Local Council By-election Results ahead of 2015 GE

[middleenglander]

This thread aims to summarise the local council by-elections results in the period following the 22nd May elections leading to the 2015 General Election. It plans to record the seats that change hands as well as other significant results involving the main parties.  The summary does not included elections deferred from 22nd May.

There were 6 by-elections during June 2014 with 4 seats (67%) changing hands although 2 of theses were Lincolnshire Independents (classed as Resident Groups) gaining from Independents.

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservatives	6	1	1	1		2	100%
Labour	5			1		1
Liberal Democrats	1
SNP	1	1			1		0%
UKIP	4
Green	1
Resident Groups	2			2		2
Independents *	4	4	1		3	1	25%
Total	24	6	2	4	4	6	33%

* 4 Independent candidates contested 3 seats

Conservatives gained East Cambridgeshire, Soham South from an Independent; 3 Con elected in 2003 & 2007, 1 Con & 2 Ind in 2011

Labour gained South Lanarkshire, Clydesdale South from SNP on a 3½% swing since 2012; Conservative share +7½%

Lincolnshire Independent gained North Kesteven, Sleaford Quarrington & Mareham from Independent; 3 Con elected in 2003 & 2007, 2 Con & 1 Ind in 2011 
Lincolnshire Independent gained North Kesteven,  Westholme from Independent; single member ward elected same individual as Lab in 2003 and Ind 2007 & 2011 

Conservatives retained Stratford on Avon, Southam where former Councillor was sitting as Independent; swing to Labour ~5% since May in seat party last held in 2000
Independent retained Rother, Collington on a swing of 2% from Conservatives since 2011; 2 Con elected in 2003 and 2007 although 2 Ind in 2011

 

[middleenglander]

There were 34 by-elections during July with 14 (41%) changing hand. The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservatives	34	10	5	2	5	7	50%
Labour	31	11	10	4	1	14	91%
Liberal Democrats	21	5	3	3	2	6	60%
SNP	1	1			1		0%
Plaid Cymru	1
UKIP	30	3		1	3	1	0%
Green	16	1		1	1	1	0%
Resident Groups *	1			1		1
Independents **	16	3	2	2	1	4	67%
No Description	1
Blue	1
BNP	1
British Democrats	1
English Democrats	1
Liberal	1
Mebyon Kernow	2
Patriotic Socialist	1
TUSAC	2
Total	162	34	20	14	14	34	59%

*   Its Our County in Herefordshire
** 16 Independents contested 12 seats

Although 14 seats changed hands during the month, just 4 were between Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Conservatives gained a seat from both a Green and UKIP whilst losing 2 seats to the Liberal Democrats and 1 each to Labour, Green and Its Our County
- gained Kings Lynn & West Norfolk, Airfield from Green; 2 Conservatives elected in 2003 & 2007 but 1 Conservative & 1 Green in 2011 when only 1 Conservative stood
- gained Cornwall, Mabe, Perranarworthal & St Gluvias from UKIP; UKIP won by 3 votes in 2013, Conservative won in 2009 with Liberasl Democrat second
- lost Charnwood, Thurmastion to Labour; 2 Conservative & 1 Labour in 2003, 3 Conservatives in 2007 & 2011 but Labour won the County Council seat in 2013
- lost Cornwall, Illogan to Liberal Democrat; Conservative won in 2013 with Mebyon Kernow second and in 2009 with Liberal (not Democrat) runner up
- lost Maidstone, Stapplehurst to Liberal Democrat; Conservative won easily in 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010 & 2011 but more narrowly in 2014 
- lost Herefordshire, Ledbury to Its Our County; 2 Independent & 1 Conservative in 2003, 3 Conservative in 2007, 2 Conservative & 1 Its Our County in 2011 
- lost Herefordshire, Leominster South to Green; 1 Conservative & 1 Labour in 2003, 2 Conservatives in 2007, 1 Conservative & 1 Independent in 2011 

Labour gained 1 seat from Conservative, 1 from Liberal Democrat and 2 from UKIP whilst losing a seat to UKIP
- gained Charnwood, Thurmaston from Conservatives
- gained Craven, Skipton West from Liberal Democrat; Liberal Democrats won with Polly and Paul English in all years the seat was contested since 2002
- gained Redditich, Church Hill from UKIP; Labour won every year the seat vwas contested since 2004 apart from 2010 (Conservative) & 2014 (UKIP)
- gained Merthyr Tydfil, Penydarren from UKIP who did not contest the seat; 3 Independents in 2004 & 2008 with 1 Independent, 1 UKIP and 1 Labour in 2012
- lost Doncaster, Edenthorpe, Kirk Sandall & Barnaby Dun to UKIP; 2 Lib Dem, 1 Ind in 2004, Ind in 2006, Lib Dem 2007 & 2008, Lab 2010, 2011 & 2012 and UKIP 2014

Liberal Democrats gained 2 seats from Conservatives and 1 from Independent whilst losing a seat to Labour and another to Independent
- gained Cornwall, Illogan and Maistone, Staplehurst from Conservative
- gained Northumberland, Longhoughton from Indpendent; did not contest 2013 and came third behind Independent and Conservative in 2008
- lost Craven, Skipton West to Labour
- lost North Yorkshire, Skipton West to Independent; Polly English won the division for the Liberal Democrats in 2005, 2009 and 2013

Independents gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats and another from SNP whilst losing a seat to a Liberal Democrat
- gained Argyll & Bute, Oban North and Lorn from SNP aalthough the winning councillor died just 10 days later
- gained North Yorkshire, Skipton West from but lost Northumberland , Longhoughton to Liberal Democrats.

