July 2011 Local By-election Summary

	Votes Cast	% Votes Cast	Seats Won	Change
Conservatives	9,452	37.26%	7	Unchanged
Labour	8,791	34.66%	4	+3
Lib Dems	4,530	17.86%	1	-1
Independents	962	3.79%	0	-2
UKIP	925	3.65%	0	Unchanged
Green Party	293	1.16%	0	Unchanged
Plaid Cymru	216	0.85%	1	Unchanged
Other Parties	137	0.54%	0	Unchanged
BNP	61	0.24%	0	Unchanged

GAINS and LOSSES

Conservative GAINS: Lytchett Matravers on Purbeck (from Lib Dem)
Labour GAINS: Sawley on Derbyshire (from Ind), Snatchwood on Torfaen (from Ind), Horbury and South Ossett on Wakefield (from Con)

Thanks to the disappointing performance of the Independents this month, all the major parties saw their vote shares increase on June’s tally and yet again (as has been the case since the general election) Labour have managed to make gains and are challenging the Conservatives for the overall lead.

Since the general election there have been 233 local by-elections across the country and in those contests Labour have managed to rack up 138,037 votes (edging the Conservatives into second with 137,366 votes) and the Lib Dems in a disappointing third with just 75,953 votes, but it is not just across the whole UK that this is happening. The regional breakdown is even more interesting.

Labour have won London, the North West, the North and Yorkshire (which is no great surprise) just as the Conservatives winning Eastern, the South East and the West Midlands, however there are some regions which do not appear to be following the general pattern. The East Midlands for instance (that the Conservatives won at the general election by 11%, is now Labour by 7% (a swing to Lab of 9%) which if reflected at the next election would see Labour make twelve gains in the region. However, those gains would be countered by a 13% swing from Lab to SNP in Scotland (which would see the SNP pick up 11 seats from Labour as well) and in their other heartland of Wales things are looking very dicey as Plaid are just 2% behind Labour.

And in the South West, it’s the Lib Dems who are leading (Lib Dem 37% Con 34% Lab 19%) representing a swing of 5.5% since the general election which would see the Lib Dems pick up nine seats from their coalition partners (who would see an additional four seats go to Labour). All of which goes to prove that local elections really are about local issues.