Reform UK takes two district council seats in close-run by-elections in South Kesteven
Reform UK candidates have narrowly snatched victory to take two seats on South Kesteven District Council.
Candidates were standing in Aveland Ward and Belmont Ward in a by-election held on Thursday, December 11 to fill two vacancies on the council.
Aveland covers the parishes of Aslackby and Laughton, Dowsby, Dunsby, Haconby and Stainfield, Pointon and Sempringham and Rippingale; while Belmont takes in the parish of Londonthorpe & Harrowby Without.
Coun Kyle Abel (Reform UK) was elected to serve Aveland Ward, beating the Conservative candidate Tony Vaughan by 10 votes.
Richard Litchfield (Reform UK) was elected to serve Belmont Ward, winning by two votes ahead of Conservative candidate Adam Stokes.
This increases Reform UK’s group to five councillors. Although the Conservative Group is the largest group on the council with 17 members, the authority is led by a coalition of independent and unaligned councillors from very groupings, led by Council Leader Coun Ashley Baxter, who was voted in by a majority of council members in January 2024 and selected his cabinet.
The full results were:
Aveland Ward –
Kyle Mark Abel – Reform UK 290 (Elected); David Aaron Burling – Labour Party 23; Brynley Heaven – Green Party 115; Anthony Philip Vaughan commonly known as Tony – The Conservative Party Candidate 280.
Belmont Ward – Declan Thomas Peter Gibbons – Independent 143; Sean Duncan Hothersall – Green Party 61; Richard Stephen Litchfield – Reform UK 239 (Elected); Susan Elizabeth Nash – Labour Party 35; Adam Neil Stokes – The Conservative Party Candidate 237.