With only three weeks left until polling day, and possibly no more than six until the postal votes begin winging their way to voters, April 12th was a good day to get a shot-in-the-arm election win. With four by-elections over the course of the week, the Lib Dem defence up in Darlington leapt out as a prospect.
The circumstances surrounding the election in Hurworth ward were complex, Group Leader Martin Swainston was controversially disqualified for non-attendance due to a compelling family issue. Martin was re-selected to stand again, and began the campaign with visits to local town councils and an article in the first by-election Focus, to explain the circumstances of his disqualification and re-affirm his consistent work in the ward over the period. The campaign itself was based on Martin’s strong record of local action, capitalising on his excellent reputation in the ward and previous successes fighting against a controversial housing development (to be sited on a local flood plain) and saving the local Hurworth School (pictured) from merging with another to form an Academy. This track record, Martin’s work in the ward, and his forthright explanation and apology, generated a significant amount of local goodwill on the doorsteps.
The campaign itself took the form of five black-and-white A4 Focus leaflets, combined with a prodigious canvass schedule that saw 80% of the ward covered. Outreach to postal voters was mainly via the doorstep. The ward is Tory-facing and Labour’s marginal increase in vote (around 2%) indicates that some of the Labour vote has remained effectively squeezed. The Conservative campaign won few friends with a series of very personal attacks against Martin, and fell short of unseating this popular local councillor by 38 votes. A hearty ‘well done’ to Martin and the team.
Darlington also had a second by-election, this one a Labour defence in the Harrowgate Hill ward, which was lost to the Conservatives. Elsewhere, in the East Finchley ward of Barnet Borough, Labour put 24% on their previous vote-share to make an easy defence, and the Tories held Newark and Sherwood’s Lowdham ward, despite the Liberal Democrat candidate polling a substantial 34% of the vote on their first time out.
ALDC received no reports of non-Principal by-elections for the week, and would like to wish the best of luck to all of our candidates and campaigners across the country.
Craig Whittall
craig.whittall@aldc.org