Council by-election results in full: Find out how Britons voted across the four contests this week

Alice Tomlinson
Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:11:26 +0000
Membership

Four councils across the country held elections this week - in Devon, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Bedfordshire.

It was all change this week as none of the defending parties were able to keep hold of their seat in this week’s local council by-elections.

Reform UK won two seats and the Liberal Democrats and Greens took one each.

The councils who held by-elections are as follows:

Fremington (North Devon District Council) in Devon

Hareholme & Waterfoot (Rossendale Borough Council) in Lancashire

Tottington (Bury Metropolitan Borough Council) in Greater Manchester

Wigmore (Luton Borough Council) in Bedfordshire

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Tottington (Bury Metropolitan Borough Council) in Greater Manchester

In Greater Manchester, Bury Metropolitan Council has a new Reform UK councillor, George Martin.

The by-election had a turnout of 31 per cent, with 2,352 ballot papers issued.

Mr Martin won the seat by taking 39.5 per cent, with 929 votes, with the party never previously running in the Tottington ward.

The new councillor took to social media to thank his supporters, writing: “Thank you to everyone who went out and voted yesterday to support our fundamental democratic values!

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“It’s been a fantastic month speaking with residents, listening to their concerns, and understanding what needs to change across both Tottington and Bury as a whole.

“I now look forward to both getting stuck into local politics, properly supporting the residents of Tottington, Walshaw and Affetside.”

Coming second were the defenders of the seat, the Conservatives, who took 26.7 per cent, with 627 votes (19.1 percentage points down from the last election in 2024).

In third place was Labour taking 14.7 per cent, with 346 votes (down 14.5 percentage points since the seat was last up).​

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Coming in fourth was the Green Party, gaining 10.9 per cent of the vote (257) and finally, a local candidate came last, who took 8.2 per cent with just 193 votes (down 16.8 percentage points since 2024).

Two registered electors in Tottington have called for a by-election following the resignation of Councillor Luis McBrair.

First elected as a Conservative in 2021, Mr McBrair stepped down in order to take up a new position that requires him to remain politically neutral.

The full results:

Reform UK - George Martin: 39.5 per cent

Conservative - Emma Elizabeth Lee: 26.7 per cent

Labour - Drew Keanu Bell: 14.7 per cent

Green Party - Chloe King: 10.9 per cent

Together for Bury (local) - Greg Keeley: 8.2 per cent

Wigmore (Luton Borough Council) in Bedfordshire

Now down south in Bedfordshire where there was another Reform UK win, with Luton Borough Council welcoming the party’s candidate, James Fletcher to membership.

The by-election had a turnout of 25.7 per cent, with 1,754 votes cast.

Mr Fletcher won the seat by gaining 32.9 per cent of the vote (576) - the first time the party ran in the Wigmore ward.

The Reform Daily social media account took to X to congratula​te the new councillor, writing: “Well done to James Fletcher on Wigmore (Luton) win!​

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“Your victory proves Reform UK’s message resonates.”​

Coming in a close second was the defenders of the seat, the Liberal Democrats, who took 30.4 per cent of the vote (533).

In third was the Green Party, taking 19.6 per cent (344 votes), an increase of 10.5 percentage points since the seat was last up in 2024.

Labour came forth, gaining 9.7 per cent (170 votes), the Conservatives came second to last, taking 6.6 per cent (116 votes) and finally, an independent candidate took just 0.7 per cent of votes (13).

A by-election was called for the Wigmore ward after a Liberal Democrat councillor went more than six months without attending any local authority meetings.

A report from Luton Council's administration and regulation committee revealed that Alan Skepelhorn had been absent from July 15 2025 through to January 20.

Democracy manager, Debbie Janes, confirmed that under the relevant legislation, the committee was required to declare the Wigmore ward seat vacant and proceed to a by-election.

The full results:

Reform UK - James Fletcher: 32.9 per cent

Liberal Democrats - George Neculalu: 30.4 per cent

Green Party - Carolyn Cottier: 19.6 per cent

Labour - Georgia Marcantonio: 9.7 per cent

Conservative - Sam Choudhury: 6.6 per cent

Independent - Marc Scheimann: 0.7 per cent

Fremington (North Devon District Council) in Devon

In Devon, the Fremington ward saw the electorate vote in Liberal Democrat candidate, Jayne Irene Mackie.

The by-election had a turnout of 34.7 per cent, with 1,507 ballot papers issued.

Ms Mackie won the seat by taking 49.9 per cent, equivalent to 752 votes (up 42.4 percentage points from the last by-election for the seat in 2023) - a Liberal Democrat gain from an independent.

The newly elected councillor said in response to her win: “Thank you to everyone who voted for me, and a special thank you to the many people who supported me during the campaign.

“I’d also like to thank the election staff who worked throughout the day at the polling stations.”

Coming in second was Reform UK, where Derek Sargent took 32.9 per cent of the vote (496).

The Greens came in third, taking 8.7 per cent of the vote (131), and then fourth the Conservatives, who took 7.7 per cent (116 votes).

Labour received 12 votes in total, which means they received less than 1 per cent of the vote (0.8).

This by-election follows the death of the popular independent councillor, Neil Denton, who died last month.

Cllr Denton had served on the council since 2023 and was described as a “true gentleman” by members, whose knowledge and expertise were regarded as invaluable.

The full results:

Liberal Democrats - Jayne Irene Mackie: 49.9 per cent

Reform UK - Derek Sargent: 32.9 per cent

Green Party - Jules Credgington: 8.7 per cent

Conservative - Susan Christine Kingdom: 7.7 per cent

Labour - Douglas James McLynn: 0.8 per cent

Hareholme & Waterfoot (Rossendale Borough Council) in Lancashire

Now to Lancashire, where the Hareholme & Waterfoot ward seat in Rossendale Borough Council was won by the Green candidate, Laura Diamond.

The by-election had a turnout of 30.7 per cent, with 1,688 ballot papers issued.

Ms Diamond won 37.7 per cent, with 636 votes (up 9.2 per cent since the last by-election in 2024).

Rossendale Green Party took to social media to congratulate Ms Diamond, writing: “Massive congratulations to Laura on being elected as the councillor for Hareholme & Waterfoot.”

Coming in a close second was Reform UK’s candidate, Clive Balchin, who took 34.5 per cent of the vote (582).

In third place was Labour (who was defending the seat) gaining 19.2 per cent, with 324 votes (down 27.9 per cent since the previous by-election).

The Conservatives took 6.8 per cent, with 115 votes (down 17.6 percentage points since 2024) and coming in last was the Liberal Democrats, who gained just 1.8 per cent (31 votes).

The vacancy emerged following the resignation of Councillor Tom Belli, who had been absent from full council meetings since November 2025 before stepping down in February.

A council spokesperson confirmed his departure, stating that Mr Belli had chosen to relocate permanently to Sicily.

The full results:

Green Party - Laura Diamond: 37.7 per cent

Reform UK - Clive Balchin: 34.5 per cent

Labour - Cathy Tinston: 19.2 per cent

Conservative - Matthew Thomas Littler: 6.8 per cent

Liberal Democrat - Keith Alan Bardsley: 1.8 per cent