Lib Dems’ Torridge triumph

Posted by David Boothroyd
View David's blog
14 years ago / November 3, 2009

The Liberal Democrats stormed to an overwhelming victory in the byelection in Hartland and Bradworthy ward of Torridge district council held on 12 March, taking a seat in a split ward previously held by an Independent by themselves polling over 60% of the vote.

The only other seat to change hands was the Scottish National Party gaining a seat from Labour in Maryfield ward of the City of Dundee. Labour held two seats on St Helens borough council in Parr and Rainhill wards, and the Conservatives held their seat at Bowthorpe ward of Norwich city council.

There have also been three Conservative councillors forcibly ejected from their party recently. Two councillors in Poole borough council, Carole Deas (Canford Cliffs ward) and David Gillard (Oakdale ward), were shown the door on Monday after a previous suspension during which they backed a Liberal Democrat amendment to the council budget.

In the middle of last month, Conservatives on Harrow borough council expelled Eileen Kinnear (Harrow-on-the-Hill ward) for “a number of serious group breaches“.