COMFORTABLE WIN FOR CONSERVATIVES IN GRIMSBY'S PARK WARD BY-ELECTION

People's Park in Grimsby - area residents returned the Conservative candidate

THE Conservatives easily held on to the Park ward on North East Lincolnshire Council in yesterday's by-election.

Any fears that their vote might collapse in the wake of the partygate scandal were dispelled as Marian Boyd topped the poll on the same day that  Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the town.

It was a disappointing outcome for both Labour and the Liberal Democrats who felt they had a great chance of wresting the seat that fell vacant in the wake of the sad death of Debbie Woodward.

In alphabetical order, the votes were  as follows:

Aisthorpe, Ryan Ashley: Liberal Democrat:  478

Boyd, Marian: Conservative:  715

Mitchell, Dave: Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition: 70

Shutt, Kevin Gregory: Labour: 578

This week, another vacancy arose on the council with the resignation, for family reasons, of Cllr Kay Rudd, a Liberal Democrat member representing East Marsh ward.

It is now known if this will prompt another by-election or if the seat will remain vacant until the fuller round of elections in May.

Following the latest developments, the current political composition of the council is as follows:

Conservative – 32

Labour – 7

Liberal Democrat – 2

Vacant Seat – 1