Lib Dem Robin Stevens scoops Lawns By-election

1.30.54am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 16th Sep 2005

Lib Dems win Lawns By-election with largest ever swing

Lib Dem Robin Stevens has won the by-election for Lawns ward of Chelmsford Borough Council - with an 17.7% swing from the Conservatives. Said Robin, "I am delighted - and a little daunted - that the people of the Lawns Ward have placed such faith in me. I will do my utmost to deserve it and follow in the footsteps of Phil Harvey."

The result was:

LibDem 1130 65.3% +20.9

Con 540 31.2% -14.6

Lab 40 2.3% -3.6

UKIP 20 1.2% +1.2

[Green 0 -3.9]

Majority 590

Turnout 1730 40.4% (up 1%)

Phil Harvey, who held the seat before moving away said, "This is a fantastic win for a popular and effective local candidate. I know he will make a great contribution to the Lawns area, and to the Borough Council as a whole."

Parliamentary Candidate Stephen Robinson added, "On this swing (of 17.7%) the Liberal Democrats would take control of Chelmsford Borough Council and win the parliamentary seat. This is a serious blow for the Conservatives, who had high hopes of taking this seat, and a disaster for the Labour party, who have hit an all-time-low share of the vote."