Last week saw the second by-election in Blaby District Council in Leicestershire in as many months. Once again, they managed a strong defence, which bodes well for both the party in Blaby and in other places around the country where we are fighting the Conservatives. The by-election was caused by the retirement of a long-standing and well known local councillor, which was always going to be a challenge. However, with a key issue in the area being the proposed development of land in the area by the Conservative county council, our candidate Antony Moseley was finally victorious.
The Plaistow ward of Chichester District Council saw its second by-election of the year, and the third in two years, following yet another Conservative resignation. Once again we recorded an impressive swing from Conservative to Liberal Democrat of nearly 20%, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough for victory.
Finally, we couldn’t let this week’s column go by without mentioning the incredibly impressive Aberystwyth Town Council by-election result. Our candidate Ceredig Davies, who is also the local county councillor and group leader, achieved a stunning 90.5% of the vote in a straight fight with the Conservatives.
ALDC recently held another successful Kickstart weekend in Derby when around 150 Lib Dem campaigners came from around the country to be trained and mentored. Our next campaign training will be held on 8th January in Bedford and Taunton. These Flying Start events will be one-day of intensive training and support for those fighting local elections in 2011. More details and booking are available from the relevant regional parties.
Don’t forget to let ALDC know about your target ward candidates as they are selected, so we can send you all the information you need for a successful election. A form is available on our website.