There were four principal council by-elections in the week leading up to December 2nd, one of which was a rare Tuesday election out in Wales.  The trend toward good news for incumbents continued unabated with three out of four contests resulting in holds, none of which were particularly close.  

Tuesday’s match-up in the Ciliau Aeron ward of Ceredigion Council was the second Tuesday by-election of the year, after the famous Lib Dem defence of Whyteleafe in Tandridge on February 2nd (not that you needed to ask, of course).  Out in the valleys, it was Plaid who held on despite a surge of almost 20% to Liberal Democrat candidate Sonia Williams, an encouraging result that we look forward to seeing surpassed by the Ceredigion team next time around.  Of Thursdays two holds, we came out with silver on both occasions.  In the Haydock ward of St Helens, Labour put on 11% to hit mid-60’s in vote-share whilst we slipped 10 points to 27%.  Slightly closer was the 150 vote margin in Rugby’s Dunchurch & Knightlow, where Robert Turner Aird’s 40% of the vote kept the Rugby Lib Dems within touching distance of our Conservative opponents on a day where no party’s vote altered dramatically.  All of Thursday’s excitement was Poole-side, to coin a phrase, where the ‘Poole People – Putting Poole First’ party took both the Poole Town ward from the Tories and the Teacher’s Prize for achievement in alliteration!  Joking aside, the Poole People’s 33% of the vote on a first go is a very interesting development; though it seems mainly at the expense of UKIP and a previous (non-standing) Independent, with Peter David England’s tally for the Poole Lib Dems essentially unaffected.

There will be another three by-elections to report on next week, with the major parties defending one apiece.  Lib Dems will be fighting to keep hold of Bewsey & Whitecross in Warrington, whilst Labour and the Tories will be circling the wagons Truro and Fareham respectively.  The very best of luck to our candidates, councillors, and campaigners across the country.  

Craig Whittall
craig.whittall@aldc.org

November 18th saw a pair of Independence Days, the good people of Latvia and Morocco both celebrating the throwing off of their respective historical yokes, and six principal council by-elections taking place across the UK.  The late-autumn gloom continues with very little to report on, only two of six seats changed hands and both of those went in Labour’s favour.  

A double election in the Croxteth ward of Liverpool City Council was never an appetising prospect given Labour’s post-CSR bounce around Northern England.  In the event, Labour held one and gained one leaving the council composition at fifty Labour, thirty five Lib Dem, three Liberals, and a pair of Greens.  While the headline result looks bad, the local Lib Dem Focus team acquitted themselves well with a share of the vote well above the current trend-line for Metropolitan seats in the North.  The second seat to change hands on the 18th was also a Labour gain, this time from the Tories, in the Wednesbury ward of Sandwell MBC.  Labour put an extra 23% on their vote-share since the ward was last contested in May 2010; Lib Dems fell back by just over 8% to fourth place, sadly outpaced by the National Front and holding the Green Party off by just three votes.  The remaining holds were for the Conservatives in the Baxenden ward of Hyndburn, where the absence of a Green Party candidate wasn’t sufficient to push Labour over the winning line; Plaid held in Eglwysbach on Conway County Borough Council with a disappointing slide to 72% of the vote; and an Independent in Anglesey showing us all how it should be done, keeping hold of Rhosneigr ward with just shy of 85%!  On a serious note, our ‘standing candidates’ average is taking a bit of a beating, with the Bird of Liberty appearing on only three of a possible six ballots this week.  The ALDC refrain remains the same ‘always stand a candidate’, and that means you!

With four principal council by-elections, including a defence in Blaby – site of a handsome defence of the Saxondale ward not so long ago – due up on the 25th, we look forward to a nice winter warmer of results next time around.  Meanwhile, please continue to stock up on this year’s Christmas card and calendar templates from the ALDC website (here), and it’s all hands on deck in Oldham East and Saddleworth for anyone who fancies a fun day out!  The best of luck to all our candidates and campaigners across the country.

Craig Whittall
craig.whittall@aldc.org

For many Egyptians, November 4th is better known as ‘Love Day’, a localised version of Valentine’s Day initially conceived, pun intended, in the 1970’s.  If anyone needs a bit of love after last Thursday, it is our Liberal Democrat campaign teams across the country who’ve had a bit of a torrid time.  

Of the seven principal authority by-elections that took place on the 4th, a total of four changed hands.  Our worst result on the day was the loss of the Lyth Valley ward on South Lakeland District Council to the Tories by a wafer-thin 23 votes.  A Conservative hold in Ponteland East on Northumberland County Council was cold comfort as they lost two of their defences to Labour.  Plaid picked up a seat in the Cenarth ward of Carmarthenshire County Council with a healthy 80% of the vote.  Labour were the main beneficiaries of the contests, holding a brace with successful defences in the Ladywell ward of Lewisham and Hulme in Manchester – where a turnout of only 10.9% makes it difficult to read much of a meaning into the result.  Labour also picked up Coleridge ward on Cambridge City Council and Moredon in Swindon from the Tories.  This leaves the net results for the main parties as; Labour up two, Tories down one, and Lib Dems down one.  

