Monday 30 August 2010

By-Election Watch (30/08/10)

Here's our current list of forthcoming by-elections. No top-tier polls this week but I'll have a little look at the two vacancies for West Lancashire DC on Wednesday. There are also four Town Council by-elections taking place on Thursday.

Council

Type

Ward

Party

Reason

Date

Cumbria

County

Aspatria & Wharrels

Conservative

Death

9th Sep

Edinburgh

Scotland

Liberton/Gilmerton

Labour

MP

9th Sep

Exeter

District

All Wards

  

Ineligible

9th Sep

Middlesbrough

Unitary

Ayresome

Labour

Personal

9th Sep

Norwich

District

All Wards

  

Ineligible

9th Sep

Poole

Unitary

Newtown

Lib Dem

Work

9th Sep

Cambridgeshire

County

Cambridge East Chesterton

Lib Dem

Resigned

16th Sep

Hackney

London

New River

Conservative

Death

16th Sep

Kensington & Chelsea

London

Cremone

Conservative

Misconduct

16th Sep

Kensington & Chelsea

London

Earls Court

Conservative

Misconduct

16th Sep

Nottinghamshire

County

Worksop West

Conservative

Death

16th Sep

Gateshead

Metro.

Lobley Hill & Benshaw

Labour

Death

23rd Sep

Gateshead

Metro.

Saltwell

Labour

Resigned

23rd Sep

Tameside

Metro.

Longdendale

Labour

Death

30th Sep

Tower Hamlets

London

Mayor

  

Created

21st Oct

Carmarthenshire

Wales

Cenarth

Independent

Death

TBA

Cheshire East

Unitary

Alderley

Conservative

Death

TBA

Durham

County

Brandon

Labour

Death

TBA

Durham

County

Deneside

Labour

Death

TBA

Gwynedd

Wales

Bowydd & Rhiw

Llais Gwynedd

Resigned

TBA

Gwynedd

Wales

Seiont

Independent

Death

TBA

Hampshire

County

Andover South

Conservative

Death

TBA

Herefordshire

County

St Nicholas

Independent

Death

TBA

Knowsley

Metro.

Park

Labour

Personal

TBA

Liverpool

Metro.

Croxteth

Labour

Death

TBA

Medway

Unitary

River

Conservative

Resigned

TBA

St Helens

Metro.

Billinge & Seneley Green

Labour

Death

TBA

Sheffield

Metro.

Manor Castle

Labour

Death

TBA

Stockton-on-Tees

Unitary

Ingleby Barwick East

IND Group

Resigned

TBA

Stockton-on-Tees

Unitary

Mandale & Victoria

IND Group

Death

TBA

West Sussex

County

Maidenbower

Conservative

MP

TBA

I have to apologise for the missing round-up from last week. I finished a major project on Friday and this is the first time I've turned a computer on since! I'll pop up a post about them tomorrow (if anyone still cares)!

Wednesday 25 August 2010

By-Election Preview (26/08/10)

I haven't had much time to look at this week's by-elections, so apologies if I've missed anything. Labour are defending two seats in top-tier Councils; one in Redcar & Cleveland and the other in Sheffield. There are also three District and two Town Council by-elections taking place.

Of the two the vacancies the one in Redcar & Cleveland is the more competitive. The vacancy for the Brotton Ward has arisen because the Labour Councillor Peter Scott has resigned. I have to confess that, despite regularly searching, I have no idea why! Answers on a postcard; or in the comments section! The Liberal Democrats need a swing of just over 5% to take the seat, but that hides how close they were to taking one of the three seats in this ward at the last election. Scott pipped Valerie Miller to the third place by just 10 votes in 2007. Miller is the Liberal Democrat candidate again this week, so they should put in a strong showing. The new Labour candidate had a visit from the Labour Leader frontrunner David Miliband, whose South Shields constituency is just up the coast, but the Lib Dems are claiming they hijacked the event. The ward borders the Redcar Parliamentary constituency the Lib Dems sensationally took in May, and so they have recent form in this neck of the woods. It seems Labour are going to have to work hard to hold on here, and their minority administration can ill afford to lose a seat. On a side note, I wonder how many Wham! fans will accidentally vote for the BNP candidate…!

