Quarter One 2026 By-Election Results

This quarter 60,251 votes were cast in 35 local authority contests. All percentages are rounded to the nearest single decimal place. 22 council seats changed hands. For comparison you can view Quarter Four's results here.

Party	Number of Candidates	Total Vote	%	+/- Q4	+/- Q1 25	Avge/ Contest	+/- Seats
Conservative	33	10,756	17.9%	+0.9	-4.2	326	+1
Labour	29	9,437	15.7%	+4.3	-6.2	325	-8
Lib Dem	32	9,397	15.6%	-5.1	-2.2	293	+1
Reform	34	15,211	25.2%	-4.1	+8.5	447	+8
Green	28	9,060	15.0%	+5.5	+7.4	324	+1
SNP*	2	1,693	2.8%	-0.8	-3.8	904	0
PC**	3	970	1.6%	+0.5	+1.2	808	+1
Ind***	28	2,410	4.0%	-2.3	-3.3	323	-4
Other****	9	1,063	1.8%	+0.0	+0.6	118	0

* There were two by-elections in Scotland
** There were three by-elections in Wales
*** There were five Independent clashes
**** Others this quarter were Advance (161, 57), Derbyshire Community Party (50), Flint's People's Voice (79), One Leicester (636), Scottish Family Party (35, 25), TUSC (16), and UKIP (2)

A couple of things worthy of note this quarter. The Greens, unsurprisingly, have scored the party's best ever quarterly aggregate score. The surge in the party's support isn't just a polling phenomenon or a parliamentary by-election one-off, but it would be nice to see it pick up seats akin to Reform's ability to do so. And the second is Reform itself, this being the first time they've dropped vote share since the general election. Again, the poll decline appears to be real. Not great news for Nigel Farage fans when council by-elections disproportionately turn out the party's core vote and they're registering falling support.

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Local Council By-Elections March 2026

This month saw 20,741 votes cast in 15 local authority contests. All percentages are rounded to the nearest single decimal place. 10 council seats changed hands. For comparison with February's results, see here.

Party	Number of Candidates	Total Vote	%	+/- Feb	+/- Mar 25	Avge/ Contest	+/- Seats
Conservative	15	4,241	20.4%	+2.3	+0.2	283	+2
Labour	11	2,474	11.9%	-8.9	-9.2	225	-1
Lib Dem	14	3,710	17.9%	+7.5	+3.3	265	-1
Reform	15	6,176	29.8%	+9.8	+13.7	412	+4
Green	14	3,184	15.4%	-0.2	+6.2	227	0
SNP*	0						0
PC**	0						0
Ind***	9	954	4.6%	-1.5	-2.4	106	-4
Other****	1	2	0.0%	-3.6	-1.9	2	0

* There were no by-elections in Scotland
** There was one by-election in Wales
*** There was one Independent clash
**** Others this month were UKIP (2)

After a run of falling numbers, Reform come out on top again with the kind of vote tally Labour and Conservatives can only feel nostalgia for. Though in the current politics, the Tories will be happy with a net gain of two councillors. Labour meanwhile turned in one of their worst aggregate by-election performances ever, but managed to drop only a aingle seat - earlier in the month winning one off Reform, only to lose two to them by the end of March. But the biggest loser this month have been the Independents, who saw them cede seats to the right wing parties. Again, this month seems to hold up my thesis that the rise of Reform and the move to five-party politics is pressing Indie-minded voters, as well as people who might have had a punt at a seat in the past. Lastly, the Greens have maintained their improved positions in this poll. Which isn't bad, considering council by-elections favour the right thanks to the tendency of these contests turning out older voters.

April is normally quiet as parties try and hold back vacancies to local election polling day. This year is no different, with 10 contests to look forward to. But, interestingly, four of them are Reform defences. I imagine those contests will be watched more closely than usual.

5th March
Braintree, Coggeshall, Ref gain from Ind
Durham, Murton, Lab gain from Ref
Sevenoaks, Hextable, Con gain from Ind
Stroud, Thrupp, Grn hold
Tamworth, Spital, Ref gain from Lab

12th March
Cotswold, The Beeches, LDem hold
Liverpool, Aigburth, Grn gain from LDem
North Kesteven, Sleaford Westholme, Ref gain from Ind
Vale of White Horse, Abingdon Abbey Northcourt, LDem gain from Grn
Westmorland & Furness, Penrith South, LDem hold

17th March
Pembrokeshire, Milford Hakin, Ref gain from Ind

26th March
North Lincolnshire, Axholme Central, Con hold
North Lincolnshire, Brumby, Ref gain from Lab
Sevenoaks, Halstead, Knockholt & Badgers Mount, Con hold
Vale of White Horse, Stanford, Con gain from LDem