UKIP lost Merthyr Tydfil and Redditch, Churchill to Labour and Cornwall, Mabe, Perranarwrthal & St Gluvias to Conservatives
- whilst gaining Doncaster, Edenthorpe, Kik Sandall & Barnaby Dun from Labour
Greens gained Herefordshire, Leominster South from but lost Kings Lynn & West Norfolk, Airfield to Conservatives
Its Our County gained Herefordshire, Ledbury from Conservatives

[middleenglander]

There were 40 by-elections during June and July 2014 with 18 (45%) changing hand or 16 (40%) excluding 2 Lincolnshire Independent (classed as a Resident Group) gains from Independent.   The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservatives	40	11	6	3	5	9	55%
Labour	36	11	10	5	1	15	91%
Liberal Democrats	22	5	3	3	2	6	60%
SNP	2	2			2		0%
Plaid Cymru	1
UKIP	34	3		1	3	1	0%
Green	17	1		1	1	1	0%
Resident Groups *	3			3		3
Independents **	20	7	3	2	4	5	43%
No Description	1
Blue	1
BNP	1
British Democrats	1
English Democrats	1
Liberal	1
Mebyon Kernow	2
Patriotic Socialist	1
TUSAC	2
Total	186	40	22	18	18	40	55%

*   Lincolnshire Independents and Its Our County in Herefordshire
** 20 Independents contested 15 seats

Although 18 seats changed hands during the two months, just 4 were between Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats
- Labour gained Charnwood, Thurmaston from the Conservatives and Craven, Skipton West from the Liberal Democrats
- Liberal Democrats gained Cornwall, Illogan and Maidstone, Staplehurst from the Conservatives

Conservatives gained a seat each from an Independent in East Cambridgeshire, Green in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk and UKIP in Cornwall 
- whilst losing 2 seats to the Liberal Democrats in Cornwall & Maidstone and 1 to Labour in Charnwood and 1 each to Green & Its Our County in Herefordshire

Labour gained seats from Conservatives in Charnwood, Liberal Democrats in Craven and SNP in South Lanarkshire along with 2 from UKIP in Merthyr Tydfil & Redditch
- whilst losing a seat to UKIP in Doncaster

Liberal Democrats gained 2 seats from Conservatives in Cornwall & Maidstone and 1 from Independent in Northumberland 
- whilst losing a seat to Labour in Craven and another to Independent in North Yorkshire

Independents gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats in North Yorkshire and one from SNP in Argyll & Bute
- whilst losing 2 seats to Lincolnshire Independents in North Kesteven, one to Conservatives in East Cambridgeshire and one to Liberal Democrats in Northumberland

UKIP lost 2 seats to Labour in Merthyr Tydfil and Redditich and 1 to the Conservatives in Cornwall whilst gaining a seat from Labour in Doncaster
Greens gained a seat from the Conservatives in Herefordshire but lost another to the Conservatives in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk
SNP lost a seat to Labour in South Lanarkshire and another to Independent in Argyll & Bute
Its Our County gained a seat in Herefordshire from the Conservatives along with Lincolnshire Independents gaining 2 seats from Independents in North Kesteven

[middleenglander]

There were 9 local council by-elections during August with 2 (22%) changing hands.

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservative	9	3	3	1		4	100%
Labour	8	2	2			2	100%
Liberal Democrat	7	3	1		2	1	33%
UKIP	7			1		1
Green	5	1	1			1	100%
Independent	1
TUSAC	1
No Description	1
Total	39	9	7	2	2	9	78%

Conservatives gained Broadland, Wroxham from Liberal Democrat on a ~8% swing since March this year and ~7% since 2011
- a 2 member seat returning 1 Conservative & 1 Independent in both 2004 & 2007 but 2 Liberal Democrats in 2011
   whilst Liberal Democrat won by-elections in both October 2009 and March 2014

UKIP gained Worthing, Castle from Liberal Democrat on a swing of 23% since 2012 when former councillor last elected
- but 3.8% swing Conservative to UKIP since May 2014 and 16% since 2011 
- Liberal Democrats won ward each year from 2002 to 2010, except 1 of 3 seats in 2004 and the  seat in 2006 when won by Conservative, and also in 2012
- Conservative then won in 2011 and 2014
- new councillor is a former Conservative councillor who was narrowly defeated as UKIP in his former ward in May 2014

[middleenglander]

There were 49 by-elections during June, July and August 2014 with 20 (41%) changing hand or 18 (37%) excluding 2 Lincolnshire Independent (classed as a Resident Group) gains from Independent.   The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservatives	49	14	9	4	5	13	64%
Labour	44	13	12	5	1	17	92%
Liberal Democrats	29	8	4	3	4	7	50%
SNP	2	2			2		0%
Plaid Cymru	1
UKIP	41	3		2	3	2	0%
Green	22	2	1	1	1	2	50%
Resident Groups *	3			3		3
Independents **	21	7	3	2	4	5	43%
No Description	2
Blue	1
BNP	1
British Democrats	1
English Democrats	1
Liberal	1
Mebyon Kernow	2
Patriotic Socialist	1
TUSAC	3
Total	225	49	29	20	20	49	59%

*   Lincolnshire Independents and Its Our County in Herefordshire
** 21 Independents contested 16 seats

The Conservatives contested all the by-elections, Labour 90% and the Liberal Democrats 59% with UKIP contesting 84% and Greens 45%.

Although 20 seats changed hands during the three months, just 5 were between Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats
- Conservatives gain Broadland, Wroxham from Liberal Democrats
- Labour gain Charnwood, Thurmaston from the Conservatives and Craven, Skipton West from the Liberal Democrats
- Liberal Democrats gain Cornwall, Illogan and Maidstone, Staplehurst from the Conservatives

Conservatives gain seats from Liberal Democrat in Broadland, Independent in East Cambridgeshire, Green in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk and UKIP in Cornwall 
- whilst losing 2 seats to the Liberal Democrats in Cornwall & Maidstone and 1 to Labour in Charnwood and 1 each to Green & Its Our County in Herefordshire

Labour gain seats from Conservatives in Charnwood, Liberal Democrats in Craven, SNP in South Lanarkshire and 2 from UKIP in Merthyr Tydfil & Redditch
- whilst losing a seat to UKIP in Doncaster

Liberal Democrats gain 2 seats from Conservatives in Cornwall & Maidstone and 1 from Independent in Northumberland 
- whilst losing a seat to Conservative in Broadland, Labour in Craven, UKIP in Worthing and another to Independent in North Yorkshire

