Reform wins first seat on Darlington council
LDRSReform UK has won its first seat on Darlington Borough Council.
Michael Walker came first in the Red Hall and Lingfield ward poll on Thursday.
The by-election was called following the resignation of former Labour councillor Amanda Riley, who stood down due to ill-health.
Walker said he was "very happy" with the win and knew the area needed a lot of attention, adding: "I will listen to everybody's issues and try to solve them as best I can."
A total of 907 votes were cast with a turnout of 27%, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Walker won with 341 votes, while Liberal Democrat Simon Thorley and Conservative Kyle Bartch tied second on 157 votes. Labour's Jonnie Vasey came third with 152 votes.
The current make-up of the council consists of 23 Labour, 13 Conservatives, six Greens, five Independents, two Liberal Democrats, and one Reform.
Middlesbrough CouncilThe win in Darlington follows other recent by-election victories for Reform on Teesside, which saw the party win its first seats on neighbouring local authorities.
In Middlesbrough, Joanne Rush took the Nunthorpe ward seat from the Liberal Democrats in a by-election held on 4 December, with a majority of 13 votes.
The election was held following the resignation of Lib Dem Morgan McClintock.
With a turnout of 35.75%, Rush secured 563 votes, with Lib Dem rival Adrian Walker coming second with 550 votes.
Conservative candidate Martin Lyon was third with 328 votes, Green Party candidate Sam Boardman polled fourth with 79 votes, and Labour finished last with 52 votes for candidate Richard Lewis.
The party also took its first seat on Redcar and Cleveland Council in October, with Army veteran Craig Holmes topping the poll in the Skelton East ward by-election with 65% of the vote. The by-election was called following the resignation of Conservative councillor Andy Oliver.
