The run of Conservative by-election victories in Surrey has come to a halt. The Surrey Heath ward of Old Dean has bucked the trend of three straight Tory wins in the county with a 27.3 per cent swing away from the Conservatives.
The seat had been a straight race between Labour and the Conservatives, with the two parties sharing the spoils in 2019 and the Tories taking both seats four years later. The Liberal Democrats had not stood a candidate in Old Dean, which is a suburb of Camberley, since 2011.
However, last week’s by-election was contested between four parties and an independent with the Liberal Democrat candidate, Dave Hough, coming from nowhere to take the seat with 44.7 per cent of the vote - to become the first Lib Dem to represent the ward in its history.
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Cllr Hough, whose father stood for the party in the same ward back in 1991, said: “I am enormously proud to represent the ward where I live. My father was delighted when I called him to let him know I’d won. Now the hard work starts to make sure Old Dean ward residents are properly represented on the council.”
The result has little overall bearing on the make up of the council which underwent a seismic shift in power in 2023 with the Lib Dems taking control from the Conservatives for the first time in the borough’s history.
The Old Dean 2024 by-election results in full:
Tal Belnik Independent 4
Catherine Gibbard Conservative Party 278
Sam Goggin Reform UK 109
Dave Hough Liberal Democrats 394 (elected)
Charlie Wilson Labour Party 96
The political make up of Surrey Heath Borough Council:
Liberal Democrats 24
Conservatives 6
Independent 3
Labour 2
*Please note this article has been updated as an earlier version incorrectly stated there were 9 Conservatives on Surrey Heath council. We are happy to clarify this.
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