Liberal Democrats Win Stannington by-election
Liberal Democrats romp to victory in Stannington Ward by-election
The Liberal Democrats have won the Stannington Ward by-election, netting 2258 votes (52.7%), compared to Labour’s 1212 (28.3%). This represents a swing of 8.1% from Labour to the Lib Dems from the last time this seat was up for election in 2022.
The election was called following the sad death of long serving local councillor and former Lord Mayor of Sheffield Vickie Priestley, who sadly passed away in November 2023.
The election was a clear fight between local Lib Dem Dr Will Sapwell, and former Labour cabinet member Lewis Dagnall. Lewis was previously a councillor for City and Gleadless Valley wards, and is the husband of Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake. Despite Labour throwing huge amounts of resources at this seat, the Lib Dems held on confidently, showing that the Labour party still have a long way to go before they win the confidence of many voters in Sheffield.
Only a few election cycles ago, the Stannington seat was won by the Lib Dems by just 5 votes, and the majority tonight shows the substantial progress the party has made, leaving them in pole position to take back the parliamentary seat of Sheffield.
Cllr Dr Will Sapwell, the newly elected Liberal Democrat councillor for Stannington Ward, said:
“I want to thank the voters of Stannington Ward for putting their trust and confidence in me. Vickie Priestley was a hugely popular local councillor, and I hope I can follow her footsteps in working hard for Stannington Ward. During the campaign a number of issues were raised with me, such as the poor bus service, and Yorkshire Water’s continued failure in the area, whether it was last year’s gas flood, dumping sewage, or failing to fix leaks. Local residents feel that the Labour Party in Sheffield isn’t speaking up for them as they are controlled from their HQ in London.”
Shaffaq Mohammed, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Sheffield Council and Parliamentary Spokesperson for Sheffield Hallam, said:
“This result shows that everything is still to play for in Sheffield Hallam. Labour haven’t made any headway, despite running a big campaign and throwing a lot at this seat. It also shows that the Conservatives are nowhere to be seen in SHeffield Hallam. At the next election in Sheffield Hallam, it's going to be a clear fight between Labour and the Lib Dems. I’m delighted to welcome Will to our strong team of city councillors in Sheffield.”