Independents gain a seat from the Liberal Democrats in North Yorkshire and one from SNP in Argyll & Bute
- whilst losing 2 seats to Lincolnshire Independents in North Kesteven, 1 to Conservatives in East Cambridgeshire and 1 to Liberal Democrats in Northumberland

UKIP lose 2 seats to Labour in Merthyr Tydfil and Redditich and 1 to the Conservatives in Cornwall 
- whilst gaining a seat from Labour in Doncaster and another from Liberal Democrats in Worthing
Greens gain a seat from the Conservatives in Herefordshire but lost another to the Conservatives in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk
SNP lose a seat to Labour in South Lanarkshire and another to Independent in Argyll & Bute
Its Our County gain a seat in Herefordshire from Conservatives along with Lincolnshire Independents 2 seat gain from Independents in North Kesteven

[Tony Otim]

Surely the Green retention rate in last post should be 50% ?

[middleenglander]

Aug 29, 2014 8:30:09 GMT Tony Otim said:

Surely the Green retention rate in last post should be 50% ?

Thanks, corrected

[middleenglander]

There were 15 by-elections during September with 5 (33%) changing hands

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservative	15	4	1	1	3	2	25%
Labour	14	8	8	1		9	100%
Liberal Democrat	11	2	1	2	1	3	50%
UKIP	13			1		1
Green	8
Independents *	6	1			1		0%
Christian People's Alliance	1
English Democrat	1
TUSAC	2
No Description	1
Total	72	15	10	5	5	15	67%

* 6 Independent bcandidates contesting 4 seats

Conservatives gained Somerset, Frome North from a Liberal Democrat on a 6½% swing since 2013 following resignation of former councillor
- a new seat created in 2013 although previous Frome North elected a Conservative in 2009 and a Liberal Democrat in 2005

Conservative lost Epping Forest Hemnall to a Liberal Democrat but on a nearly 3% swing from Liberal Democrat since May 2014
- Liberal Democrats won this  3 seat ward all years since 2002 apart from 2011, councillor's death causing the by-election, and one of two seats in 2004 
Conservative lost Guildford, Lovelace (part of Mole Valley Constituency) to Liberal Democrat on a swing of over 40% since 2011, 2007 and 2003
- a single member ward that had elected a Conservative at each prior election since 1974 although the by-election candidate was somewhat controversial
Conservative lost Shepway, Folkeston Harvey Central to UKIP who polled ~28% from nowhere following a resignation following newspaper allegations
- Conservatives won both seats in 2011 and 2007 although 2003 saw a Liberal Democrat top the poll with a Conservative taking the second seat

Labour gained Durham, Crook following the death of an Independent (but former) Labour councillor with UKIP coming second from nowhere
- 3 seat ward where the late councillor topped the poll in 2013 with Labour wining the other 2 seats; Labour comfortable won a November 2013 by-election.

[middleenglander]

There were 64 by-elections during the 4 months June to September 2014 with 25 (39%) changing hand or 23 (36%) excluding 2 Lincolnshire Independent (classed as a Resident Group) gains from Independent.   The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservatives	64	18	10	5	8	15	56%
Labour	58	21	20	6	1	26	95%
Liberal Democrats	40	10	5	5	5	10	50%
SNP	2	2			2		0%
Plaid Cymru	1
UKIP	54	3		3	3	3	0%
Green	30	2	1	1	1	2	50%
Resident Groups *	3			3		3
Independents **	27	8	3	2	5	5	38%
No Description	3
Blue	1
BNP	1
Christian People's Alliance	1
English Democrats	2
Liberal	1
Mebyon Kernow	2
TUSAC	5
Others ***	2
Total	297	64	39	25	25	64	61%

*   Lincolnshire Independents and Its Our County in Herefordshire
** 27 Independents contested 20 seats
*** 1 each for British Democrats and Patriotic Socialist

The Conservatives contested all the by-elections, Labour 91% and the Liberal Democrats 63% with UKIP contesting 84% and Greens 47%.

Although 25 seats changed hands during the four months, just 8 were between Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats
- Conservatives gain Broadland: Wroxham and Somerset: North Frome from Liberal Democrats
- Labour gain Charnwood: Thurmaston from the Conservatives and Craven: Skipton West from the Liberal Democrats
- Liberal Democrats gain Cornwall: Illogan, Epping Forest: Hemnall, GuildforD: Lovelace and Maidstone: Staplehurst from the Conservatives

Conservatives gain seats from Liberal Democrats in Broadland and Somerset, an Independent in East Cambridgeshire, Green in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk and UKIP in Cornwall 
- whilst losing 4 seats to the Liberal Democrats in Cornwall, Epping Forest, Guildford & Maidstone and 1 to Labour in Charnwood and 1 each to Green & Its Our County in Herefordshire together with 1 to UKIP in Shepway

Labour gain seats from Conservatives in Charnwood, Liberal Democrats in Craven, SNP in South Lanarkshire, 2 from UKIP in Merthyr Tydfil & Redditch and 1 from an Independent in Durham
- whilst losing a seat to UKIP in Doncaster

Liberal Democrats gain 4 seats from Conservatives in Cornwall, Epping Forest, Guildford and Maidstone and 1 from Independent in Northumberland 
- whilst losing a seat to Conservative in Broadland and Somerset, Labour in Craven, UKIP in Worthing and another to Independent in North Yorkshire

Independents gain a seat from the Liberal Democrats in North Yorkshire and one from SNP in Argyll & Bute
- whilst losing 2 seats to Lincolnshire Independents in North Kesteven, 1 to Conservatives in East Cambridgeshire, 1 to Labour in Durham and 1 to Liberal Democrats in Northumberland

UKIP lose 2 seats to Labour in Merthyr Tydfil and Redditich and 1 to the Conservatives in Cornwall 
- whilst gaining a seat from Labour in Doncaster, one in Shepway from Conservative  and another from Liberal Democrats in Worthing
Greens gain a seat from the Conservatives in Herefordshire but lost another to the Conservatives in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk
SNP lose a seat to Labour in South Lanarkshire and another to Independent in Argyll & Bute
Its Our County gain a seat in Herefordshire from Conservatives along with Lincolnshire Independents 2 seat gain from Independents in North Kesteven

