Lib Dems win Kentish Town by-election

10.33.12pm GMT Mon 11th Dec 2006

Cllr Ralph Scott (third from left) celebrates his by-election win with fellow Lib Dems after the result was declared early on Friday morning

The number of Lib Dem councillors on Camden Council increased to 21 after Ralph Scott triumphed in Thursday's by-election in Kentish Town. Ralph won the seat, formerly held by Labour, by a margin of almost 300 votes.

The result in full (with change in share of the vote since May):

Ralph Scott 1093 (+1.2%)

Green 812 (+3.7%)

Labour 808 (-3.5%)

Conservative 198 (-1.5%)

The result is a strong endorsement of Liberal Democrat leadership of Camden council. Lib Dems ended 35 years of Labour rule after becoming the largest party in May's full council elections. Lib Dems now have 21 councillors, four more than Labour with 17, and seven more than the 14 Conservatives, who in May agreed to form a partnership administration with the Lib Dems.

Voters in Kentish Town increased their support for Lib Dems and continued to spurn Labour, who fell to third place. The Green candidate, the party's national principal speaker, who fought hard to win the seat, narrowly pipped Labour for second place by just 4 votes.

Ralph Scott becomes Kentish Town's third Lib Dem councillor alongside Philip Thompson and Faruque Ansari. With strong support from Philip and Faruque, Ralph's campaign concentrated on local issues and has culminated in the election of a hard-working Lib Dem councillor who will stand up for local services such as the Baths, public transport and Kentish Town police station.

Related Link:

Camden Lib Dems take the lead.