Lib Dem victory in Telford by-election

12.00.00am GMT Fri 12th Mar 2010

Deborah Crane won the by-election on 11 March with a majority of 154 in the Central Ward of Lawley & Overdale Parish Council. Deborah got 381 votes and the Labour candidate got 227. Voting took place at the Carpenter Centre, Oak Road, Overdale, and the Dawley Bank Baptist Church . It was noticeable that the number of postal votes returned far outnumbered those voting on the day, although the turnout was a poor 17%.

Deborah lives in the ward, and is Vice-Chairman of the Wrekin & Telford Liberal Democrats. This was the first time that she had stood for any election, which makes her success well-deserved. She wants to thank all those people who supported her, and will do her best to represent them fairly and objectively.

In the Hadley & Leegomery by-election held on the same day, Labour also lost out to a Residents Association Candidate, Sean Thomas. The poor showing from Labour on an 18% turnout suggests that David Wright MP may have difficulty in retaining his seat for the Telford constituency in the forthcoming general election. It is now likely that the election will be held on 6 May, and the Conservative lead in the polls is rapidly diminishing. This could offer the prospect of a hung parliament, where no party has an overall majority. Bearing in mind the economic situation, this could be a good thing, as it will require the cooperation of all MPs to address the issues that face the country successfully.