There were four principal council by-elections held on 3rd September. Labour held one seat and lost one to the Tories. The Tories lost a seat to an Independent and one to the Liberal Democrats. In the six Parish and Town council elections reported to ALDC the Lib Dems held one seat and gained two seats from the Tories. The Tories held two seats and Independents one.

In the Hallow Ward of Malvern Hills council we scored a spectacular gain from the Tories in the key West Worcestershire parliamentary seat. Crucial was the Regional Spatial Strategy advocating 3500 extra houses for the village. The Tories claimed they’d been instrumental in delaying the implementation of the RSS (incidentally following the national Tory strategy revealed last week http://tinyurl.com/torydelaytactics).  We pointed out that the Tories had forced through the proposal. Strong issues well used.

In the Luton and Wayfield Ward of Medway Unitary Authority in Kent we had not stood a candidate for years. The parliamentary seat is held by Labour but is a top Tory target. The remaining Labour councillors in the Ward (once Labour’s safest in the parliamentary seat) resigned and joined the independents over the Labour candidates selection. The Tory candidate was a Ghurka but the Tories were closing a local primary school.!! Clearly there was plenty of ammunition but in such a highly charged political atmosphere three leaflets and some target mail is not normally a winning campaign, and so it proved this time.

In the Southwick Ward of the newly unitary Wiltshire an Independent took the seat, leapfrogging our campaign. Whilst the Tory vote was hardest hit it does highlight the issue of how to deal with independents in the current “anti politics” environment. One thing to be extremely careful of is historic canvas data whether it’s from actual canvassing in previous elections or “how did you vote last time/usually” type questions. This data is often gathered without reference to the possible choice of candidates in the current election. Once electors are aware they have a choice beyond the main parties they can be tempted to leave their usual allegiances or abstain. It is something the party needs to address before next May.  One approach may be to re-canvas the historic element of the shuttleworth in the last few days of the campaign, perhaps on the final Sunday.

Regular readers of this column may be aware that we have made significant progress in local by-elections this year with over 10 net gains in the year to date. While the causes of success in any election are notoriously difficult to unravel it is evident that one of the keys to Liberal Democrat success is that in by elections we can focus the resources from across a borough or county to campaign in the by-election ward.  As Chris Huhne outlined in his article in Lib Dem news last week, our opinion poll ratings double when were not squeezed by Labour and the Tories. It is the volume and quality of our campaigning that helps us bridge this credibility gap. In 2010 the likelihood of combined local and parliamentary elections presents huge capacity challenges to the party as a whole. There are no guarantees of success but it will be clear that where we have not built sufficient financial and human resources will not win. Now is the time to join the Big Build campaign to build the capacity we need for success in 2010.
 

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.

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.

Lib Dems Liberal Democrats have burst the bubble of Tory euphoria on the eve of their party conference in Birmingham says Party President Simon Hughes MP.

On Thursday, in by-elections in the London Borough of Camden and Wealden, East Sussex, Liberal Democrats won two seats from the Conservatives. In Camden, long-time Hampstead resident, businesswoman and leading member of the Chinese Liberal Democrats Linda Chung won seat of Hampstead Town from the Conservatives with a majority of 128. In Wealden, local campaigner and former councillor Andy Watkins overturned a Conservative majority of 430 on a swing of 23%.

The Liberal Democrats’ win in Camden came in Labour’s Hampstead and Highgate constituency, currently held by Glenda Jackson and targeted by the Liberal Democrats as a gain at the next election.

Commenting on the wins, Liberal Democrat Federal President Simon Hughes said: “This week’s local elections show a clear 2-0 victory for the Liberal Democrats over the Conservatives. “In both central London and rural Sussex, real votes in real seats will burst the bubble of Tory euphoria in the midst of this year’s fevered conference season. “Liberal Democrats are not only holding their ground but are making advances – against Conservatives and Labour in the North, the Midlands and the South.”