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BBC News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Conservative leader disappointed in bypass pause
A decision to suspend work on a planned bypass has been met with disappointment by those who wanted to see it North West Relief Road was proposed by Shropshire Council's previous Conservative administration, but the authority is now run by the Liberal Democrats who believe the £215m scheme is unaffordable and want to scrap Thomas, the leader of the seven Conservative councillors to survive the elections in May, said it would have been a "vital infrastructure project".He said the Lib Dems should "go back to the government with the business case" for the road was crucial to tackling congestion in Shrewsbury and surrounding villages. Thomas described the project as a "once in a lifetime improvement to Shropshire". On Thursday, the council took the decision to pause work, so talks could take place with the government about scrapping the Kidd, leader of the authority, said the scheme was "simply unaffordable", and she also wanted to secure guarantees the council would not have to return the £39m from the government that has already been said his party had been confident in getting the funding needed because a "real business case" had been also said the Tories' dramatic defeat had not been because the relief road was unpopular."It wasn't just a referendum on the North West Relief Road," Thomas added. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
How an Edinburgh by-election turned to a 'night of high drama'
But every now and then, these contests turn unexpectedly exciting — offering a glimpse of which way the political winds may be blowing more broadly. In the run up to polling day for Edinburgh's Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election on Thursday, campaigners of all stripes agreed all bets were off as it looked to be a tight race with no obvious favourite. The seat was Labour's to lose, after their councillor Val Walker passed away in April. Shortly after 11.30, the brightly-lit room in the council's headquarters where votes were being counted started to fill up. Candidates, election agents and other spectators were laser-focused on three lime green bars of equal length displayed on two large screens which suggested a three horse race between the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Greens. Read more: Among the steady hum and clicks of ballot counting machines, I heard one seasoned local politico break their nervy silence: 'I've never seen anything like this before.' Usually at this point in a count, a clear winner emerges. But only one thing was certain. This would be an abysmal result for the Conservatives, who got the most first preference votes by a comfortable margin here in 2022 but were now trailing behind the four other main parties. Earlier in the night a council press officer estimated we'd have a result by midnight, so as the clock struck 12 with no verdict it was a clear sign of just how close the race would be. I was distracted from clockwatching by a huddle of Liberal Democrats in the corner who appeared determined to keep a poker face. Standing nearby, one of their councillors was on a call, hanging on every word. All of a sudden, he let out a roar and bounded back to his colleagues who cheered, clapped and embraced each other. We had our result. While the declaration of first-preference votes reveals who voters ranked first, it's far from the full picture, especially on a night like this. On first preferences, Labour were just 24 votes ahead of the Lib Dems, with the Greens behind them by 136. By the seventh round of transfers, Labour still had the lead by 26, narrowing to 14 by the eighth. At the next stage when Reform's candidate was eliminated, 33 votes were transferred to Labour and 43 went to the Lib Dems, with the latter then ahead by just four. At stage 10, the SNP dropped out as their second preferences were fairly evenly split between the two frontrunners, nudging Labour's lead up to 22. It wasn't until the 11th round of counting that the Lib Dem candidate, Kevin McKay, pulled ahead — gaining 387 next-preference votes from the Tories, compared to 166 for Labour. After the Greens were eliminated, the final margin between the top two stood at 97 votes. This all comes with the important caveat that a 33.1% turnout means the vast majority of voters in the area either didn't care enough to cast a ballot or were blissfully unaware the by-election was taking place. While typical for a local by-election turnout, this nonetheless paints a bleak picture of local democracy. By-election victor Kevin McKay (Image: By-election winner Kevin McKay) For the Lib Dems this wasn't just an impressive turnaround from their 7.1% share of first-preference votes in the ward back in 2022, but also much-needed redemption after a humiliating turn of events following a council by-election in Edinburgh last November. A single seat contest in Colinton/Fairmilehead produced a similarly impressive result, rising from fourth place in 2022 to first, increasing their share of first preferences by 23.9%. Corks had barely popped from the champagne bottles when a tabloid newspaper revealed the Lib Dem's new councillor Louise Spence - who had positioned herself as the local candidate against rivals from outside the area - put her house on the market the day after she was elected. Reports suggested she planned to move to Dubai and split her time between there and Edinburgh. She resigned after just a week in office, and the Lib Dems were subsequently trounced in the by-election re-run in January. McKay, Lib Dem councillor Kevin Lang assured me after the result was officially declared in the early hours of Friday, was "definitely not' planning a relocation. 