Local Council By-elections 16th March 2023

[Tony Otim]

SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE DC; Cottenham (Lib Dem died)
Candidates:
FISHER, Oliver (Green)
HINGSTON, Tom (Labour)
MORRIS, Frank (Conservative)
PILSWORTH, Jo (Independent)
WILSON, Eileen Margaret (Liberal Democrat)

2022: LD 1545, 1354; Con 498, 456; Grn 409
2018: LD 1198, 1092; Con 799, 746; Lab 349, 231; Ind 258; Grn 168

Eileen Wilson was Lib Dem councillor for the ward 2018-22, but did not re-stand last year. Frank Morris was the second Conservative in 2022 and the Independent in 2018. Last May Oliver Fisher stood for the Greens in Fen Ditton & Fulbourn.

Current Council: LD 34; Con 9; Ind 1; 1 vacancy



STIRLING UA; Dunblane & Bridge of Allan (SNP died)
Candidates:
ANDREWS, Clare Pauline (Green)
KHAN, Ahsan (SNP)
KLEINMAN, Robin (Conservative)
MOERMAN, Dick (Liberal Democrat)
WILLIS, Mickie (Scottish Family Party)
WILSON, David (Labour)

2022: Con 1536, 598; SNP 1266, 564; Grn 1138; Lab 842; LD 665; Alba 61; SFP 50
2018: Con 1543, 1502; SNP 1203,723; Lab 824; Grn 706; LD 476

Ahsan Khan was the unsuccessful SNP candidate here last time. Dick Moerman stood for the Lib Dems and Michael Willis for SFP in Stirling West. Clare Andrews stood for the Scottish Greens in Clackmannanshire North last May and gives her address in that authority...

Current Council: SNP 7; Con 7; Lab 5; Ind 2; Grn 1; 1 vacancy

[phil156]

SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE count on Thursday STIRLING count Friday morning at 08.30

[East Anglian Lefty]

In Cottenham the proposed congestion charge for Cambridge is likely to be an issue (and even if it isn't, the Tories will assuredly have been centering their campaign around it.) From what I've seen on social media, Labour have had a larger number of activists out than I'd expect for a rural by-election. I don't know if that will have an effect in terms of results, but it is at least nice to see that South Cambs CLP seems to have given up on running silent.

[matureleft]

Mar 14, 2023 20:53:46 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

In Cottenham the proposed congestion charge for Cambridge is likely to be an issue (and even if it isn't, the Tories will assuredly have been centering their campaign around it.) From what I've seen on social media, Labour have had a larger number of activists out than I'd expect for a rural by-election. I don't know if that will have an effect in terms of results, but it is at least nice to see that South Cambs CLP seems to have given up on running silent.

Cottenham has returned Labour councillors fairly often in the past. If they’ve found a decent local candidate (pretty vital in a ward like this) then I’d be disappointed if they weren’t working it. But effforts have been pretty limited recently. 

[East Anglian Lefty]

Yes, the ward last saw a meaningful campaign about a decade ago (and I'm unconvinced that was the same thing as a strong one.) I think the demographics are less favourable now than they were when we regularly won the ward, but it's definitely better hunting ground than most of the district.

[andykernow]

Finally having time to look properly, the Stirling vote will be interesting. Taking the sledgehammer to the vote in 2022 the Pro Independence vote is about 45% and the Pro Union 55% - Normally that would see an easy Union Win, but with the solid green vote I wonder whether they might pull votes from the others and take the seat. Will be really interesting to see how the split of the lower votes goes…. For the Cambridgeshire one, it will be a big surprise if the Lib Dem’s don’t retain this one

[John Chanin]

medium.com/britainelects/previewing-the-south-cambridgeshire-and-stirling-local-by-elections-of-16th-march-2023-6ea5c2c4e9c6

[Pete Whitehead]

I would have thought Sawston at least to be a 'town' but evidently it is, tehnically at least, a 'village'

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Little known but all that's needed to become a town is to have a parish level authority, and for it to resolve to have the status of a Town under s. 245(6), Local Government Act 1972.

