Reform UK wins first seat on council in by-election

A town has elected its first ever Reform UK councillor during a by-election with Labour coming in fourth place behind the Green Party.

James Fletcher, who previously stood in the Luton's general election, narrowly beat the Liberal Democrats to win the seat in Wigmore on Luton Council.

The by-election took place on Thursday after the previous Liberal Democrat councillor failed to attend meetings for more than six months.

Fletcher received 576 votes with the Lib Dems getting 533, Greens 344, Labour 170 and Conservatives 116.

A total of 1,754 votes were cast, amounting to a turnout of 25.68%.

Wigmore is a ward on the edge of the town, which includes Luton Airport and has traditionally elected Liberal Democrat councillors.

The council is Labour-run and in the 2023 local elections, Labour won 30 seats, Liberal Democrats 15 and Conservatives won three.

Fletcher previously stood as Reform UK's candidate for Luton North in the 2024 general election, where he came in third place with 12% of the vote.

Mark Fowler, the returning officer for Luton, said: "The election of a councillor is a vital part of our local democracy. I would like to congratulate councillor Fletcher on their success and thank everyone who turned out to vote.

"I'd also like to express my appreciation to all our staff who worked at the three polling stations throughout the day, as well as those who supported the count at the town hall this evening."

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