1,091,916 votes were cast over 537 local authority contests. All percentages are rounded to the nearest single decimal place. For comparison you can view last year's results here.
* There were 22 by-elections in Scotland
** There were 26 by-elections in Wales
*** There were 36 contests with Independent clashes
**** See the quarterly round ups for the results from smaller parties
Another year like no other, exept for the last one. By-elections only resumed properly from March, and this May saw nearly all the by-elections saved over during the period of restrictions run. Unsurprisingly, as the Tories were polling well in Spring they scored their best ever by-election results. You might also contend what we saw was a readjustment of loyalties, delayed by almost 18 months, from the changes attending the 2019 general election. Looking at current government polling and the bruising they received in December, it's hard to believe they're less than a year apart.
Assuming there's not another lockdown, council by-elections resume in January with nine contests to look forward to. Will the Tories reverse the sudden run of defeats they experienced in December? As the mood is seemingly turning away from them, will 2022 bring more pain at the local level? Stay tuned.
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BTW many thanks to our blogger for keeping track and posting summaries of local council by-elections. There is a lot of noise in them, but they are still useful to get a feel for changing trends.
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