Parlous state of party politics
So far, local government has avoided most of the extremes of turbulence that seem to characterise current national politics.
Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher
Local elections 2019
The Conservatives could lose most of their 2015 gains but Labour needs to make substantial advances.
A tale of two Hamlets
Tower Hamlets is one of the most interesting local authorities, electorally speaking, and two by-elections to dissect is a delight.
Rewarding perseverance
An interesting feature of the latest local by-election results is the contrasting fate of candidates who never gave up trying.
Political turmoil affects local contests
There’s no escaping the national political turmoil over Brexit, even for local council by-elections.
Looking ahead to May’s local vote
The large majority of the more than 8,350 council seats that will fall vacant in May’s local elections were last contested four years ago on General Election day 2015.
Turnout highs and lows
With the attention of the political world firmly focused on the unfolding chaos at Westminster, local by-elections during the past few weeks have taken even more of a back seat than usual.
Resignations and casual vacancies
Just two seats from a total of 22 recent vacancies changed hands, with the Conservatives defeated in both cases.
Independents’ Day
Independents took the honours during this year’s party conference season. A further three gains go into the wins column, which now stands at 18 set against nine losses since the last General Election
Electoral volatility
The party conference season offers an opportunity for all the political parties to assess their current standing among the electorate.