Local Council by-elections 10th March 2022

[Tony Otim]

All the councils this week managed to get the SOPNs up on Friday!

HEREFORDSHIRE UA; Bromyard West (Independent for Herefordshire resigned)
Candidates:
DAVIES, Clare (Independent)
FERGUSON, Nick (Independent)
FRANKLIN, Mark (Conservative)

2019: It’s Our County 395; Con 262
2015: It’s Our County 751; Con 623

Current Council: Independents for Herefordshire 18; Con 14; LD 7; Grn 7; True Independents 5; Ungrouped 1;



HERTFORDSHIRE CC; Hitchin South (Lib Dem died)
Candidates:
ELTRINGHAM, Deolinda Maria (Green)
HOSKINS, Keith (Liberal Democrat)
SMITH, Leigh (Christian People’s Alliance)
STRONG, Claire Patricia Annette (Conservative)

2021: LD 1930; Con 1888; Lab 765; Grn 455; CPA 54; TUSC 22
2017: Con 1884; LD 1770; Lab 618; Grn 274

Leigh Smith was the CPA candidate here last May. Keith Hoskins is district councillor for Hitchin Highbury ward (North Herts, largely in this division, elected in 2019) and Claire Strong is district councillor for Hitchwood, Offa & Hoo (not in this division).

Current Council: Con 46; LD 22; Lab 7; Grn 1; Ind 1; 1 vacancy


NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE DC; Hitchin Highbury (Lib Dem died)
Candidates:
BHAKAR, Raj (Liberal Democrat)
ELTRINGHAM, Deolinda Maria (Green)
FORSYTH, Samuel William (Conservative)
SMITH, Leigh (Christian Peoples Alliance)

2021: LD 1416; Con 820; Lab 412; Grn 242; CPA 33
2019: LD 1606; Con 534; Lab 244; Grn 181
2018: LD 1266; Con 801; Lab 443; Grn 148
2016: LD 1144; Con 836; Lab 401; Grn 151
2015: Con 1791; LD 1409; Lab 687; UKIP 350; Grn 326
2014: Con 945; LD 757; UKIP 395; Lab 366; Grn 198
2012: Con 906; LD 877; Lab 301; Grn 187
2011: LD 1239; Con 1075; Lab 338; UKIP 257; Grn 179;
2010: LD 1889; Con 1779; Lab 480; Grn 236
2008: LD 1186; Con 1056; Lab 141; Grn 118
2007: LD 1423, 1260, 1250; Con 1026, 895; Grn 265, 174, 142; Lab 178

Vacancy is for the 2021-2024 term (elected May 2021). Deolinda Eltringham was the Green Candidate here last May and Leigh Smith stood for the CPA.

Current Council: Con 23; Lab 14; LD 10; 2 vacancies



RUTLAND UA; Ryhall & Casterton (Ind elected as Con resigned)
Candidates:
FOSTER, Richard (Conservative)
WILSON, Rick (Green)

Sept 19by: Con 357; LD 156; Grn 121
2019: 1 x Ind, 1 x Con unopp.

The resigning councillor was the by-election winner from Sept 19 elected after the Independent elected that May (who had been councillor either as an independent or Conservative since at least 2003) failed to sign his Declaration of office.

Current Council: Con 12; Ind 5; LD 4; Ind (non-aligned) 3; Grn 1; Lab 1; 1 vacancy

[iainbhx]

Bromyard is a very, very special place.

[Davıd Boothroyd]

It appears neither of the two Bromyard Independents are formally linked to the Independents for Herefordshire, but Nick Ferguson (who is here www.facebook.com/nick.ferguson.735) has been backed by the outgoing councillor. See this post in which he announces his candidacy www.facebook.com/groups/bromyard.info/posts/10159713013033088/ and the comments.

Clare Davies is standing as a 'True Independent': www.facebook.com/groups/bromyard.info/posts/10159719547613088/

[Chris from Brum]

Feb 13, 2022 18:35:42 GMT iainbhx said:

Bromyard is a very, very special place.

Special, or "special"?  I must admit I don't often visit, but I do pass through occasionally on the way to Leominster.

[froome]

No Labour candidate in either of the Hertfordshire elections?

Presumably a nomination cock-up rather than intentional?

[iainbhx]

Mar 4, 2022 9:19:20 GMT Chris from Brum said:

Feb 13, 2022 18:35:42 GMT iainbhx said:

Bromyard is a very, very special place.

Special, or "special"?  I must admit I don't often visit, but I do pass through occasionally on the way to Leominster.

It’s been a while since I was there now, but very “special”.

