Friday 22nd September, 2023
And so congratulations to LibDem Simon Appleton who becomes the new Councillor for Highwoods after winning the by-election held in the ward on Thursday.
Not so HIGH FIVES to democracy. A piss poor turn out of a risible 19% should be a concern for anyone with an interest in local accountability.
For the record, the result that was declared by the CCC Returning Officer on Friday morning was:
Simon Appleton – Lib Dem – 563 – 39.4%
Gary Braddy – Labour – 447 – 31.3%
Paul Smith – Conservative – 418 – 29.3%
This makes the current composition of Colchester City Councillors:
19 Tories
16 LibDems
14 Labour
2 Green
The by-election was called after the sudden resignation of Labour Cllr Catherine Bickerstaff in July after only eight months in the role.
She is moving away from Colchester and so can no longer represent residents under the City Council Standing Orders.
The LibDem gain will be a blow to the local Labour Group. They campaigned hard in the ward and were expecting to retain the seat.
Labour needed to win in Highwoods to have any credibility ahead of the next set of local elections in May 2024, plus the wider picture of a 2024 General Election.
There is an expectation from the Labour NEC that Colchester is a seat the party can take from the Tories. Considerable funds and resources were parachuted into Colchester to support the local Labour Group ahead of the 2023 local elections.
The plan was to take control of the Council, leading to a momentum swing for the GE. It seems that the electorate of Highwoods has other ideas – albeit on a poor 19% turn out.
The LibDems will be thrilled with the result. They always believed they had the legitimate right to be the senior partner in any Colchester coalition. Having a two seat advantage puts the LibDems firmly in control at the Town Hall.
How’s that Rishi bounce going btw?
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