Labour gain in latest council by-elections

Labour gained in the latest council by-elections but there was also cheer for the SNP after its disappointment at last week's Glasgow North East Commons contest.

In a further poll, Tories were forced into third place in a ward they won in the 2007 main elections.

Labour's Richard Cooper-Holmes triumphed at Rossington, Doncaster - 86 votes ahead of English Democrats, the party of the borough's elected mayor.

The SNP was boosted when it won on the first count at Bo'ness and Blackness, Falkirk Council.

The difference in performance compared with Glasgow North East lends some support to opinion poll findings giving the party a higher figure for Holyrood voting than for Westminster.

Independent Mike Meredith-Edwards won at Coleford, Forest of Dean District, Gloucestershire where the previous councillor, originally elected as a Tory, had defected to independent.

Counting is under way today in a by-election at Cholmondley, Cheshire East Council.

RESULTS:

Doncaster Borough - Rossington: Lab 637, English Democrats 551, No description 506, Ind 420, BNP 101, Lib Dem 78, Ind 76.

(May 2008 - Ind 1368, Lab 822, No description 551, C 442). Lab gain from Ind.

Falkirk Council - Bo'ness and Blackness: SNP 1604, Lab 823, C 283, Lib Dem 79. (May 2007 - Three seats SNP 1723, Lab 1460, SNP 1221, C 793, Lab 532, Ind 268, Scottish Socialist Party 239. Elected SNP 2, Lab 1). SNP hold. Swing 6.4% Lab to SNP.

Forest of Dean District - Coleford East: Ind 267, Lib Dem 230, C 210, Lab 188. (May 2007 - Three seats C 700, 651, 564, Lab 513, Ind 487, Lab 475). Ind hold. Swing 3.3% C to Lab.

Tories easily held on in the Cheshire East by-election with more than three quarters of the vote.

RESULT:

Cheshire East Council - Cholmondley: C 1764, Lib Dem 508 . (May 2008 - Three seats C 3350, 3119, 3117, Lib Dem 821, Lab 543, 535). C hold. Swing 1.5% Lib Dem to C.