Brotton (R&C)

Candidate

2007

Dorreen Rudland (LAB)

39.1%

Valerie Miller (LD)

29%

Don Agar (CON)

19.2%

Barry Hunt (IND)

12.7%

Michael George (BNP)

-

Labour should have an easier task holding the Woodhouse ward in Sheffield. The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Marjorie Barker. She won her seat easily in 2008, and although the Liberal Democrats increased their vote here in May they were still way behind Labour. The dynamic of the race should favour Labour too. The Liberal Democrats lost a couple of seats earlier this year, which meant they technically lost control of the Council. They remained in control of Sheffield, and as this is one of two vacancies that have arisen in Labour held seats they currently enjoy a two seat majority. As Labour are the opposition locally and nationally it's hard to imagine them losing to the swing required. As the other by-election is in an equally safe Labour ward it's surely only a matter of time before the Lib Dems' majority in Sheffield is wiped out yet again.

Woodhouse (Sheffield)

Candidate

2008

2010

Jackie Satur (LAB)

47.6%

47%

Laurence Hayward (CON)

16.3%

14.5%

Joe Otten (LD)

15.4%

21.9%

Jonathan Arnott (UKIP)

13.8%

9.6%

John Grant (GRN)

6.8%

2.7%

N/C (ED)

-

4.3%

Jordan Pont (BNP)

-

-

Derek Hutchinson (IND)

-

-

Elsewhere, the following by-elections are taking place: Heath Hayes East & Wimblebury, Channock Chase DC (Staffordshire); Aldbury & Wigginton, Dacorum BC (Hertfordshire); Burnham Church, South Buckinghamshire DC; South Ward, Penzance TC (Cornwall); Victoria, Burgess Hill TC (West Sussex).

Monday 23 August 2010

By-Election Watch (23/08/10)

Here's our current list of forthcoming by-elections. There are two top-tier elections this week, which I'll preview on Wednesday. There are also three District and two Town Council polls taking place.

Council

Type

Ward

Party

Reason

Date

Redcar & Cleveland

Unitary

Brotton

Labour

Resigned

26th Aug

Sheffield

Metro.

Woodhouse

Labour

Death

26th Aug

Cumbria

County

Aspatria & Wharrels

Conservative

Death

9th Sep

Edinburgh

Scotland

Liberton/Gilmerton

Labour

MP

9th Sep

Exeter

District

All Wards

  

Ineligible

9th Sep

Middlesbrough

Unitary

Ayresome

Labour

Personal

9th Sep

Norwich

District

All Wards

  

Ineligible

9th Sep

Poole

Unitary

Newtown

Lib Dem

Work

9th Sep

Cambridgeshire

County

Cambridge East Chesterton

Lib Dem

Resigned

16th Sep

Hackney

London

New River

Conservative

Death

16th Sep

Kensington & Chelsea

London

Cremone

Conservative

Misconduct

16th Sep

Kensington & Chelsea

London

Earls Court

Conservative

Misconduct

16th Sep

Nottinghamshire

County

Worksop West

Conservative

Death

16th Sep

Gateshead

Metro.

Lobley Hill & Benshaw

Labour

Death

23rd Sep

Gateshead

Metro.

Saltwell

Labour

Resigned

23rd Sep

Tower Hamlets

London

Mayor

  

Created

21st Oct

Carmarthenshire

Wales

Cenarth

Independent

Death

TBA

Cheshire East

Unitary

Alderley

Conservative

Death

TBA

Durham

County

Brandon

Labour

Death

TBA

Durham

County

Deneside

Labour

Death

TBA

Gwynedd

Wales

Bowydd & Rhiw

Llais Gwynedd

Resigned

TBA

Gwynedd

Wales

Seiont

Independent

Death

TBA

Hampshire

County

Andover South

Conservative

Death

TBA

Herefordshire

County

St Nicholas

Independent

Death

TBA

Knowsley

Metro.

Park

Labour

Personal

TBA

Liverpool

Metro.

Croxteth

Labour

Death

TBA

St Helens

Metro.

Billinge & Seneley Green

Labour

Death

TBA

Sheffield

Metro.

Manor Castle

Labour

Death

TBA

Stockton-on-Tees

Unitary

Ingleby Barwick East

IND Group

?

TBA

Stockton-on-Tees

Unitary

Mandale & Victoria

IND Group

Death

TBA

Tameside

Metro.

Longdendale

Labour

Death

TBA

West Sussex

County

Maidenbower

Conservative

MP

TBA