Lib Dems continue winning streak in Winchester

11.55.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 25th Sep 2008

Richard Izard, Daryl Henry, Martin Tod and Peter Mason celebrate Daryl's election success

Winchester Liberal Democrats are celebrating their win in the Colden Common & Twyford by-election, where their candidate, Daryl Henry, won with a significantly increased majority over the Conservative candidate.

Highlights included:

• An increase in the Lib Dem vote and a decline in the Conservative vote

• An increase in the Lib Dem majority from 176 to 242</li>

• A 1.4% swing from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats compared to May's election result. This followed swings from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats in the May 2008 elections, the May 2007 elections and in the Wickham by-election in November 2007.

Overall results were:

Party | Votes | change +/- | % votes | change +/-

Daryl Henry (Liberal Democrats) | 1,180 | +62 | 54.1% | +1.1%

Conservative | 938 | -4 | 43.0% | -1.6%

Labour | 64 | +13 | 2.9% | +0.5%

Turnout was 51%.

Daryl Henry commented:

"I've lived in Twyford for over 20 years and I'm very proud to have been chosen as our local councillor by my neighbours. There's a lot I want get done for the area - improving traffic and parking, getting potholes filled and our pavements fixed up, and getting an evening bus service back for our young people."

Leader of the Liberal Democrat council group, Councillor Therese Evans commented:

"I am delighted to welcome Daryl as a Liberal Democrat Councillor on Winchester City Council. She's already proven herself as a local community activist and will represent the best interests of Colden Common and Twyford"

Martin Tod, Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, commented:

"Back in May we got our highest vote in the local elections for 10 years and this result continues the trend. For the fourth election in a row on Winchester City Council, there's been a clear swing from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats. Labour got less than 3% of the vote. The Conservatives threw everything they had at this election and went backwards. Coming so soon after the biggest ever opinion poll of marginal seats in UK history showed the Liberal Democrats holding Winchester, this is a very encouraging result for the Lib Dem team and yet another bad result for the Conservatives."

The Liberal Democrats fought a highly innovative campaign which included nearly 100 young people signing up to back Daryl Henry's campaign for an evening bus service on Facebook (http://facebook.busbacktonight.com).