Devon district by-elections good for Tories

They take all five unscheduled seats

The Conservatives in Devon enjoyed a good election day bagging all five by-elections across the district councils to retake control in the South Hams and strengthen their opposition in East Devon and Mid Devon.

The by-elections were held on the same day as other scheduled elections for local council seats across the county.

South Hams

Conservatives were elected in Ivybridge West in the South Hams, Whimple and Rockbeare in East Devon, and in the Castle, Taw and Westexe wards in Mid Devon.

The results means that the Conservatives are once again in control of South Hams District Council, now holding 16 of the 31 seats, having lost overall control following the death of David May.

Louise Jones took the seat with 933 votes, beating Katie Reville of the Greens with 768 and Tony Rea of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition with 149 votes.

The result in the South Hams makes the new composition of the council Conservatives (16), Liberal Democrats (10), Independent (3), and Green (2).

East Devon District Council 

In East Devon, the Conservatives beat the Liberal Democrats in a two-horse race in Whimple and Rockbeare to gain the seat from an Independent who stood down. Richard Lawrence was elected with 502 votes to 392 for Todd Olive of the Lib Dems.

The new make-up of East Devon is Conservative (21), East Devon Alliance (13), Independents (16), Liberal Democrats (7), Green Party (2), and one seat vacant, with the council run by a coalition of the EDA, Lib Dems, Greens and some Independents.

A by-election in the Honiton St Michael’s ward following the resignation of Cllr Luke Jeffery will be held at a later date after his resignation came too late for an election to be held on Thursday.

Mid Devon District Council 

In Mid Devon, all three seats in by-elections went to Conservatives, leaving them just two seats short of regaining control of the council.

Elizabeth Slade, who lost her seat in 2019, regained the Castle ward from the Liberal Democrats, while in Taw, Peter Heal was elected with 418 votes to 234 from Mark Wooding of the Lib Dems to retake that seat for the Tories.

In Westexe, Stephen Pugh was elected for the Conservatives to take a seat previous held by an Independent, with Labour second and the Greens third.

It leaves Mid Devon District Council with 19 Conservatives, 11 Liberal Democrats, nine Independent, two from the Green Party, with the Upper Culm seat vacant, with a by-election pending. The council is currently run by an Independent with support from the Conservatives.