Sitwell By-Election Result. Disaster for Liberals, 769 Voters Go Missing! Labour Dismay as Ground Lost Since May - Against National Trend!

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Rotherham MBC Sitwell Ward By-Election August 5th 2010
Party	2008 Result	2008 % Vote	2010 May Result	2010 May % Vote	2010 By-Election Result	2010 By-Election % Vote	% Change since 2008	% Change since May
Tory	2300	58.5	2684	41.5	1213	45.5	-13	4.5
Lab	768	19.5	2238	34.6	864	32.4	12.9	-2.2
R Ind			751	11.6	252	9.5		-2.1
UKIP			793	12.3	241	8.9		-3.4
Lib	867	22			98	3.7	-18.3
Totals	3935		6466		2668

Dave Ridgway's result is remarkable in the context of the local political scene.

The catastrophic drop in the Liberal vote, second place to last or 867 to 98 a loss of 769 votes, clearly demonstrates the electoral problems the Liberals now have, both nationally and here in Rotherham, since they decided to go in to coalition and now are left looking for all the world to have put personal ambition first and are now busily engaged in implementing Tory cuts with a degree of enthusiasm not welcomed by those that put their faith in them at the time of the General Election.

Previous by-elections in Wolverhampton and Walsall which took place in July, clearly demonstrate a consistent pattern for the Liberals, receiving just 52 and 72 votes respectively. These by-election results so soon after the May elections must surely give great cause for alarm amongst Liberals up and down the country. 

The result for Labour must also have been very disappointing for them, as they lost ground since May and lost 2.2% of their vote share, despite mounting an extraordinarily vigorous campaign and a great deal of election day activity, not previously seen anywhere in Rotherham for many a year!