Summary of council by-elections - May 2022 to April 2023

[middleenglander]

There were 53 local council by-elections from 12 May to the end of August 2022, excluding 3 for Scottish Islands authorities where there were insufficient candidates for the 05 May elections and 4 deferred elections originally for the same date following the death of a candidate.  A total of 22 changed hands, or 42% of the seats contested, compared to a long term average of around 30%.  The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservative	50	26	10	1	16	11	38%
Labour	45	19	17	6	2	23	89%
Liberal Democrat	38	2	2	8		10	100%
Green	25			3		3
Independent ^	17	4	1	3	3	4	25%
Localist ^^ *	5	2	1	1	1	2	50%
Reform	2
UKIP	3
TUSC	3
Women's Equality	1
Other ^^^	4
Total	193	53	31	22	22	53	58%

  ^   17 Independent candidates contested 15 by-elections
 ^^  Coventry Citizens, Harlow Alliance, Lincolnshire Independent (North Kesteven), Residents (Epsom & Ewell) and Yorkshire (East Riding)
  *   Independent Community & Health did not defend a seat in Wyre Forest
^^^ Abolish TV Licence (Welwyn Hatfield), Democracy & Freedom (Coventry), National Housing (Camden) and SDP (East Riding)

Conservatives contested 94% of the seats, Labour 85%, Liberal Democrats 72% and Greens 47%.

Conservatives gained 1 seat from a localist, but lost 4 to Labour, 6 to Liberal Democrats, 3 to Greens, 2 to an Independent and 1 to a localist
* gained Wyre Forest: Franche & North Habberley from Independent Community & Health Concern, who did not defend the seat,  following resignation
   similarly gained a seat in the same ward on 30 November 2021 that had elected 3 Independent Community & Health Concern in 2019
* lost 4 seats to Labour, all following a resignation, 3 previously split wards
- Breckland: Thetford Boudica, split ward in both 2019 (1 Conservative, 1 Labour) and 2015 (1 Independent, 1 Conservative)
- Harlow: Bush Fair, previous councillor resigned shortly having been elected by 4 votes, split ward with Labour elected in 2019
- Lewes: Peacehaven West, a seat Labour did not contest in 2019, but where Conservative by-election vote was higher than 2019
- South Derbyshire: Midway, split ward in 2019 (1 Conservative, 2 Labour), but 3 Labour in 2015
* lost 6 seats to Liberal Democrats, 4 following a resignation, 2 a death - both in East Riding of Yorkshire
- Buckinghamshire: Bernwood, 3 member split ward in 2021 (1 Green, 2 Conservatives) where Liberal Democrat increased share by 21.5% / 24%
- East Riding of Yorkshire: Bridlington North polled 57%, having already gained one seat in 2019  by-election but did not contest May 2019 elections 
- East Riding of Yorkshire: Beverley Rural polled 59%, an increase of ~ 36% since 2019
- Rutland: Oakham South, elected unopposed, split ward in 2019 (1 Liberal Democrat sole candidate, 2 Conservatives) and already made a gain in 2021
- Sevenoaks: Penhurst, Fordcombe & Chiddingston, single member ward with electorate below 2,000 where Conservative returned unopposed in 2019
- Waverley: Hindhead, 2 member split ward in 2019 (1 Liberal Democrat, 1 Conservative by lot) but 2 Conservatives in 2015
* lost 3 seats to Greens, 1 each following a death, a disqualification and a resignation
- Lancaster: Ellel (disqualification) 2 member ward electing Conservatives in both 2019 and 2015 where Labour was runner-up
- Mole Valley: Charlwood (resignation) single member ward with electorate below 2,000 won by Conservative in 3 previous elections
- Spelthorne: Laleham & Shepperton Green (death) where Labour and Liberal Democrat did not contest this by-election
  but Conservative held a second by-election against Liberal Democrat when Labour and Green did not contest by-election
* lost 2 seats to Independents and 1 to a Lincolnshire Independent in North Kesteven
- North Kesteven: Quarrington & Mareham (resignation), 3 member split ward - 1 Ind, 2 Con in 2019 and 2 Con, 1 Lincs Ind in 2015
- Waverley: Frensham, Dockenfield & Tilford (death) single member ward (electorate 3,262) won by former Conservative Police & Crime Commissioner
- Wyre: Preesall (resignation), 3 member ward electing Conservatives in 2019 and 2015, won by anti quarry Independent campaigner

Labour gained 4 seats from Conservatives and 2 from Independents but lost 1 seat to a Liberal Democrat and 1 to an Independent, all resignations
- gained Chesterfield: Hollingwood & Inkersall, 3 member ward electing 3 Independents in 2019 and 3 Labour in 2015
- gained Middlesbrough: Berwick Hills & Pallister, 3 member ward electing 3 Independents in 2019 and 3 Labour in 2015
- lost Bridgend: Central to Independent following councillor elected in May resigning, split ward in 2022 ( 2 Independents, 1 Labour)
- lost Camden: Hampstead Town to Liberal Democrat following councillor elected in May resigning, split ward in 2022 (1 Conservative, 1 Labour)

Liberal Democrats gained to 6 seats from Conservatives, 1 from Labour and 1 from an Independent
- gained Shropshire: Highley (resignation) from 3 time Independent winner, but did win seat in 2009 

Greens gained 3 seats from Conservatives 
Independents gained the 2 seats from Conservatives and 1 from Labour, but lost 2 to Labour and 1 to a Liberal Democrat
Localists gained 1 seat from the Conservatives but lost 1 to the same party

Several features are highlighted:
* voters appear not to like councillors resigning shortly after being elected,
* 9 of the 22 seats changing hands were in split wards following the previous May elections,
* a further 2 became split ward after subsequent by-elections
* 2 single member wards with electorates under 2,000 changed hands, a characteristic previously noted
* further single member ward with electorate below 3,500 saw Independent gain
* not standing in the previous elections does not preclude winning a by-election
* the 2 Liberal Democrat gains in East Riding of Yorkshire are outside the pattern of the other seats changing hands.

[European Lefty]

It's Peacehaven not Peaceavon. Also Ellel not Elle but that looks more like auto "correct"

[middleenglander]

Aug 26, 2022 11:46:20 GMT European Lefty said:

It's Peacehaven not Peaceavon. Also Ellel not Elle but that looks more like auto "correct"

Thanks now amended

[yellowperil]

I have done a quick summary of the results this year since the main elections in May and compared that with 2021. This is in no way intended as a replacement for the full detailed and probably more accurate summary I hope in due course we will get from middleenglander but it may be of some interest as a short term stopgap. There is of course one more result due next week but I don't think that will change things much, somehow. 

So far there have been 144 by-elections since May- that compares with 175 last year.

The Conservatives have attempted to defend 68 seats, oddly enough the same as  the corresponding period last year. They then had a net loss of  9 to finish on 59. This year they have  a net loss of 42 and finish with 26.

Labour last year had 47 defences and had a net loss of 3 to end on 44. By contrast this year they defended 40 and after 24 net gains ended on 64.

The Lib Dems went from last year's  net gain of 11 (25>36) to this year a net gain of 14(11>25).

The Greens last year gained 11 (2>13) but this year only a net gain of 5 (3>8).

I have lumped everybody else together as "others" ( well this is only intended as a quick snapshot!) so indies, localists , Nats, far left, far right, etc ! They collectively lost 10 seats over this period last year (33>23), and this year only have a net loss of 1 (22>21)