'If there's one thing we learned a lesson from last November it's that,' he said. 'This has been probably the most extraordinary council election I've been involved in in 20 years in Edinburgh politics. 'I've never known such an even contest. Every party it felt like was in contention, even as you got to the final number of first preferences cast it wasn't clear who had won. "I've never known anything like that, and I'm just glad that on a night of high drama like that it's my party that ends up on top. 'We've had other by-elections in Edinburgh where we've moved forward and it shows we are a party that is on the up in Edinburgh. 'We go into not just next year's Scottish Parliament election but the council election in 2027 with real ambition and optimism.' More from our Edinburgh Correspondent: But before then, the council's Lib Dem group will once again face questions over whether they will take advantage of their increased headcount and seek to take control of the council. Their win deals yet another blow to Labour's control of the local authority, now with just 11 councillors of a total 63 in the City Chambers. Whether the Lib Dems will continue to prop up a minority Labour administration alongside the Conservatives, or make a bid for power themselves, will now be the focus of internal party discussions. Councillor Ed Thornley, Lib Dem group leader on Edinburgh Council, did not rule it out. 'We've been the second largest group for a little while, that is an additional one to our number,' he said. 'What that means we don't know yet because nobody knew who was going to win this by-election and anyone who did is having you on.'
Edinburgh Reporter
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
Election data shows incredibly tight race in Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election
Labour and the Liberal Democrats were neck and neck at the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election, according to data released by the council. Under the Single Transferrable Vote system used by the election, candidates are eliminated in stages, with the lowest scoring candidate in each stage eliminated. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and can rank as many or as few candidates as they wish. For each candidate knocked out, their votes are analysed. If a voter had a lower-ranked candidate still in the running, their vote was redistributed to them. Reform UK's Gary Neill was the first major party candidate to be eliminated, ranking last in the ninth stage, with 196 votes transferring to Mark Hooley, and a handful going to other parties. Next to fall was the SNP's Murray Visentin, who went at the 10th stage. The majority of his votes – 408 – went to the Scottish Greens' Q Manivannan, with 134 going to Labour, 116 to the Liberal Democrats and 29 to the Conservatives. This pushed Manivannan into the lead briefly, with their 1,595 votes standing 97 ahead of Labour's 1,498, and 115 ahead of the Liberal Democrats' 1,480. Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats were within 30 votes of each other for most of the transfer stages. But, the tight-necked race collapsed when Conservative candidate Mark Hooley was knocked out in the 11th stage. Some 387 of his votes went to the Liberal Democrat candidate, Kevin Joseph McKay, while only 166 went to Scottish Labour's Catriona Munro, giving Mr McKay a 199 vote lead. A rebound for Scottish Labour came when Manivannan fell out in the 12th stage, with 449 of their votes going to Mr McKay and 551 going to Ms Munro. But, it was not enough to secure Labour the seat. Mr McKay was still ahead by 97 votes – enough to bring him the victory, and increase the Liberal Democrat group in the council to 14 members. Ms Munro's votes were still redistributed in a 13th stage, with 1,093 of them transferring to McKay – leaving him with a total of 3,409 votes. It marks a stark reversal for the Liberal Democrats, who in the 2022 council elections took home just 7.1% of the first preference votes and were knocked out in the fifth stage. By comparison, this time, they took home 20.4% of the first preference votes. The victory is the third by-election win for the party this term, snagging one seat in March 2023 and another in November 2024. However, their win last year was incredibly short lived, with councillor Louise Spence resigning after six days due to her having apparently made plans to move to Dubai within days of the by-election. The party now holds 14 seats, below the SNP's 17 but ahead of Labour's 11 and the 10 each for the Tories and the Greens, as well as the council's one independent member, Ross McKenzie. To hold a majority of votes in the City Chambers, a coalition needs 32 councillors behind it. When asked on Thursday night if his group might make a bid to run the council, Liberal Democrat group leader councillor Ed Thornley said that his group 'will have a conversation'. By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Reform wins Sheffield Council by-election in Stocksbridge and Don
