Seven by-elections for Hertfordshire’s district and borough councils held yesterday (Thursday, 1 May) only resulted in a single seat changing hands.
Amid significant movement in the Hertfordshire County Council elections held on the same day, the only change at the lower tier of local government in the area came in East Herts, where Reform UK gained a seat from the Conservatives.
In the Braughing & Standon district council by-election, Reform’s Terry Smith won 541 votes against 484 for Conservative candidate Jane Dodson.
Mr Smith will now join Graham McAndrew, who recently defected from the Conservatives, as part of a Reform duo on East Herts Council.
Elsewhere, the Conservatives comfortably held Brookmans Park and Little Heath ward on Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, with their candidate Fiona Thomson receiving 813 votes against 521 for Reform’s Michael Southwell, who came second.
It was a closer-run thing in Peartree ward, with the Liberal Democrats clinging on. Their candidate, Fauzia Haider, won 420 votes, and Reform UK again came second, with 375 votes for Mark Biddle.
There was also a close contest in Watford’s Holywell ward, with Labour’s Asma Suleman earning 573 votes to replace the town’s MP, Matt Turmaine, as borough councillor. Liberal Democrat Callum Robertson came second with 532 votes.
In the other Watford Borough Council byelection, in Oxhey ward, Liberal Democrat Iain Sharpe won 1,061 votes, with Reform’s Michael Barrett second on 302.
The Liberal Democrats also retained seats in the final two by-elections held yesterday.
In St Albans City & District Council’s Redbourn ward, Ralph Gunson won 507 votes, with a split vote meaning Tom Finnis (Ind) came second with 362 votes, Caroline Mead (Con) came third with 356 votes, and Martin Wells (Ref) came fourth with 270 votes.
Finally, in Three Rivers’ Durrants ward, Paul Rainbow won 1,010 votes for the Liberal Democrats, while Green Andrew Gallagher received 457.
Covering Hertfordshire’s district and borough councils.