[middleenglander]

There were 34 by-elections during October, one for two seats, with 11 (31%) seats changing hands. The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservative	35	15	12	2	3	14	80%
Labour	29	8	7	2	1	9	88%
Liberal Democrats	19	2	2	2		4	100%
SNP	2	1	1	1		2	100%
UKIP	27	2	1	2	1	3	50%
Green	14
Resident Groups *	3	2			2		0%
Independent **	16	5	1	2	4	3	20%
BNP	1
English Democrat	1
Justice	1
OMRLP	1
TUSAC	1
Total	150	35	24	11	11	35	69%

* Canvey Island Independent, Derwentside Independent & Llandaff North Independent
** 16 Independents contested 13 wards

Although there were 11 seats that changed hands, just 2 were between the 3 traditional main parties:
- Labour gained a seat from a Conservative in Crawley whilst a Liberal Democrat gained a seat from Labour in York.

Conservatives gained 2 seats for County Councils last contested in May 2013
- regaining Essex, Brightlingsea from UKIP following a resignation on a 4½% swing in a division that had elected a Conservative in 2005 & 2009
- gaining Gloucestershire, Mitcheldean following the death of the Independent councillor who won a new 2013 division in a fairly traditional Conservative area
but lost 3 seats to varying opponents
- Crawley, Southgate to Labour in a 1½% swing since May 2014 in a split ward where the former councillor was a Conservative sitting as UKIP
- Swale, Sheppey Central to UKIP on a 32% swing since 2011 when 3 Conservatives were elected although Sheppey First won in both 2007 & 2008
- Telford & Wrekin, Newport West to an Independent where retiring Conservative won the single member ward in 2007 & 2011 but an Independent in 2003

Labour gained the Crawley, Southgate seat along with
- Durham, Burnopfield & Dipton from Derwentside Independent by 1 vote in a split two member ward where the Labour candidates polled most votes in 2013
but lost York, Westfield to a Liberal Democrat on a swing of 25% in ward where Labour gained all 3 seats in 2011 but late councillor was sitting as a Lib Dem

Liberal Democrats gained the York Westfield seat
- along with Rutland, Whissendime from an Independent elected in a 2008 by-election for the single member ward but now straight fight with a Conservative

SNP regained Argyll & Bute, Oban North & Lorn from an Independent who won the seat in July 2014 but died just 10 days later

UKIP apart from gaining Swale, Sheppy Central but losing Essex, Brightlingsea
- gained South Tyneside, Westoe from a late Independent in a ward Labour won in 2010, 2012 & 2014 but Independents won in other years since 2002

An Independent won in Castle Point, Canvey Island East gaining a seat from a disqualified Canvey Island Independent who had won each year since 2004

[middleenglander]

There were 98 by-elections for 99 seats during the 5 months June to October 2014 with 36 (36%) changing hand or 34 (34%) excluding 2 Lincolnshire Independent (classed as a Resident Group) gains from Independent.   The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservatives	99	33	22	7	11	29	67%
Labour	87	29	27	8	2	35	93%
Liberal Democrats	59	12	7	7	5	14	58%
SNP	4	3	1	1	2	2	33%
Plaid Cymru	1
UKIP	81	5	1	5	4	6	20%
Green	44	2	1	1	1	2	50%
Resident Groups *	6	2		3	2	3	0%
Independents **	43	13	4	4	9	8	31%
No Description	3
Blue	1
BNP	2
Christian People's Alliance	1
English Democrats	3
Liberal	1
Mebyon Kernow	2
TUSAC	6
Others ***	4
Total	447	99	63	36	36	99	64%

*   Lincolnshire Independents, Its Our County in Herefordshire, Canvey Island Independent, Derwentside Independent and Llandaff North Independent
** 43 Independents contested 33 seats
*** 1 each for British Democrats, Justice, OMRLP and Patriotic Socialist

The Conservatives contested all the by-elections, Labour 88% and the Liberal Democrats 60% with UKIP contesting 82% and Greens 44%.

Although 36 seats changed hands during the five months, just 10 were between Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats
- Conservatives gained Broadland: Wroxham and Somerset: North Frome from Liberal Democrats
- Labour gained Charnwood: Thurmaston and Crawley: Southgate from the Conservatives and Craven: Skipton West from the Liberal Democrats
- Liberal Democrats gained Cornwall: Illogan, Epping Forest: Hemnall, Guildford: Lovelace and Maidstone: Staplehurst from the Conservatives  
   together with York: Westfield from Labour

Conservatives gained 3 County Council divisions from a Liberal Democrat (Somerst), UKIP (Essex) and an Independent (Gloucestershire)
along seats from a Liberal Democrat in Broadland, an Independent in East Cambridgeshire, Green in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk and UKIP in Cornwall 
- whilst losing 4 seats to the Liberal Democrats in Cornwall, Epping Forest, Guildford and Maidstone and 2 to Labour in Charnwood and Crawley
   together with 2 to UKIP in Shepway and Swale along with 1 each to Green and Its Our County in Herefordshire and 1 to an Independent in Telford & Wrekin

Labour gain from Conservatives in Charnwood and Crawley, Liberal Democrat in Craven, SNP in South Lanarkshire and UKIP in Merthyr Tydfil and Redditch
together with 1 each from Derwentside Independent and an Independent in Durham
- whilst losing a seat to a Liberal Democrat in York and another to UKIP in Doncaster

Liberal Democrats gain 4 seats from Conservatives in Cornwall, Epping Forest, Guildford and Maidstone and 1 from Labour in York
together with 1 from an Independent in both Northumberland and Rutland
- whilst losing a seat to a Conservative in Broadland and Somerset, Labour in Craven, UKIP in Worthing and another to Independent in North Yorkshire