It’s high tide for cheap headlines and easy answers in the press, and a post-CSR bounce for Labour isn’t exactly a surprise.  Doing as we always do, keeping our focus on our communities, working our wards, listening to the people and letting them know what we’ve done for them in their area, is still the key to success.  It is worth remembering that when the smoke clears and the hot air cools down, we will still be there out delivering on our promises, and Labour will still be stood empty handed on the sidelines.  ALDC are here to make sure our members stay ahead of the game, with weekly updates on election news, best practice, and artwork templates.  There is also the G8 programme of financial assistance for council groups for the upcoming local elections, annual Kickstart two-day residential training event, and regional ‘Flying Start’ day-long training sessions scheduled across the country.  You can find details of all these and more at www.aldc.org.  The best of luck to all of our councillors, candidates, and campaigners in the field.

Craig Whittall
craig.whittall@aldc.org

It has been a good week for defences, with seven of nine principal council by-elections resulting in a hold for the incumbent party.  The Tories held two of their four defences; a head-to-head with Labour for the Tithebarn ward on Wyre Borough Council where they sauntered in with 73% of the vote; and in the Maidenblower division of West Sussex County Council with a less impressive 64%.  The only seats to change hands on the 7th both went from Tory to Labour.  In the Irwell ward on Rossendale Borough Council the Conservatives dropped almost 14% of their previous vote, mainly to the Rossendale Lib Dems who took 24% on their first attempt, and Labour crept over the line with a marginal increase.  The Tilgate ward of Crawley saw the absence of both the Liberal Democrats and BNP from last time around give Labour the 15% boost that carried them to victory.  In addition to this gain, Labour successfully defended the Healey and Whitworth seat on Rossendale, where they put on 20%. Down by the seaside, the Morecambe Bay Independents held in the Harbour ward of Lancaster City Council, where Labour’s absence from the ballot generated a rising tide that lifted most other boats by a couple of points.  Over the border in Wales, Llais Gwynedd was back in full voice after last week’s defeat, seeing off Plaid with a full majority in the battle for the Seiont ward on Gwynedd Unitary Authority.  

In the first of our two defences this week, Ben Charpelard and the Tunbridge Wells Lib Dems saw off the Conservatives and the Green Party with a handsome 64% of the vote in St. James' ward.  Congratulations to Ben and the team.  Our featured election this week is the successful defence of the Saxondale ward on Blaby District Council, which saw a real commitment of time and resources from both of the other major parties.  In a suburban ward on the outskirts of Leicester, candidate Christine Merrill’s campaign emphasised the importance of the local Lib Dem team and their all-year-round work for the people of Saxondale.  The local Focus has a strong reputation, built over 25 years of consistent delivery, and played a key role in defusing a number of misleading claims put out by the increasingly desperate Conservatives, who crashed to their lowest percentage vote share in the ward’s history.  Labour popped up, on what is historically unfamiliar territory, with a national focus and some telephone canvassing, and grabbed a handful of votes that had previously broken our way in their absence.  The real lesson of the Saxondale result is that a consistent, and consistently delivered, Focus can quickly become a valuable part of the community, a trusted source of local news, and a vital tool in any Liberal Democrat armoury.  In the words of the Saxondale team “Treasure Your Focus!”.  Congratulations to all, and the best of luck to all our teams out in the field.

ALDC By-elections Team

Whilst the good people of São Tomé and Princípe were busy celebrating their annual ‘Agricultural Reform Day’, an altogether less exciting spectacle was developing across the Atlantic.  Of the six principal council by-elections that took place on the 30th, Liberal Democrats only ran in four, and came second in all of them!  

Admittedly, grabbing second place wasn’t the greatest of challenges in the Alderley ward of Cheshire East, an election that featured only two candidates.  Elsewhere, our strong showing in the South West continued with the Sedgemoor Lib Dems pushing the defending Labour party into third place, taking over 30% of the vote in Woolavington.  The Battle Hill ward of North Tyneside council saw the Lib Dems hold at a comfortable 35% of the vote, dropping marginally on May’s result but not by much.  The more distant finish was second place in Brandon ward of Durham County Council, where Labour’s 64% vote-share saw them through to an easy hold – the Durham Lib Dems still out-polled the third-place Tories by around four to one.  Tameside remains a bit of a desert, with no Lib Dem candidate in the Longendale by-election, and the presence of three fringe party candidates failed to stop Labour and the Conservatives taking 90% of the vote between them – in the end, Labour held with a 5% swing and majority around 200.  Finally, the defending Llais Gwynedd (‘Voice of Gwynedd’ for the Anglophones amongst us) were silenced by Plaid Cymru in Gwynedd’s Bowydd and Rhiw by-election, where Plaid appeared to be the main beneficiary of the absence of the Green Party from the ballot.

With no reported elections out in the towns, we have space to mention ALDC’s Kickstart residential training programme for the 2011 elections.  The ‘Early Bird’ discount runs out on the 8th of October, but some concessions for participants willing to share accommodation and campaigners from ‘starting off’ areas around the country remain.  More information and registration details, as ever, can be found on the ALDC website.  There will be nine principal council by-elections, two of which are Lib Dem defences, next week.  The very best of luck to our candidates and campaigners across the country.  

ALDC By-elections Team