[La Fontaine]

Mar 16, 2023 17:25:47 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

Little known but all that's needed to become a town is to have a parish level authority, and for it to resolve to have the status of a Town under s. 245(6), Local Government Act 1972.

Yes, it's surprising that more haven't done it.  Allendale, which I know well, is universally known as a town, but hasn't decided to have a town council. Perhaps they and others don' want a mayor?

[minionofmidas]

Mar 16, 2023 17:11:23 GMT Pete Whitehead said:

I would have thought Sawston at least to be a 'town' but evidently it is, tehnically at least, a 'village'

I don't find the term "village" in David's link. I think places like Cottingham and Sawston are villages neither technically (they're parishes) nor in reality (they're exurbs).

[John Chanin]

Mar 16, 2023 19:28:47 GMT minionofmidas said:

Mar 16, 2023 17:11:23 GMT Pete Whitehead said:

I would have thought Sawston at least to be a 'town' but evidently it is, tehnically at least, a 'village'

I don't find the term "village" in David's link. I think places like Cottingham and Sawston are villages neither technically (they're parishes) nor in reality (they're exurbs).

There aren't of course any definitions, accepted or otherwise, of these matters.  I call an "exurb" a settlement of over 10,000 which is separate from, but clearly dependent on, a neighbouring city.  If it has a population of less than 10,000 it is a "commuter village".  Sawston is rapidly expanding, but I don't think it has a population of 10,000 yet.

Towns are more troublesome.  The standard definition of urban is a settlement of over 10,000.  But many smaller places are centres of surrounding rural areas, with extensive shops and services, and it would be daft to call such places villages.

[Sibboleth]

It's always best to look at function rather than size. Bishop's Castle has a population of less than two thousand, but is clearly a town. There are many places that are substantially larger that are clearly not towns.

[Sibboleth]

Anyway, I do think that the traditional distinction between a village and a hamlet is useful, because it's often indicative of other things: does the settlement have a church?

[Khunanup]

Mar 16, 2023 20:06:31 GMT Sibboleth said:

It's always best to look at function rather than size. Bishop's Castle has a population of less than two thousand, but is clearly a town. There are many places that are substantially larger that are clearly not towns.

Quite. Bromborough may be part of an east Wirral urban sprawl these days (and was when I lived there), but it'll always be a village despite its population.

[Chris from Brum]

Mar 16, 2023 20:35:51 GMT Sibboleth said:

Anyway, I do think that the traditional distinction between a village and a hamlet is useful, because it's often indicative of other things: does the settlement have a church?

A village should have an Anglican parish church. A town should have a market charter even if the market is dormant. A city has a piece of paper saying it's a city unless it's been known as such since Time Immemorial. Those are the classic definitions.

[jamesdoyle]

Cottenham

LDm 864
Con 678
Lab 373
Grn 107
Ind 52

LD hold

[batman]

Quite a good performance by the Conservatives. The Lib Dems' majority has taken a hit from Labour's candidacy, but the Tory vote is sharply up in any case.

[yellowperil]

Mar 16, 2023 22:46:52 GMT Chris from Brum said:

Mar 16, 2023 20:35:51 GMT Sibboleth said:

Anyway, I do think that the traditional distinction between a village and a hamlet is useful, because it's often indicative of other things: does the settlement have a church?

A village should have an Anglican parish church. A town should have a market charter even if the market is dormant. A city has a piece of paper saying it's a city unless it's been known as such since Time Immemorial. Those are the classic definitions.

These days you will have to define parish church fairly carefully, A lot of villages have a church building but very few will now be stand alone parishes. To take one example and a lot less extreme than the majority I would think, my ecclesiastical parish covers 6 villages and 6 civil parishes. The local benefice adds one more village (ecclesiastical and civil parish). Each village has a church but not all of them have regular (say weekly) services.   It is also true of course that a lot of suburban communities have their own church and quite commonly their own ecclesiastical parish even if there is no civil parish and they are not villages in any meaningful way.

[andrewp]

Cottneham percentages

LD 41.7% (-21.3)
Con 32.7% (+12.4)
Lab 18% ( from nowhere)
Green 5.2% (-11.5)
Ind 2.5% ( from nowhere)