Independents gained a seat from a Conservative in Telford & Wrekin, a Liberal Democrat in North Yorkshire and Canvey Island Independent in Castle Point
together with a seat from SNP In Argyll & Bute but was then lost at a subsequent by-election when the newly elected councillor died after just 10 days
- whilst losing a seat to a Conservative in both East Cambridgeshire and Gloucestershire, to a Liberal Democrat in both Northumberland and Rutland
  along with 1 to Labour in Durham, 1 to UKIP in South Tyneside, 2 seats to Lincolnshire Independents in North Kesteven and the seat to SNP in Argyll & Bute

UKIP gained a seat from Conservatives in both Shepway and Swale, one from Labour in Doncaster and another from Liberal Democrats in Worthing
as well as a seat from an Independent in South Tyneside
- but lost a seat to a Conservative in both Cornwall and Essex along with another to Labour in both Merthyr Tydfil and Redditch 

Greens gained a seat from the Conservatives in Herefordshire but lost another to the Conservatives in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk
SNP lost a seat to Labour in South Lanarkshire and another to Independent in Argyll & Bute which they have subsequently regained
Its Our County gained a seat in Herefordshire from Conservatives along with Lincolnshire Independents 2 seat gain from Independents in North Kesteven
- whilst Derwentside Independent lost a seat to Labour in Durham and Canvey Island Independent to an Independent in Castle Point

[thirdchill]

Looking at the results since June, UKIP's ability to gain seats seems pretty good, but their retention rate is awful.

[middleenglander]

There were 24 by-elections during November with 8 (33%) changing hands. The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservative	23	10	8	3	2	11	80%
Labour	21	11	7		4	7	64%
Liberal Democrat	14	1		1	1	1	0%
UKIP	17			2		2
SNP	2			1		1
Plaid Cymru	1
Social Democrat		1			1		0%
Green	13
Independent *	12	1	1	1		2	100%
TUSAC	6
Community Action	1
No Description	1
Total	111	24	16	8	8	24	67%

* 12 Independent candidates contested 6 by-elections

Conservatives gained 3 seats, 2 from Labour and 1 from a Liberal Democrat whilst losing a seat each to UKIP and SNP
- regained single member ward in Cornwall, Mevagissey lost to Labour in 2013 on a swing ~9½% since then
- gained the second seat in Melton, Asfordby from Labour on a swing of ~11½% since 2011
- gained second seat in Wokingham. Bulmershe from a Liberal Democrat sitting as Independent on a ~9% swing from Labour who won third seat in May 2014 
- lost Medway, Peninsula to UKIP on same day as parliamentary by-election with a 15% UKIP majority over Conservative having not contested ward in 2011
- lost Aberdeenshire Troup to SNP in a 3 member ward electing SNP, Independent & Conservative in 2012 on a first preference 2¼% swing to SNP

Labour did not gain any seats but lost 2 to the Conservatives and one each to a Liberal Democrat and an Independent in
- Cornwall, Mevagissey and Melton, Asfordby to the Conservatives
- Cambridge, Queen Edith's to a Liberal Democrat, who now hold all 3 seats, on a pro Labour 3½% swing since May 2014 but 5% from Labour since 2012
- Swansea, Upland to an Independent, former Liberal Democrat ward councillor and parliamentary candidate who lost his seat in 2012 by 10 votes

Apart from Medway, Peninsula, UKIP also gained East Yorkshire, Bridlington Central & Old Town following death of a long established Social Democrat (SDP)

[middleenglander]

There were 122 by-elections for 123 seats during the 6 months June to November 2014 with 44 (36%) changing hand or 42 (34%) excluding 2 Lincolnshire Independent (classed as a Resident Group) gains from Independent.   The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservatives	122	43	30	10	13	40	70%
Labour	108	40	34	8	6	42	85%
Liberal Democrats	73	13	7	8	6	15	54%
SNP	6	3	1	2	2	3	33%
Plaid Cymru	2
UKIP	98	5	1	7	4	8	20%
Green	57	2	1	1	1	2	50%
Resident Groups *	7	2		3	2	3	0%
Independents **	55	14	5	5	9	10	36%
Social Democrat		1			1		0%
No Description	4
BNP	2
Christian People's Alliance	1
English Democrats	3
Liberal	1
Mebyon Kernow	2
TUSAC	12
Others ***	5
Total	558	123	79	44	44	123	64%

*   Lincolnshire, Canvey Island, Derwentside and Llandaff North Independents along with Its Our County in Herefordshire and Community Action in Wigan
** 55 Independents contested 39 seats
*** 1 each for British Democrats, Blue, Justice, OMRLP and Patriotic Socialist

The Conservatives contested all but the Orkney by-election, Labour 88% and the Liberal Democrats 59% with UKIP contesting 80% and Greens 46%.

Although 44 seats changed hands during the six months, just 14 were between Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats
- Conservatives gained Cornwall: Mevagissey and Melton: Asfordby from Labour
   together with Broadland: Wroxham, Somerset: North Frome and Wokingham: Bulmershe from Liberal Democrats
- Labour gained Charnwood: Thurmaston and Crawley: Southgate from the Conservatives and Craven: Skipton West from the Liberal Democrats
- Liberal Democrats gained Cornwall: Illogan, Epping Forest: Hemnall, Guildford: Lovelace and Maidstone: Staplehurst from the Conservatives  
   together with Cambridge: Queen Edith's and York: Westfield from Labour

Conservatives gained 3 County Council divisions from a Liberal Democrat (Somerst), UKIP (Essex) and an Independent (Gloucestershire),
two seats from Labour in Cornwall and Melton along with seats from a Liberal Democrat in Broadland and Wokingham, an Independent in East Cambridgeshire, Green in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk and UKIP in Cornwall 
- whilst losing 4 seats to the Liberal Democrats in Cornwall, Epping Forest, Guildford and Maidstone and 2 to Labour in Charnwood and Crawley
   along with 3 to UKIP in Medway, Shepway and Swale and 1 each to Green and Its Our County in Herefordshire and 1 to an Independent in Telford & Wrekin together with 1 to SNP in Aberdeenshire
Labour gain from Conservatives in Charnwood and Crawley, Liberal Democrat in Craven, SNP in South Lanarkshire and UKIP in Merthyr Tydfil and Redditch
together with 1 each from Derwentside Independent and an Independent in Durham
- whilst losing seats to Conservatives in Cornwall and Melton, Liberal Democrat in Cambrige and York, UKIP in Doncaster and an Independent in Swansea