Reform UK has won its first seat on Sheffield City Council following a tightly contested by-election. John Booker took the Stocksbridge and Don ward after a vote was trigged by the resignation of Julie Grocutt in secured 1,789 votes, with the Liberal Democrats second on 1,597 and Labour coming third with 1,324 win follows on from Reform's success in neighbouring Doncaster, when the party took two thirds of the council's seats in the recent local elections. Booker, a former UKIP councillor in Sheffield's West Ecclesfield ward, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service his party had "galvanised public opinion"."I think the Labour Party is going the way of the Conservative Party," he said."I'm happy that we've now got an alternative voice in Sheffield City Council, which it needed for a long time."I believe in common sense, which has left this building and it needs to come back." 'Challenging election' Liberal Democrat group leader Martin Smith said his party's candidate, Stuart Shepherd, had "nearly quadrupled our vote share in 15 months"."It's a real shame he didn't get in this time but he's been a great candidate and I'm sure his time will come," he and Labour group leader Tom Hunt said: "The national background always meant this was going to be a challenging election. "It's much easier for some parties who only have to stand on the sidelines – being in government means you have to take decisions."Results in full - candidates names listed in alphabetical orderAdam James Allcroft, Yorkshire Party, 58 votesJohn Booker, Reform UK, 1,789Andy Davies, Green Party, 294Matt Dixon, Conservative Party, 332Josiah Tomasz Lenton, Labour Party, 1,324Stuart Shepherd, Liberal Democrats, 1,597Claire Suzanne Wraith, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition,43 votesTurnout: 5,437 votes (36.8%)
Scotsman
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Edinburgh by-election: Lib Dems consider council power play after winning Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart
The winner of the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election for Edinburgh City Council has been announced. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Liberal Democrats have clinched a surprise victory in the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election, further weakening Labour's position running the council. Newly elected councillor Kevin Joseph McKay said he would strive to 'make Edinburgh great again' and would look to focus on roads, pavements and active travel at the city chambers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Liberal Democrat Kevin McKay emerged as victor in the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election | TSPL And following the result confirmed on Friday morning, which came after a close race with the Labour and Green candidates, the council's Lib Dem leader said an attempt at taking control of the local authority was not out of the question. Cllr McKay, a retired water scientist, emerged the winner in what turned out to be a close three-horse race. He narrowly squeezed out Labour and the Greens to win in a ward where the Lib Dems had finished fifth at the last council elections in 2022. Their victory gives the party 14 councillors – more than the 11 of the Labour minority administration, but still behind the SNP, who have 17 councillors. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Asked about launching a power grab for the council, Lib Dems group leader Ed Thornley said: 'We had a conversation after the [last by-election]. We will do the same this time.' The result marks a resounding boost for the Liberal Democrats in the ward, after the party only captured 7.1 per cent of the vote in the 2022 council election. When it came to counting the votes, Labour received the most first preferences, with the Lib Dems second. Cllr McKay was elected thanks to the transfer of votes from other candidates as they were gradually eliminated under the Single Transferable Vote system. Following the result, Cllr McKay said: 'I am feeling happy. And I want to get started. I've been a long time in the community council and I've been frustrated by some things that happened in the community council.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The by-election was called after the sudden death of Labour councillor Val Walker in April. Party sources across the council almost unanimously said the result would be hard to predict between the five parties in the chambers. Edinburgh City Chambers. | Getty Images Cllr McKay, now a pensioner, was formerly a scientist working in water treatment and has lived in Edinburgh for the past 11 years. Born in Dunfermline, he said he moved around during his youth and spent time in New Zealand during his professional life. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said he called Ms Walker a friend and they knew each other through their time in the community council. Cllr McKay was elected after 13 rounds, with Labour candidate Catriona Munro being the last competitor to be eliminated. Shortly before the win was announced, Liberal Democrat councillors and supporters started screaming and hugging each other in the council canteen. A few metres away and a few minutes later, council chief executive and returning officer Paul Lawrence announced Mr McKay as the winner of the by-election. Final turnout 33.1 per cent (6,264 of 18,945 registered electors in ward) Final first preference votes Bonnie Prince Bob – Independent: 36 Derrick Emms – Independent: 9 Lukasz Furmaniak – Scottish Libertarian Party: 25 Mark Hooley – Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party: 857 Richard Crewe Lucas – Scottish Family Party – 857 Q Manivannan – Scottish Green Party – 1,133 Kevin Joseph McKay – Scottish Liberal Democrats: 1,269 Catriona Munro – Scottish Labour Party: 1,293 Gary Neill – Reform UK: 489 Mark Rowbotham – Independent: 25 Murray Visentin – SNP: 905 Steve Christopher West – Independent: 39
