Liberal Democrats take East Hunsbury and Shelfleys seat winning nearly 40 percent of votes

The Liberal Democrats have won another seat on West Northamptonshire Council, after residents of a Northampton ward took to the polls on Thursday (February 8).

Newly-elected Councillor Carl Squires has taken the East Hunsbury and Shelfleys seat from the Conservatives with almost 40 percent of the vote.

The by-election was called after former Conservative Councillor Suresh Patel’s resignation at the end of last year due to “serious ill health”. The results have shown a change in fortune for the party that previously snapped up all three seats in the last local elections in 2021 and gained 68 percent of the vote altogether.

Cllr Squires ran for the seat alongside Daniel Soan and Clare Robertson-Marriott, representing the Conservative Party and the Labour Party respectively.

The full breakdown of results is below:

Liberal Democrats – Carl Squires – 38.8 percent – 820 votes

Conservatives – Daniel Soan – 35.3 percent – 746 votes

Labour Party – Clare-Robertson-Marriott – 25.9 percent – 547 votes

Cllr Squires told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There was very good teamwork - it’s not just about me it’s about the whole team of West Northants Liberals who have gone out to help me. It’s nice to be back on the council again.

“I was elected, I think, because I’m local - I’ve been in the area for 37 years and therefore know the area well. I’ll be representing the people of East and West Hunsbury equally.

“I think one of the main things I want to do is try and work with the Conservatives to try and get the bus back to West Hunsbury and then focus on environmental and green projects within the area.”

The turnout for the by-election, which took place on February 8 from 7am to 10pm, was 23.6 percent. A total of 2,113 votes were counted and an extra eight ballot papers were rejected.

Labour candidate Ms Robertson-Marriott said: “The campaign has gone really well. I think we’ve really woken people up from it being a safe Tory seat and I think the fact that we’ve got the vote that we have is great.

“It’s shifted the political scene and we have experienced a collaborative, coordinated campaign for us as the Labour Party. Congratulations to Carl.”

Carl Squires will now join Conservative councillors Andre Gonzalez De Savage and Pinder Chauhan as representatives of the East Hunbury and Shelfleys ward on West Northants Council.