Liberal Democrats gain 4 seats from Conservatives in Cornwall, Epping Forest, Guildford and Maidstone, from Labour in both Cambridge and York and from an Independent in both Northumberland and Rutland
- whilst losing seats to a Conservative in Broadland, Somerset and Wokingham, Labour in Craven, UKIP in Worthing and an Independent in North Yorkshire

Independents gained a seat from a Conservative in Telford & Wrekin, a Liberal Democrat in North Yorkshire, Canvey Island Independent in Castle Point and from Labour in Swansea
together with a seat from SNP In Argyll & Bute but was then lost at a subsequent by-election when the newly elected councillor died after just 10 days
- whilst losing a seat to a Conservative in both East Cambridgeshire and Gloucestershire, to a Liberal Democrat in both Northumberland and Rutland
  along with 1 to Labour in Durham, 1 to UKIP in South Tyneside, 2 seats to Lincolnshire Independents in North Kesteven and the seat to SNP in Argyll & Bute

UKIP gained a seat from Conservatives in Medway, Shepway and Swale, one from Labour in Doncaster and another from Liberal Democrats in Worthing
as well as a seat from an Independent in South Tyneside and another from a Social Democrat in East Yorkshire
- but lost a seat to a Conservative in both Cornwall and Essex along with another to Labour in both Merthyr Tydfil and Redditch 

Greens gained a seat from the Conservatives in Herefordshire but lost another to the Conservatives in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk
SNP gained a seat from Conservative in Aberdeenshire but lost to Labour in South Lanarkshire and also to Independent in Argyll & Bute but subsequently regained
Its Our County gained a seat in Herefordshire from Conservatives along with Lincolnshire Independents 2 seat gain from Independents in North Kesteven
- whilst Derwentside Independent lost a seat to Labour in Durham and Canvey Island Independent to an Independent in Castle Point

[middleenglander]

There were 19 by-elections during December with 5 (26%) changing hands. The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservative	16	5	5			5	100%
Labour	17	7	5	1	2	6	71%
Liberal Democrats	10	1	1	1		2	100%
UKIP	15	1	1	1		2	100%
SNP	2	1	1	1		2	100%
Plaid Cymru	2	1	1	1		2	100%
Green	6
Mansfield Independent Forum		1			1		0%
Lincolnshire Independent	1
Independents *	4	2			2		0%
TUSAC	1
Total	74	19	14	5	5	19	74%

* 4 Independents contested 4 seats

Labour gained a seat from in Mansfield but lost seats to a Liberal Democrat in Aylesbury Vale and to SNP in Moray
- gained Mansfield , Netherfield from Mansfield Independent Forum who did not contest the seat and had a 4.9% majority over Labour in 2011
- lost Aylesbury Vale, Southcourt, a split ward returning one Liberal Democrat and one Labour in 2011 but two Liberal Democrats in 2007; Labour a poor third
- lost Moray, Elgin City North to SNP on a first preference vote swing of 4.8% since 2012.

UKIP gained Lincolnshire, Stamford North from and Independent with Labour second narrowly ahead of the Conservatives who won the seat in 2005

Plaid Cymru gained Carmarthenshire, Trelech from an Independent who had represented the area for more than 50 years 

[Davıd Boothroyd]

When was the last month Labour ended on a net loss?

[middleenglander]

Dec 19, 2014 0:41:50 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

When was the last month Labour ended on a net loss?

May this year when they had a net loss of 1 on the 22nd.

[middleenglander]

There were 141 by-elections for 142 seats during the 7 months June to December 2014 with 49 (35%) changing hand or 47 (33%) excluding 2 Lincolnshire Independent (classed as a Resident Group) gains from Independent.   The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservatives	138	48	35	10	13	45	73%
Labour	125	47	39	9	8	48	83%
Liberal Democrats	83	14	8	9	6	17	57%
SNP	8	4	2	3	2	5	50%
Plaid Cymru	4	1	1	1		2	100%
UKIP	113	6	2	8	4	10	33%
Green	63	2	1	1	1	2	50%
Resident Groups *	8	3		3	3	3	0%
Independents **	59	16	5	5	11	10	31%
Social Democrat		1			1		0%
No Description	4
BNP	2
Christian People's Alliance	1
English Democrats	3
Liberal	1
Mebyon Kernow	2
TUSAC	13
Others ***	5
Total	632	142	93	49	49	142	65%

*   Lincolnshire Independent, Canvey Island Independent, Derwentside Independent and Llandaff North Independent, Its Our County (Herefordshire), Community Action (Wigan) as well as Mansfield Independent Forum
** 59 Independents contested 43 seats
*** 1 each for British Democrats, Blue, Justice, OMRLP and Patriotic Socialist

The Conservatives contested all but 4 or 97% of the seats, Labour 88% and the Liberal Democrats 58% with UKIP contesting 80% and Greens 44%.

