Lib Dems shock Conservatives by winning another Tory seat in council by-election
The Liberal Democrats have warned the “tide is turning” against the Conservatives in Shropshire after pulling off a second council by-election victory in as many months.
Colin Taylor’s win in Alveley and Claverley on Thursday night means the party now has 17 seats on Shropshire Council, with the Conservatives’ majority eroded to just four.
It is the first time the ward will not be represented by a Conservative councillor.
Mr Taylor said his victory was down to residents’ frustrations at being “taken for granted” by the Conservatives, and said: “My 40 years of community activism has been rewarded.”
He secured 662 votes, with Conservative candidate Jonathan Davey in second place with 408, and 55 for Labour candidate Ann Philp.
It represents the largest ever shift from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats in a Shropshire Council by-election, with a 34.6 per cent swing.
Mr Taylor said: “We have done it purely on local issues, doing the right thing, just showing up.”
He said it was also a reflection of the “abject mess the administration has been making at Shirehall”.
“It’s just beyond civil words to be perfectly honest,” he said.
“I think the result today just shows what people think about what’s being done.”
The result was met with jubilation by Liberal Democrat councillors and campaigners who turned out at the count at Alveley Village Hall to hear the result.
Chris Naylor, the party’s parliamentary candidate for the next general election, said it was significant that this was their third council by-election win in the southeast of the county in just over a year, following Highley in June 2022 and Worfield this September.
He said: “It feels like the third big win for us in this area which is a major triumph, particularly on this eastern side of Shropshire where perhaps we have not been so strong in the past.
“I think it’s also testament to a different style of politics. It’s a style of politics which is going around talking to people, listening to people and trying to resolve their concerns and their needs, not coming in with some top-down politics and expecting them to join in.
“Given people’s cynicism about politics at the county level and the national level, it’s good to have great Lib Dems like Colin who will get out there and do his best for local people.
“It is an honour and a privilege to be working with Colin because he is absolutely the right person for the job, and I’m sure a lot of people will be delighted to have elected him and to see what he is doing for them.
“It’s a very clear sign that we are turning the tide on the Tories.”
Councillor Roger Evans, the party’s leader on the council, said the group was delighted to have bolstered its numbers even further – and said he was putting the ruling Conservative group on notice ahead of the next all-out council election in 2025.
He said: “Welcome to Colin – with his experience and our tenacity, I think we will make changes.
“The administration needs to wake up and realise there are alternatives and we will be there – if not tomorrow, in the very near future.”
Matthew Green, the last Liberal Democrat MP for the Ludlow constituency, said the result was another promising sign for the party with a general election coming up.
He said: “When I gained Ludlow for the Lib Dems in 2001 it was preceded by a number of local council by-election wins with big swings.
“In South Shropshire, this is the third council by-election gain for the Lib Dems in just over a year, all with huge swings.”
