Quarter Four Local By-Election Results 2016

Party	Number of Candidates	Total Vote	%	+/-  Q3	Average/ contest	+/-   Q3	+/- Seats
Conservative	78	38,215	30.8%	+2.8%	490	+66	-3
Labour	74	30,962	24.9%	-4.0%	418	-74	-8
LibDem	66	22,874	18.4%	+0.4%	347	+3	+7
UKIP	47	7,250	5.8%	-3.5%	154	-68	-1
Green	34	3,965	3.2%	-0.5%	117	-23	-1
SNP*	7	8,297	6.7%	+2.8%	1,185	-18	-1
PC**	5	1,819	1.5%	+0.4%	364	+249	+2
TUSC	0						0
Ind***	28	8,499	6.8%	+2.0%	304	+105	+5
Other****	11	2,331	1.9%	-0.3%	212	+61	0

* There were seven by-elections in Scotland
** There were eight by-elections in Wales
*** There were four Independent clashes
**** Others this month consisted of Putting Hartlepool First (155), Patients Not Profit in our NHS (36), East Devon Alliance (324), Oxted and Limpsfield Residents Group (713), Women's Equality Party (173), Lewisham People Before Profit (314), Beverley Party (364), English Democrats (23 & 14), Newcastle First (164), and BNP (51)

Overall, 124,212 votes were cast over 81 local authority (tier one and tier two) contests. All percentages are rounded to the nearest single decimal place. 29 council seats changed hands. For comparison see Quarter Three's results here.

This has not been a good quarter for Labour, and there is no positive spin you can put on the party's results. Vote share down, councillors down, average per contest down. What a cheery batch of figures to see us into the new year! The Tories are suffering too, and were it not for the five gains they made in November matters would have looked just a grim, albeit with a higher popular vote. What is interesting is despite the LibDem surge in by-election gains, which continued in this quarter, they're doing it without putting on mega-votes. Sure, for them to have over 18% now would have seemed fanciful a couple of years ago, but could indicate that seats won are the outcome of quite small margins, of a relatively thin layer of people returning to them from Conservatives, Labour and UKIP.

But more on this in the end of year round up.