Although 49 seats changed hands during the seven months, just 15 were between Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats
- Conservatives gained Cornwall: Mevagissey and Melton: Asfordby from Labour
   together with Broadland: Wroxham, Somerset: Frome North and Wokingham: Bulmershe from Liberal Democrats
- Labour gained Charnwood: Thurmaston and Crawley: Southgate from the Conservatives and Craven: Skipton West from the Liberal Democrats
- Liberal Democrats gained Cornwall: Illogan, Epping Forest: Hemnall, Guildford: Lovelace and Maidstone: Staplehurst from the Conservatives  
   together with Aylesbury Vale: Southcourt, Cambridge: Queen Edith's and York: Westfield from Labour

Conservatives gained a total of 10 seats - 2 from Labour, 3 from Liberal Democrats, 2 fromUKIP, 2 from Independent and 1 from Green
- losing a total of 13 - 2 to Labour, 4 to Liberal Democrats, 3 to UKIP and 1 each to SNP, Independent, Green and Its Our County 
They gained 3 County Council seats -  Essex: Brightlingsea (UKIP), Gloucestershire: Mitcheldean (Ind) and Somerset: Frome North (Lib Dem)
* along with 3 Unitary - Cornwall: Mabe, Perranarworthal & St Gluvias (UKIP), Cornwall: Megavissey (Lab) and and Wokingham: Bulmershe (Lib Dem)
* 4 District - Broadland: Wroxham (Lib Dem), East Cambridgeshire: Soham South (Ind), KingsLynn & West Norfolk: Airfield (Green) and Melton:Asfordby (Lab)
They lost 5 Unitary seats - Cornwall:Illogan (Lib Dem), Herefordshire: Ledbury (Its Our County), Herefordshire:  Leominster South (Green), Medway: Peninsula (UKIP) and Telford & Wrekin: Newport West (Ind)
* 7 District - Charnwood: Thurmaston (Lab), Crawley: Southgate (Lab), Epping Forest: Hemnall (Lib Dem), Guildford: Lovelace (Lib Dem), Maidstone: Staplehurst (Lib Dem), Shepway: Folkestone Harvey Central (UKIP) and Swale: Sheppey Central (UKIP)
* together with 1 in Scotland - Aberdeenshire: Troup (SNP)

Labour gained a total of 9 seats - 2 from Conservatives, 1 from Liberal Democrat, 2 from UKIP, 1 from SNP, 1 from Independent and 2 from Resident Groups
- losing a total of 8 - 2 to Conservatives, 3 Lto iberal Democrats and 1 each to UKIP, SNP and Independent
They gained 2 Unitary seats - Durham: Crook (Ind) and Durham: Burnopfield & Dipton (Derwentside Ind) 
* 5 District - Charnwood: Thurmaston (Con), Craven: Skipton West (Lib Dem), Crawley: Southgate (Con), Mansfield, Netherfield (Mansfield Ind Forum) and Redditch: Church Hill (UKIP) 
* together with 1 in Scotland and 1 in Wales - South Lanarkshire: Clydesdale South (SNP) and Merthyr Tydfil: Pennydarren (UKIP)
They lost 1 Metropolitan and 2 Unitary - Doncaster: Edenthorpe, Kirk Sandall & Barnby Dun (UKIP), Cornwall: Megavissey (Con) and York: Westfield (Lib Dem)
* 3 District - Aylesbury Vale: Southcourt (Lib Dem), Cambridge: St Edith's (Lib Dem) and Melton: Asfordby (Con)
* together with 1 in Scotland and 1 in Wales - Moray: Elgin City North (SNP) and Swansea: Uplands (Ind)

Liberal Democrats gained a total of 9 seats - 4 from Conservatives, 3 Labour and 2 Independents
- whilst losing a total of 6 - 3 to Conservatives and 1 each to Labour, UKIP and Independent 
They gained 4 Unitary Seats - Cornwall: Illogan (Con), York: Westfield (Lab), Northumberland: Longhoughton (Ind) and Rutland: Whissendine (ind)
* 5 District - Aylesbury Vale: Southcourt (Lab), Cambridge: St Edith's (Lab), Epping Forest: Hemnall (Con), Guildford: Lovelace (Con) and Maidstone: Staplehurst (Con)
They lost 2 County Council seats and 1 Unitary - North Yorkshire: Skipton West (Ind), Somerset: Frome North (Con) and Wokingham: Bulmershe (Con)
* 3 District - Broadland: Wroxham (Con), Craven: Skipton West (Lab) and Worthing: Castle (UKIP)

UKIP gained a total of 8 seats - 3 from Conservatives, 2 from Independents and 1 each from Labour, Liberal Democrats and Social Democrat Party
- whilst losing a total of 4 seats - 2 to Conservatives and 2 to Labour
They gained 2 Metropolitan seats - Doncaster: Edenthorpe, Kirk Sandall & Barnby Dun (Lab) and South  Tyneside: Westoe (Ind)
* 1 County Council and 2 Unitary - Lincolnshire: Stamford North (Ind), East Yorkshire: Bridlington Central & Old Town (SDP) and Medway: Peninsula (Con) 
* 3 District - Shepway: Folkestone Harvey Central (Con), Swale: Sheppey Central (Con) and Worthing: Castle (Lib Dem)
They lost 4 - Cornwall: Mabe, Perranarworthal & St Gluvias (Con), Essex: Brightlingsea (Con), Merhyr Tydfil: Pennydarren (Lab) and Redditch: Church Hill (Lab)

Independents gained 5 seats in total - 1 each from Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, SNP and Canvey Island Independent
- whilst losing a total of 11 - 2 each to Conservative, Liberal Democrat, UKIP and Lincolnshire Independent as well as 1 each to Labour, Plaid Cymru and SNP
They gained 1 County Council and 1  Unitary - North Yorkshire: Skipton West (Lib Dem) and Telford & Wrekin: Newport West (Con)
* 1 District - Castle Point: Canvey East (Canvey Island Independent)
* together with 1 in Scotland and 1 in Wales  - Argyll & Bute: Oban North & Lorn (SNP) but subsequently lost in second by-election and Swansea: Uplands (Lab)
They lost 1 Metropolitan and 2 County Council - South Tyneside: Westoe (UKIP), Gloucestershire: Mitcheldean (Con) and Lincolnshire: Stamford North (UKIP)
* 3 Unitary - Durham: Crook (Lab), Northumberland: Longhoughton (Lib Dem) and Rutland: Whissenden (Lib Dem)
* 3 District - East Cambridgeshire: Soham South (Con), North Kesteven: Quarrington & Mareham (Lincs Ind) and North Kesteven: Westholme (Lincs Ind)
* together with 1 in Scotland and 1 in Wales - Argyll & Bute: Oban North & Lorn (SNP) in second by-election and Carmarthenshire: Trelech (Plaid Cymru)