[shadsy]

Slim pickings this week, but have gone with Bromyard West as I haven't a clue who will win it.
smarkets.com/event/42637571/politics/uk/by-elections/2022/03/10/22-00/bromyard-west-by-election

[ricmk]

[Rutlander]

RUTLAND UA; Ryhall & Casterton (Ind elected as Con resigned)
FOSTER, Richard (Conservative)
WILSON, Rick (Green)

Some background:
The county council has been in turmoil over local plan issues; the foundation of a draft plan was developing a MoD base (St George's Barracks, previously RAF North Luffenham) as a new settlement. This has not been deliverable so they are starting the process again (at some cost) with weakened defences to developers in the meantime. The majority CON group has been losing members to resignation, defection and by-election losses.

Conservative candidates are proving hard to find. Foster is a 'retread'; he was elected to represent Cottesmore ward in 2015 but did not stand for re-election in 2019.

The main local controversy is a massive solar power development proposal - Mallard Pass (the "size of Heathrow") - which is not helpful for a Green candidate.

Most of the electors of the ward live in the parish of Ryhall which is too big alone to be a single-member ward. The Green's address is inside the ward, but only just, and very close to the Lincolnshire boundary. The Conservative candidate lives outside the ward; not by that many miles but it means his house has a LE15 postcode while the parishes in the ward are PE9. Despite not living in the ward, the Conservative leaflets automatically describe Foster as "the local choice" - the Tory MP (Kearns) and PCC (Matthews) both tweeted about campaigning in the ward yesterday.

[J.G.Harston]

Mar 6, 2022 11:38:43 GMT ricmk said:

If you're commenting on elections, shouldn't you know that one STANDS for election in this country, not runs.

[ricmk]

Mar 6, 2022 16:19:07 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Mar 6, 2022 11:38:43 GMT ricmk said:

If you're commenting on elections, shouldn't you know that one STANDS for election in this country, not runs.

This comment was from a friend of a friend (who I've never met, but how I came across it) I think the point is that people who bizarrely have other things to do with their lives than obsess about elections, have been unimpressed by the Tory literature in Hitchin. Nothing more, nothing less. People can comment without being experts on electoral processes - the technical term for that is an election.

[phil156]

All 4 are counting Thursday night, Hertfordshire are doing both and expect the result by 1 am Friday morning

[willpower3]

"It's Our County" might be the most obnoxious name of any electoral outfit in the UK. Even the Nazi and Communist outfits don't usually give themselves such on the surface obnoxiousness. You have to be a cunt to name a party that, and perhaps even more of a cunt to vote for it.

[tonyhill]

Whereas I agree with the basic point I think it is entirely unnecessary to make it in the crude way that you have, so please desist in future.

[minionofmidas]

The Obscure Place First style names rub me even wronger tbh.

[YL]

Mar 10, 2022 7:07:55 GMT minionofmidas said:

The Obscure Place First style names rub me even wronger tbh.

There's also the "Stalybridge Town Party", whose main name isn't that bad but who have the registered description "Stalybridge Town for Stalybridge People". Are you local?

[Chris from Brum]

andrewteale's take on today's contests: medium.com/britainelects/all-the-right-votes-but-not-necessarily-in-the-right-order-49a405347870

[John Chanin]

Mar 10, 2022 9:29:50 GMT Chris from Brum said:

andrewteale 's take on today's contests: medium.com/britainelects/all-the-right-votes-but-not-necessarily-in-the-right-order-49a405347870

I managed to find this as well - but Britain Elects has gone down.  Is this a Russian cyber attack? What on earth is medium.com?  And whatever it is, it doesn’t have any maps.  Maybe andrewteale can explain.

[timmullen1]

Mar 10, 2022 9:57:31 GMT John Chanin said:

Mar 10, 2022 9:29:50 GMT Chris from Brum said:

andrewteale 's take on today's contests: medium.com/britainelects/all-the-right-votes-but-not-necessarily-in-the-right-order-49a405347870

I managed to find this as well - but Britain Elects has gone down.  Is this a Russian cyber attack? What on earth is medium.com?  And whatever it is, it doesn’t have any maps.  Maybe andrewteale can explain.

Here’s the Wikipedia description of Medium: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_(website)

[andrewteale]

Mar 10, 2022 9:57:31 GMT John Chanin said:

Mar 10, 2022 9:29:50 GMT Chris from Brum said:

andrewteale 's take on today's contests: medium.com/britainelects/all-the-right-votes-but-not-necessarily-in-the-right-order-49a405347870

I managed to find this as well - but Britain Elects has gone down.  Is this a Russian cyber attack? What on earth is medium.com?  And whatever it is, it doesn’t have any maps.  Maybe andrewteale can explain.

The Medium account is the backup plan for when the Britain Elects server phones in sick. It looks like the pictures have got lost in the transfer to Medium, for which I apologise on BE's behalf.