Labour has held its seat in the South Portslade by-election despite criticism of the party’s plan to close St Peter’s Community Primary School in the ward.
Josh Guilmant, 40, a law teacher, won the by-election and will take up one of the 54 seats on Brighton and Hove City Council.
The result was announced at Hove Town Hall this afternoon (Friday 12 January) after fewer than a thousand people turned out at polling stations in the ward yesterday.
The total turnout, including postal votes, was 1,609 out of an electorate of 7,380, or 21.8 per cent.
A total of 994 people voted in person and 615 by post.
The seven candidates were
-
- Josh Guilmant (Labour) 874 votes
- Benjamin James Franks (Conservative) 246
- Kenneth Lloyd Rist (Liberal Democrat) 186
- Danny John Booth (Green) 149
- David Timothy Maples (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) 53
- Georgia Arabella McKinley Fitch (Democratic Liberation Party) 49
- Jamie Rutherford Gillespie (Independent) 44
The council has 54 seats and the breakdown is now 36 Labour councillors, seven Greens, six Conservatives, two Brighton and Hove Independents and a separate Independent councillor, Peter Atkinson.
The by-election was called after long-serving Labour councillor Les Hamilton, 82, resigned after more than 50 years’ service.
Labour topped the poll in South Portslade at the local elections last May, with both sitting councillors returned for the ward’s two seats.
- Les Hamilton (Labour) 1,767
- Alan Robins (Labour) 1,589
- Steve Harmer-Strange (Conservative) 365
- Sally Joanna Cranfield (Green) 330
- Aijuan Wang (Conservative) 291
- Ken Rist (Liberal Democrat) 251
- Danny Booth (Green) 216
- Helen Patricia Dear (Independent) 204
Wow just over a 1/5th of voters. Maybe a sign of the disaffection with the offerings of the parties.
Shame one of the independents didn’t get in
The results and turnout were about what I expected. By-elections generally have low turnouts. I would be reluctant to take meaning out of the overall numbers. Labour took this by a pretty comfortable margain.
Still, to her credit, I thought Georgina articulated some points really well. Conversely, Jamie came across as very weak.
WOW the turnout is so low, i think its got to the stage in the UK where voters no longer think they count. We are told one thing to get our votes then ignored and they do as they want. It looks like people are thinking what is the point in voting at all.
By-elections rarely attract big turnouts, I wouldn’t really take too much meaning out of that part, personally.
A good result for Labour but you can see many supporters stayed home, not happy about the closure of St Peters and perhaps the recent news of VG3 which will cost millions. Tories were never an alternative, (especially because of a disaster of a national government). Lib Dems did pretty well. The Greens seem to still be in a state of collapse, (although a bit of a ghost candidate who apparently wanted the OSR cycle lane back), independents didn’t really do anything, (campaigning to keep the school open but really needed to provide a viable alternative).
A lot of assumptions there. It must be nice to live in a dreamworld
Cold day, a Thursday, storm weather recently, just after New Years, and byelections historically don’t get a lot of people voting are all contributing factors to turnout. I would be hard-pushed to take any particular meaning from these figures.
Disappointing, but telling that 79% of South Portsladians didn’t bother voting at all. Trouble is not voting does not count as a protest vote. It just comes across as a ‘don’t care’ who runs your Ward/city/country.
And a drop of almost 900 on last May’s election for the man filling Les Hamilton’s shoes who ran away from the angry St Peter’s parents on Saturday is not insignificant. Labour may be pleased to have held this seat, but hardly swinging from any chandeliers over it.
Which is why, for consistency, we analyse results based on % not just the bare numbers
There was a Tory MP after one of the recent Westminister byelection routs who tried to say it was a bad result for Labour because (on a lower turnout) their vote actually fell.
‘But your vote fell even more’ came the retort.
Whulst what the Tory was accurate it was misleading.
Around 10% of the electorate support their new councillor. No doubt the 800 party loyalists would have elected a tree stump had it been painted red. What’s happening with the 2 Leicester based Labour councillors, one of which is a known fraudster, in Queens Park and Kemp Town? How about VG3 and the lies and deception by Cllr Muten and the bicycle mafia that is destroying the city centre despite universal condemnation by local groups, stakeholders, residents and businesses? Shameful…..
What a way to talk about 10% of a ward’s residents. Thank god you didn’t get in. I’d call you Cllr Sour Grapes…but you lost and hopefully will do again if you ever try to run again. Also, you are lying. There are no Leicester based Labour Councillors – there are Leicester based Independents which Cllr Sankey has called on them to resign.
Thanks Stuart, as you know Labour HQ brought them in and dumped them on Kemp Town and Queens Park. Labour are responsible for this mess however one looks at it. By the way no one from the independent group stood in South Portslade as we only field candidates who actually live / work in the ward, we only put forwards people who actually have a genuine connection and concern with residents and businesses unlike the majority of Westminster parties and the career politicians that are helicoptered in. No sour grapes here at all, sorry to disappoint and Labour along with the Conservatives are the driving force for voter apathy as you well know. Politics is disconnected from our communities, and I will run again 🙂
There will be a by-election if they don’t come to any committees or full council for 6 months. I believe they attended one in October. So April +35 days I think for the election period would put the elections in May/June.
I sincerely hope the electorate vote for anyone other than Labour