Council by-elections: Labour make gains as Tories lose safe seats

The Tories lost five seats – including four safe seats – in the latest round of council by-elections.

In the eight by-elections held yesterday, Labour gained two seats from the Tories, lost one to a new local party in Bolton and held two.

The loss in Farnworth, Bolton, was a sign of the local Labour council’s troubles rather than a reflection of the national picture.

The Tories lost five seats: two to Labour, two to Independent candidates and one to the Lib Dems. UKIP and the Greens mostly suffered significant losses in vote share.

From Rochester to rural Hertfordshire, a number of the Conservative losses occurred in safe Tory seats, according to Andrew Teale of BritainElects.

LABOUR GAINS

Rochester West (Medway)

Labour gain from Conservative

Labour: 47.5 per cent (+26.5)

Conservative: 39.5 per cent (-4.0)

Lib Dems: 4.7 per cent (+1.0)

Greens: 4.2 per cent (-6.1)

UKIP: 4.1 per cent (-16.2)

Wollaton West (Nottingham)

Labour gain from Conservative

Labour: 48.8 per cent (+10.1)

Conservative: 43.4 per cent (+8.2)

Lib Dems: 5.3 per cent (-1.8)

Greens: 1.6 per cent (-8.1)

BPEP: 0.9 per cent (+0.9)

LABOUR HOLDS

Droylsden East (Tameside)

Labour hold

Labour: 61.5 per cent (+7.4)

Conservative: 30.5 per cent (+30.5)

Greens: 6.1 per cent (-1.5)

Lib Dems: 1.9 per cent (+1.9)

Little Parndon & Hare Street (Harlow)

Labour hold

Labour: 62.2 per cent (+7.9)

Conservative: 31.4 per cent (+5.2)

UKIP: 6.4 per cent (-13.1)

LABOUR LOSS

Farnworth (Bolton)

Farnworth & Kearsley First gain from Labour

Farnworth and Kearsley First: 47.5 per cent (+47.5)

Labour: 38.2 per cent (-10.2)

UKIP: 6.7 per cent (-29.7)

Conservative: 6.0 per cent (-2.6)

Lib Dems: 0.9 per cent (-2.1)

Greens: 0.7 per cent (-2.8)

OTHER CONSERVATIVE LOSSES

Northchurch (Dacorum)

Lib Dems gain from Conservative

Lib Dems: 59.2 per cent (+40.4)

Conservative: 28.2 per cent (-32.1)

Labour: 10.5 per cent (-1.7)

Greens: 2.1 per cent (-6.6)

Oakham South East (Rutland)

Independent gain from Conservative

Independent: 59.5 per cent (+59.5)

Conservative: 40.5 per cent (+5.1)

Petersfield Bell Hill (East Hampshire)

Independent gain from Conservative

Independent: 32.7 per cent (+32.7)

Lib Dems: 28.3 per cent (+14.3)

Conservative: 26.7 per cent (-20.8)

Labour: 10.3 per cent (-4.9)

UKIP: 2.0 per cent (-10.1)