Conservatives win NKDC by-election in Billinghay

Newly elected North Kesteven District Councillor for Billinghay, Martin and North Kyme Ward, Amanda Sanderson. Photo: NKDC

It is a gain for the Tories as the second of two seats in the ward had been previously held by a Lincolnshire Independent councillor.

It was the 43rd and final seat to be filled on the council after only one person came forward to stand in the May 2 local elections to fill the two seats.

Conservative candidate Amanda Sanderson won with 320 votes - double that of her nearest rival, Tracy Giannasi, who came in with 160 votes.

Robert Greetham (Independent) had 72 votes, Garry Winterton (Liberal Democrat) had 57, Matt Newman (Labour) got 43 and Stephen Shanahan-Kluth (Independent) had 9 votes.

In total 668 votes were cast, of which 220 were by post. The turn out was just 15.97 per cent.

Amanda Sanderson takes her seat alongside fellow Tory ward member Gill Ogden.

This gives the Conservatives 21 seats on the council - just one shy of overall control, although their leader Coun Richard Wright had previously declared that they were all members of a new NK Administration Group open to any like-minded councillors of any persuasion to bring about a more inclusive and collaborative council.

There are 16 Lincolnshire Independents and three unaligned Independents who sit in an opposition group called the NK Independents. There are also three other totally unaligned Independents.