Labour gets a Shinkicking

The latest updates on local electoral information are as follows.

Results

• Cardiff: The byelection in Splott ward held on 5 December was won by Anny Anderson. Labour hold.
• Fylde: The byelection in Kilgrimol ward held on 5 December was won by Karen Harrison. Conservative gain from an Independent.
• Glasgow: The byelection in Partick East/Kelvindale ward held on 5 December was won by James Adams. Labour gain from Scottish National Party.
• South Oxfordshire: The byelection in Cholsey ward held on 5 December was won by Crispin Topping. Liberal Democrat hold.
• Stirling: The byelection in Stirling East ward held on 5 December was won by Willie Ferguson. Scottish National Party gain from Labour.
• Wokingham: The byelection in Shinfield ward held on 5 December was won by Jackie Rance. Conservative gain from Labour.

Defections

• Flintshire: Chrissy Gee, who was elected as an Independent in Broughton South ward, has left the True Independents group and joined Flintshire People’s Voice group.
• Highland: Struan Mackie, who was elected for the Conservatives in Thurso and Northwest Caithness ward, but left the party in September, has now joined the Liberal Democrats.
• North Ayrshire: Two councillors elected for the Conservatives have joined Reform UK. They are Stewart Ferguson (Ardrossan ward) and Matthew McLean (Irvine South ward).
• North East Derbyshire: A new ‘Derbyshire Independents‘ group has been formed. All three Liberal Democrat councillors have left their party to join it: Ross Shipman as Leader, David Hancock, and Pam Windley, all of whom represent Tupsley ward. The other two members are Heather Liggett who was elected as a Conservative but left the party in July, and Michael Roe who was a Conservative; they both represent Shirland ward.
• South Holland: Sally-Ann Slade, who was elected for the Conservatives in Pinchbeck and Surfleet ward, has left the party to sit as a non-aligned councillor.
• Staffordshire Moorlands: Jill Salt, who was elected for the Labour Party in Biddulph East ward, has left the party and is sitting as a non-aligned Independent councillor.
• Stoke-on-Trent: Rachel Kelsall, who was elected for the Conservatives in Hanford, Newstead and Trentham ward, has left the party to sit as a non-aligned councillor.
• West Lindsey: The Consensus Independent group has been formed by Trevor Bridgwood (Cherry Willingham ward), who was elected as a Conservative, and Jeanette McGhee (Gainsborough South West ward), who was elected as a Liberal Democrat but had left the party to sit as an Independent.
• West Northamptonshire: Paul Joyce, who was elected for the Labour Party in Headlands ward, has left the party to sit as a non-aligned councillor.
• Windsor and Maidenhead: Three councillors elected for ‘the Borough First Independents’ have left that party, but remain within the Local Independents group to which it belongs. They are Helen Price (Clewer and Dedworth East ward) and both ward councillors for Oldfield ward, Geoff Hill and Helen Taylor.
• Wrexham: Robert Williams, who was elected for the Conservatives in Bangor-is-y-Coed ward, has left the party to sit as a non-aligned councillor.

New vacancies

• East Dunbartonshire: Kirkintilloch East and North and Twechar ward, after the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Susan Murray, now Member of Parliament for Mid Dunbartonshire. Term ends 2027.
• Glasgow: North East ward, after the disqualification of Labour councillor Mary McNab who won a byelection in November but failed to resign from employment by the council by the deadline. Term ends 2027.
• Corporation of London: Coleman Street ward, after the resignation of non-partisan Common Councilman Michael Cassidy. Term ends March next year.

Date for byelection

• Bath and North East Somerset: The byelection due in Saltford ward will be held on 16 January.
• Cotswold: The byelection due in Chesterton ward will be held on 16 January.
• East Dunbartonshire: The byelection due in Kirkintilloch East and North and Twechar ward will be held on 13 February.
• Newcastle-under-Lyme: The byelection due in Town ward will be held on 23 January.

Other updates

• Newcastle upon Tyne: Although Labour has lost its majority through defection of councillors, a motion to remove the Labour council leadership was defeated by 37-30 on Wednesday.

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