Resident Groups gained Herefordshire: Ledbury (Its our County from Con), North Kesteven:  Quarrington & Mareham (Lincs Ind from Ind) and North Kesteven: Westholme (Lincs Ind from Ind)
- but lost Castle Point: Canvey East (Canvey Island Ind to Ind), Durham: Burnopfield & Dipton (Derwentside Ind to Lab) and Mansfield: Netherfield (Mansfield Ind Forum to Lab)  

Greens gained Herefordshire: Leominster South (Con) but lost Kings Lynn & West Norfolk: Airfield (Con)
Social Democrat Party lost East Yorkshire: Bridlington Central & Old Town (UKIP)

SNP regained Argyll & Bute: Oban North & Lorn (Ind), gained Aberdeenshire: Troup (Con) and Moray: Elgin City North (Lab)
- but losing Argyll & Bute: Oban North and Lorn (Ind) in first by-election and South Lanarkshire: Clydesdale South (Lab)
whilst Plaid Cymru gained Carnarthenshire: Trelech (Ind)

[middleenglander]

There were  5 by-elections for 6 seats during January 2015 with none changing hands. The results can be summarised by:

Party	Candidates	Defended	Retained	Gained	Lost	Won	retention rate
Conservative	6	4	4			4	100%
Labour	5	1	1			1	100%
Liberal Democrat	4
SNP	1	1	1			1	100%
UKIP	6
Green	3
Indpendent *	2
Total	27	6	6			6	100%

* 2 Independents contesting 1 seat

Conservatives retained:
- St Albans, Marshalswick South - 2 seats in 3 member ward - with an average majority of 8.5% over Liberal Democrat compared to 15.9% over Labour in 2014
   Liberal Democrats won this ward each year from 2003 to 2010 apart from 2006 with Conservatives winning 2006, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015 by-elections
   Swing Conservative to Liberal Democrat 5½% since 2014, 1¾% since 2012, 6½% since 2011 but 4½% Liberal Democrat to Conservative since 2010
- Wealden, Crowborough West - a 2 member ward - with a 17.4% majority in a straight fight with UKIP
   2011 (average) majority was ~43% in straight fight with Labour and ~42% over Liberal Democrat in 3-way 2007 contest
- West Berkshire, Purley-on-Thames - 2 member ward - with 55.6% majority over Labour and swing from Labour ~2% (average) since 2011 and 3½% since 2007
   2011 (average) majority was 51.7% over Labour and ~49% in 2007 over Greens, Labour and Liberal Democrats who all polled similar shares

Labour retained Bolsover, Bolsover North West - a 2 member ward - with a 5½% majority over UKIP
- compared to a 33% majority over sole Conservative in 2011, 19% over sole Liberal Democrat in 2007 and unopposed in 2003

SNP retained Fife, Kirkcaldy East with a 12% first preference majority over Labour and a swing Labour to SNP of 12.8% since 2012 and 9.3% since 2007
- SNP first preference share was 47.3%, a 10.9% increase since 2012 and 11.9% since 2007

Conservatives polled:
- 15.5% in Bolsover, Bolsover North West, a fall of 18.2% (average) since 2011 when fielded a single candidate but did not contest 2007 and 2003
- 7.2% in Fife, Kirkcaldy East, a first preference increase of 1.2% since 2012 but a fall of 0.4% since 2007
- 33.5% in St Albans, Marshalswick South, a fall of 5.1% since 2014, 6.4% since 2012, 13.2% since 2011 and 6.2% since 2010
- 58.7% in Wealden, Crowborough West, a fall of 12.9% (average) since 2011 and 6.1% since 2007
- 68.1% in West Berkshire, Purley-on-Thames, a fall of 2.2% (average) since 2011 but 6.3% increase since 2007

Labour polled:
- 45.0% in Bolsover, Bolsover North West, a fall of 21.3% (average) since 2011 and 14.3% since 2007 having been returned unopposed in 2003
- 35.3% in Fife, Kirkcaldy East. a first preference fall of 14.6% since 2012 and 6.7% since 2007
- 18.3% in St Albans, Marshalswick South, a fall of 4.4% since 2014, 0.6% since 2012 but an increase of 0.1% since 2011 and 4.2% since 2010
- 12.5% in West Berkshire, Purley-on-Thames, a fall of 6.0% (average) since 2011 and 0.2% since 2007
- did not contest Wealden, Crowborough West having polled ~28% in 2011 and 13% in 2007

Liberal Democrats polled:
- 1.3% in Fife, Kirkcaldy East, a fall of 1.5% since 2012 and 10.8% since 2007
- 25.0% in St Albans, Marshalswick South, an increase of 5.8% since 2014 but a fall of 2.9% since 2012, 0.2% since 2011 and 15.3% since 2010
- 7.6% in West Berkshire, Purley-on-Thames, a fall of 3.7% since 2011 (average) and 5% since 2007
- did not contest Bolsover, Bolsover North West having polled ~40% in 2007 nor Wealden, Crowhurst West having polled ~22% also in 2007

UKIP polled:
- 39.5% in Bolsover, Bolsover North West from nowhere
- 3.8% in Fife, Kirkcaldy East from nowhere
- 7.5% in St Albans, Marshalswick South, a fall of 1.7% since 2014 but an increase of 2.2% since 2012, having not contested the seat in 2011 and 2010
- 41.3% in Wealden, Crowhurst West from nowhere in straight fight with Conservative
- 11.9% in West Berkshire, Purley-on-Thames from nowhere

Greens polled:
- 4.1% in Fife, Kirkcaldy East from nowhere
- 15.7% in St Albans, Marshalswick South, with top candidate polling  ~3 times the vote of second, an increase ranging from 5½% in 2014 to 9.8% in 2010
- did not contest West Berkshire, Purley-on-Thames having polled ~ 13% in 2007

Independents polled:
- 1% by the 2 candidates in Fife, Kirkcaldy East
 

[piperdave]

Sorry to be a pedant, but there's a 'c' in Kirkcaldy.