many as a policy pandering to a racist vote and smacked of Labour’s desperation.

In the Swanley St Marys ward of Sevenoaks Council in Kent the BNP took a seat off Labour. Our local party failed to stand a candidate, though one had been identified. ALDC has been told a complicated, sorry tale as to why this volunteer was not then nominated. What is clear is that it was a conscious decision. It was one ALDC utterly condemns.

Even if we can only run a paperless campaign it is imperative that we stand candidates in all by-elections. Not standing a Lib Dem candidate can directly benefit the BNP by as much 5%. Irrespective of whether the BNP has a “history” in your area they fought 30% of all by-elections in 2008 and are fighting 40% in 2009. In some areas that figure rises to 60%. The Swanley BNP candidate is the 5th to get over 26% this year in the ten seats they have fought.

Can we simply reiterate

1.  Always stand a candidate, even a paperless campaign will damage the BNP. 
2. In conjunction with Searchlight , ALDC has produced a publication “Tackling the BNP” which is there to help – it's available from our online shop.
3. If you are actively fighting a by-election where the BNP are standing contact ALDC for help, support and artwork.
4. Make sure your region and regional campaigns officer are aware that you are fighting the BNP. Some have dedicated campaign funds or will commit extra support.

There were five principal council elections held on the 5th February. Labour held two seats and the Tories held three. There were no Town and Parish Council results reported to ALDC.

In the Plaistow ward of Chichester District Council in West Sussex we came within 113 votes of taking the seat off the Tories. The by-election was called following the resignation of a Conservative Councillor who attended just one of the seventeen council meetings held since he was elected in May 2007. In the run up to polling day another Conservative Councillor resigned from the Tories and backed our candidate. The swing of 21% to us was huge but this was a ward in which the Tories got 78% of the vote in 2007.

There has been a worrying trend in recent months. Each week we have had at least one by-election which the BNP have clearly targeted – presumably nationally. This week it was Hyde Newton Ward in Tameside where the BNP got 29%, coming second to Labour. Last week it was Fenham Ward in Newcastle where the BNP got 836 votes, 27% only 213 behind the Lib Dems, but in third. On the 22nd January it was in the East Wickham Ward in Bexley, London where they got 790 (26.5%) only 8 votes from the Tory victors. As they did not win these seats it may not have received national news coverage. Full marks to our local parties for standing candidates and fighting all these seats. What is clear is that you can’t “carry on regardless” and hope the BNP will go away.

If your by-election has been targeted by the BNP, and your campaign is not just a flag waving exercise then you need to do more. One of your key campaign messages needs to be exposing the BNP as fascists. This may be an obvious concept to active Liberal Democrats but the public has lowered its tolerance threshold and we need to remind them of who and what the BNP are and what that means. As with all your key campaign messages this means including it in all your literature. For help and guidance please get a copy of “Tackling the BNP” from ALDC and contact us for advice and standard artwork when you are planning your campaign.