Labour has a Lock on Enfield

The latest updates on local electoral information are as follows.

Results

• Enfield: The byelection in Enfield Lock ward on 18 May was won by Elif Erbil. Labour hold.
• Stockton-on-Tees: There was a byelection in Newtown ward on 18 May, after the resignation of Labour councillor Rachael Proud; it was won by Marilyn Surtees. Labour hold.

Changes of allegiance

• Aberdeen: All nine councillors elected for Labour on the city council have been suspended from the party after they formed a coalition administration together with the Conservative group. The Scottish Labour leadership had declared it would not accept any coalitions with the Conservatives.
• Denbighshire: Huw Williams, who was elected for the Conservatives in Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd and Llangynhafal division, has left the party to sit as an Independent councillor.
• South Lanarkshire: Three councillors elected for the Labour Party, and two elected for the Scottish National Party, have left their groups to sit as Independent councillors. The Labour defectors are Jackie Burns (Larkhall ward), Margaret Cooper (Avondale and Stonehouse ward) and Joe Lowe (Hamilton South ward). The SNP defectors are husband and wife Jim Wardhaugh (East Kilbride East ward) and Sheena Wardhaugh (East Kilbride Central North ward).

New vacancies

• Durham: Dawdon division, after the resignation of Labour councillor Leanne Kennedy, who was ineligible for election as an employee of the council. Term ends 2021.
• Eden: Alston Moor ward, after the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Thomas Sheriff. Term ends 2019.
• Forest Heath: St Marys ward, after the death of veteran Conservative councillor Bill Sadler. Term ends 2019.
• Middlesbrough: Ayresome ward, after the death of veteran Labour councillor Bernie Taylor. Term ends 2019.
• North Dorset: Blandford Central ward, after the death of Independent councillor Esme Butler. Term ends 2019.
• St Edmundsbury: Chedburgh ward, after the death of Conservative councillor Angela Rushen. Term ends 2019.
• Sheffield: Nether Edge and Sharrow ward, after the impending resignation of Labour councillor Nasima Akther for ‘health and personal reasons’. Term ends 2020.
• South Oxfordshire: Didcot South ward, after the resignation of Labour councillor Margaret Davies, who was the only Labour member of the council. Term ends 2019.
• Stockton-on-Tees: Yarm ward, after the resignation of Conservative councillor Ben Houchen, now Mayor of Tees Valley. Term ends 2019.
• Three Rivers: Chorleywood South and Maple Cross ward, after the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Ann Shaw who was the council leader for thirty years (1986-2016). Term ends 2020. Her loss means the Liberal Democrats have lost their overall majority on the council.
• Waltham Forest: William Morris ward, after the death of Labour councillor and former Mayor Nadeem Ali, aged 34. Term ends May next year.
• Warwick: Stoneleigh and Cubbington ward, after the resignation of Conservative councillor Nick Harrington who had been under criticism and police investigation over comments on Twitter (and was suspended from the Conservative group). Term ends 2019.
• Waveney: Oulton Broad ward, after the death of Conservative councillor and council leader Colin Law. Term ends 2019.
• West Lancashire: Derby ward, after the resignation of Conservative councillor Paul Greenall. Term ends May next year.
• Worthing: Marine ward, after the resignation of Conservative councillor Joan Bradley. Term ends 2020.

Dates for byelections

• South Gloucestershire: The byelection due in Winterbourne ward will be held on 22 June.
• Stockton-on-Tees: The byelection due in Yarm ward will be held on 22 June.

Other updates

• Aberdeen: A coalition deal was agreed between the Labour and Conservative groups under which the council leader would be from Labour. However the deal was not approved by the Labour leadership which has suspended the entire Labour group.
• Aberdeenshire: A Conservative/Liberal Democrat/Independent coalition has once again taken power; the same groups ran the council until 2015.
• Angus: After a coalition agreement, the council will be run by the Conservative, Independent and Liberal Democrat groups.
• Argyll and Bute: The new council administration will be led by a Liberal Democrat and contain Conservatives and Independents; it will be known as ‘The Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Group’.
• Bridgend: There will be a minority Labour administration.
• Conwy: The annual council meeting elected Plaid Cymru’s Gareth Jones as council leader; he is seeking to form an all party administration.
• Dudley: After an agreement between the Conservative and UK Independence Party groups, the Labour administration were removed at the annual meeting and a minority Conservative administration has been voted in.
• East Ayrshire: The Scottish National Party has formed a minority administration.
• Fife: After an agreement between the two groups, the council will be run by Scottish National Party and Labour co-leaders.
• Flintshire: A Labour minority administration has been appointed.
• Glasgow: The new council leadership will be a Scottish National Party minority administration.
• Highland: A coalition deal has been agreed, with the council leader drawn from the Independents, while the Liberal Democrats and Labour also form part of the administration.
• North Ayrshire: A minority Labour administration has been appointed.
• North Lanarkshire: There will be a minority Labour administration, which was voted in with support from Independents and the Conservative group (much to the chagrin of the Scottish National Party’s supporters).
• Oxfordshire: The Conservatives have agreed a deal with Independent councillors to control the council; unlike the previous term, a cabinet post will be held by an Independent.
• Perth and Kinross: The Conservative group, as the largest on the council, have agreed a coalition deal with the Liberal Democrats and Independents. While the sole Labour councillor indicated he was happy with the deal, he has since made clear he is not part of the administration.
• Powys: The council will be run by a coalition between the Independent and Conservative groups.
• Renfrewshire: The new council leadership will be a minority Scottish National Party administration.
• Ryedale: A minority Conservative administration has been elected. The previous leader was a Conservative but left the party last month along with five others, depriving the party of an overall majority.
• Scottish Borders: The new administration is to be led by the Conservatives and also include some Independent councillors.
• South Ayrshire: An alliance of the Scottish National Party, Labour and Independent groups has been formed and has taken control of the council.
• South Lanarkshire: The Scottish National Party has formed a minority administration.
• West Dunbartonshire: The new council administration will be formed from the Scottish National Party and one of the Independent councillors.
• Worcester: The council’s new constitution, reinstating the committee system, has commenced; as a result there is now an all party administration.

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