Local Council by-election 8th June 2023

[andrewp]

That was very predictable (and boring).

In the prediction comp, a lot of people were close but missed a rare opportunity to pick 67-33 and get zero faults

[iain]

Lib Dem - 67.0% (+19.4%)
Conservative - 33.0% (-0.8%)

[yellowperil]

Jun 8, 2023 22:45:01 GMT maxque said:

Jun 8, 2023 22:36:05 GMT yellowperil said:

No, the turnout really "was" as stated. Pretty good, and just think what it would have been without that moving of the polling station.

Probably very similar, as the Situation of Polling Stations states there was 86 voters at that station. Fonthill Gifford was 112 inhabitants in 2017 according to the council.

Yes I was aware of the size of Fonthill Gifford. Perhaps you were taking my comment a bit too seriously?

[carlton43]

Jun 8, 2023 22:30:29 GMT yellowperil said:

Anyway, surely the important point is not the lack of grammatical awareness by officers of Wiltshire council ( quelle surprise), but the loss of the polling station ( did someone cock up the booking?). It is not just a question of moving to another building, this last minute change means the good people of one village have had to make their way to a quite different village in order to cast their vote. I am sure it will be possible for someone to say that completely changed the result.

Failure to get the key to the hut the night before.  Custodian cannot be found by opening time.  Not that uncommen in very rural areas with very small electorates and an in experienced polling officer. 

[yellowperil]

Jun 8, 2023 22:49:21 GMT andrewp said:

That was very predictable (and boring).

In the prediction comp, a lot of people were close but missed a rare opportunity to pick 67-33 and get zero faults

Predictable, yes obviously, looking at the prediction comp, but I didn't think boring. One thing that did quite surprise me was the turnout which was remarkably close to the figures for the main election - it was almost as though the green voters last time all voted Lib Dem and otherwise the result was the same as before. It looks as though the voters, at least, weren't bored.  

[timmullen1]

Jun 8, 2023 22:57:17 GMT carlton43 said:

Jun 8, 2023 22:30:29 GMT yellowperil said:

Anyway, surely the important point is not the lack of grammatical awareness by officers of Wiltshire council ( quelle surprise), but the loss of the polling station ( did someone cock up the booking?). It is not just a question of moving to another building, this last minute change means the good people of one village have had to make their way to a quite different village in order to cast their vote. I am sure it will be possible for someone to say that completely changed the result.

Failure to get the key to the hut the night before.  Custodian cannot be found by opening time.  Not that uncommen in very rural areas with very small electorates and an in experienced polling officer. 

My dad was once in charge of a polling station for a council election and got a phone call at about 5.30am from the Returning Officer telling him the location was likely to be switched as the scheduled location was presently on fire.

[jamesdoyle]

GWBWI

With another single election, and a fairly predicatable result, it's not particularly interesting. Although it's very comparable to the vote shift percentages from Tony!

LDm +19
Con -1

[The Bishop]

Given this area had relatively little LibDem history prior to 2021, some thought there might be a bit of a swing back to the Tories now.

But their candidate - unlike the LibDem - being from outside the division quite possibly didn't help.

[grahammurray]

Jun 8, 2023 22:51:27 GMT iain said:

Lib Dem - 67.0% (+19.4%)
Conservative - 33.0% (-0.8%)

Focaldata had it down as a nailed on Labour gain. 

[yellowperil]

Jun 9, 2023 13:45:58 GMT grahammurray said:

Jun 8, 2023 22:51:27 GMT iain said:

Lib Dem - 67.0% (+19.4%)
Conservative - 33.0% (-0.8%)

Focaldata had it down as a nailed on Labour gain. 

I am sure somebody will claim it would have been, but for the minor techncality of not having a candidate.

[yellowperil]

Jun 8, 2023 23:36:03 GMT timmullen1 said:

Jun 8, 2023 22:57:17 GMT carlton43 said:

Failure to get the key to the hut the night before.  Custodian cannot be found by opening time.  Not that uncommen in very rural areas with very small electorates and an in experienced polling officer. 

My dad was once in charge of a polling station for a council election and got a phone call at about 5.30am from the Returning Officer telling him the location was likely to be switched as the scheduled location was presently on fire.

So did it indeed get switched, and did it involve voters having to go to a different village?

[timmullen1]

Jun 9, 2023 13:55:16 GMT yellowperil said:

Jun 8, 2023 23:36:03 GMT timmullen1 said:

My dad was once in charge of a polling station for a council election and got a phone call at about 5.30am from the Returning Officer telling him the location was likely to be switched as the scheduled location was presently on fire.

So did it indeed get switched, and did it involve voters having to go to a different village?

We’re not a village so no, and according to my mum who remembers it better than me - I was only nine and more interested in going to see the fire engines - they closed the Primary School directly across the road and relocated into there.