Double win for Oxfordshire Lib Dems

Posted by David Boothroyd
View David's blog
12 years ago / December 7, 2012

The latest information about local electoral matters is as follows:

East Midlands

East of England

  • Brentwood borough council: Liz Cohen was elected councillor for Shenfield ward on 6 December. She gains for the Liberal Democrats a seat previously held by the Conservatives.
  • Chelmsford city council: Vacancy in Broomfield and The Walthams ward after the death of the longest serving councillor, Delmas Ashford. Ashford was an Independent councillor for most of his career, except for 1999-2011 when he was a Conservative. Term ends 2015.
  • Fenland district council: Byelection on 17 January in Hill ward after the death of Conservative councillor Bruce Wegg. Term ends 2015.
  • Norfolk county council: Vacancy in North Coast division after the resignation of Stephen Bett, who has been elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk. He was elected as a Conservative but was sitting as an Independent at the time of his resignation. No byelection can be held because full council elections are due in May.
  • North Norfolk district council: Vacancy in Cromer Town ward after the death of Conservative councillor Keith Johnson, who had been Leader of the Council since May. The circumstances of his death have made national headlines. Term ends 2015.
  • Norwich city council: There are two byelections on Wednesday 19 December. Crome ward will elect a councillor after the resignation of Labour Party councillor and former Lord Mayor Jenny Lay, who is fighting cancer; the term ends in 2014. Nelson ward will elect a replacement after the resignation of Green Party councillor David Rogers, who has denounced his former party; the term ends in 2016.

London

North East

North West

  • Wirral borough council: There are two byelections on 17 January 2013. The poll in Leasowe and Moreton East ward follows the death of Labour councillor Anne McArdle; term ends in 2014. The poll in Heswall ward follows the death of Conservative councillor Peter Johnson; the term there ends in 2016.

South East

South West

  • Cornwall council: Anthony Pascoe was elected councillor for Gwinear-Gwithian and St Erth division on 6 December, holding the seat for the Conservatives. There is also a vacancy in Ludgvan division after the resignation of Independent councillor Irene Bailey due to ill health; as her term had less than six months to run, she will not be replaced in a byelection.
  • Forest of Dean district council: Vacancy in Berry Hill ward after the death of Labour councillor Helen Stewart. Term ends 2015.
  • Sedgmoor district council: Byelection on 24 January in Highbridge and Burnham Marine ward after the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Joe Leach, who has taken a politically restricted post. Term ends 2015.
  • West Dorset district council: Vacancy in Cam Vale ward after the death of Conservative councillor Richard Jungius. Term ends 2015.

West Midlands

  • Dudley borough council: Vacancy in Woolaston and Stourbridge Town ward after the death of veteran Conservative councillor Malcolm Knowles. Term ends 2014.
  • Herefordshire council: Vacancy in Ross-on-Wye West ward after the death of veteran Conservative councillor Gordon Lucas. Term ends 2015.
  • South Staffordshire district council: Barry Bond was elected councillor for Wombourne North and Lower Penn ward on 6 December, holding the seat for the Conservatives. There is also a vacancy in Perton East ward after the death of Conservative councillor David Billson, who was deputy leader of the council. Term ends 2015.
  • Staffordshire county council: Vacancy in Perton division after the death of Conservative councillor David Billson. No byelection will be held as the full council elections are due in May.

Yorkshire and the Humber

  • Harrogate borough council: Byelection on 13 December in Bilton ward after the resignation of Conservative councillor Alec Brown, who is moving to London. Term ends 2015.

Wales

Scotland

  • Moray council: Vacancy in Heldon and Laich ward after the resignation of Scottish National Party councillor Carolle Ralph, who has stepped down after becoming the victim of a hate-mail campaign. Term ends 2017.
  • North Lanarkshire council: Vacancy in Coatbridge West ward after the death of Labour councillor Tom Maginnis. Term ends 2017.
  • Scottish Borders council: Impending vacancy in Leaderdale and Melrose ward due to the resignation of the leader of the Borders Party, Nicholas Watson. Term ends 2017.
  • South Lanarkshire council: Byelection on 14 February in Rutherglen South ward after the death of Scottish National Party councillor Anne Higgins. Term ends 2017. Her death means that Labour now has exactly half of the seats and would gain overall control of the council if a Labour councillor was elected in the byelection.