Council by-elections

A bumper crop of eight council by-elections yesterday, with an impressive three gains from the Tories for Labour, in Dartford, Plymouth and South Tyneside. UKIP’s vote continues to go up in both Tory and Labour areas, but they lost a County Council division in Worcestershire to the independent Health Concern Party, and the South Tyneside Cleadon Ward which had been theirs following the defection of the sitting Tory councillor. The LDs only contested three of the eight seats and got under 10% in all of them.

The Dartford gain is important. Kent has underperformed for Labour in the last few years. According to UKPollingReport “Dartford is the country`s strongest bellwether seat, having returned an MP from the party that went on to win the election since 1964”. However, it is outside Labour’s 106 official target seats, with a Tory majority of 10,628.

Billericay East Ward, Basildon BC. Con hold. Con 790 (50.8%, -6.7), UKIP 464 (29.8%, +14.2), Lab 170 (10.9%, -3.7), LD 128 (8.2%, -3.9), NF 3 (0.2%, +0.2). Swing of 10.5% from Con to UKIP since 2012.

Newtown Ward, Dartford BC. Lab gain from Con. Labour 536 (45.4%, +4.5), Con 376 (31.9%, -14.3), UKIP 268 (22.7%, +22.7). Swing of 9.4% from Con to Lab since 2011.

Farnsfield & Bilsthorpe Ward, Newark & Sherwood DC. Con hold. Con 1174 (63.3%, +4.7), Lab 682 (36.7%, -4.7). Swing of 4.7% from Lab to Con since 2011.

Southway Ward, Plymouth CC. Lab gain from Con. Lab 1247 (43.1%, -8.2), UKIP 765 (26.5%, +4.6), Con 486 (16.8%, -10.1), Ind 290 (10%, +10), LD 82 (2.8%, +2.8), TUSC 22 (0.8%, +0.8). Swing of 6.4% from Lab to UKIP since 2012.

Ketton Ward, Rutland UA. Con hold. Con 330 (44.4%), Ind 260 (34.9%), UKIP 130 (17.5%), Ind 24 (3.2%). Previously an uncontested ward.

Cleadon & East Boldon Ward, South Tyneside MBC. Lab gain from Con. Lab 991 (38.8%, -7.3), Con 899 (35.2%, -18.3), UKIP 666 (26.1%, +26.1). Swing of 5.5% from Con to Lab since 2012. The sitting councillor had been elected as a Tory but subsequently defected to UKIP.

Primrose Ward, South Tyneside MBC. Lab hold. Lab 755 (50.3%, -25), UKIP 520 (34.6%, +34.6), BNP 146 (9.7%, -3.6), Con 80 (5.3%, -6.1). Swing of 29.8% from Lab to UKIP since 2012.

Stourport-on-Severn Division, Worcestershire CC. Health Concern gain from UKIP. Health Concern 1055 (30.7%, +4.2), UKIP 892 (26%, -1.5), Con 735 (21.4%, +1.9), Lab 607 (17.7%, -5), Green 77 (2.2%, -1.6), Ind 39 (1.1%, +1.1), LD 30 (0.9%, +0.9). Swing of 2.9% from UKIP to Health Concern since May this year.