Four by-elections across Hackney have left the local political landscape unchanged, as Labour remained dominant in three wards while the Conservatives held Stamford Hill West.
An election count called amongst palm trees under the dome of Alexandra Palace saw Labour candidates Anya Sizer, Sarah Young and Lynne Troughton elected in Hoxton East & Shoreditch, Woodberry Down and King’s Park respectively, while Stephen Lisser was returned for the Tories in the north of the borough.
Interviewed following the results, Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville reflected on an election in which a surge for independent candidates standing on an anti-Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) platform did not transpire, with the Green Party coming in second in the three Labour seats, while Labour’s Rosemary Sales lost a hard-fought campaign in Stamford Hill West.
He said: “They were highly contested by-elections with very positive campaigns led by four Labour candidates. All four of them listened to local residents and led a positive campaign. I was really pleased to go out and campaign for all of them on the doorstep with so many other colleagues and comrades.
“We did not see that surge of the independents that people were talking about, and the Greens came second in the three Labour wards, which again illustrates the importance of sustainability in Hackney that Labour has been leading on.”
Reflecting on Labour’s loss in Stamford Hill, he added: “It was a close-fought campaign in a Conservative held ward. Rosemary ran a really positive campaign on all of the issues around sustainability, renters’ rights, we saw her campaigning passionately on car dominance in the area, and road safety.
“All of those things were what the voters were talking about, with the Network Rail cutback of foliage; she had campaigned with Sandford Court to move the test centre with local residents, and some of her biggest supporters were on those estates and the people she had been continuing to campaign for.”
The battle in Stamford Hill saw the Tories’ Mr Lisser secure 1,456 votes, against Sales’ 1,192. Turnout in the ward was the highest of the four by-elections at 46 per cent, with 2,943 votes cast in total. Johnny Dixon for the Greens came third with 189 votes, while the Lib Dem’s Anthony Harms came last with 59.
Mr Lisser did not attend the count, where there was a brief battle of wills between Conservative councillor Simche Steinberger, who attempted to accept the vote on Mr Lisser’s behalf, and returning officer and council chief executive Tim Shields, who blocked him from speaking from the dais as he was neither a candidate nor an agent.
Speaking on behalf of Mr Lisser, Hackney Conservative chairman Jack Sutcliffe said: “Stephen’s priorities are going to be working hard to open the roads, increase rubbish collection, and representing all of the people of Stamford Hill.
“A huge thank you to the voters of Stamford Hill West for the faith that they have shown in him.”
Speaking after her loss, Sales pledged to “continue with the fight to make a better, safer, greener Stamford Hill”, while hoping that Mr Lisser, “who I have never met, and who I have not seen at all in the campaign, will be joining with us in trying to do that”.
The first by-election to be announced was in Hoxton East & Shoreditch, which saw a comfortable win for Labour’s Anya Sizer with 1,504 votes on a 33 per cent turnout with 2,845 votes cast. The Greens came in second with Charlotte Owusu-Allen gaining 454 votes, while Jasmine Ngominabo Cannon-Ikurusi for the Conservatives received 307. After the Conservatives in Hoxton came Helen Baxter of the Liberal Democrats with 253, followed by independent candidate Niall Crowley, who attracted 222 votes for the seat. Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidate Chris Newby came last with 47 votes.
Following the announcement, Anya Sizer said: “This is genuinely one of the biggest honours of my life, and I’m slightly overwhelmed. I want to say thank you more than anything to everyone who marked a cross on the ballot paper for the Labour Party. This is for you.
“We are honoured and so thankful for your vote and trust in us. We will work hard every day for the residents of Hoxton East and Shoreditch. We stood right from the start as a team on a platform of positivity. That is what residents deserve – a platform and a hope of positivity.”
In Woodberry Down, Labour also saw a firm vote of confidence in former transport chief Jon Burke’s old seat, with Labour candidate Sarah Young gaining 1,680 votes on a 39 per cent turnout with 2,970 votes cast. Green party candidate Alice Bennett came second with 535, pipping Conservative candidate Ari Feferkorn to the post by just five votes. The Liberal Democrats’ Alton Hassan came last with 167 votes.
Sarah Young said: “Thank you to all the people who have been out and pounding the streets. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go up and down as many stairs as this again. I really hope I can work hard enough to justify the faith that the people of Woodberry Down have put in me and I will try my very best.”
King’s Park saw the most convincing Labour victory, with Lynne Troughton romping home with 2,484 votes on a 41 per cent turnout with 3952 total votes cast. The Greens came in second with Peter Jones taking 636 votes.
Following Jones was the Conservatives’ Sandy Ngongo-Nkolomoni who gained 279 votes. Lib Dems’ Elizabeth Prochaska with 136. Liberal Democrat Elizabeth Prochaska finished with 136 votes, while Independent candidates Clair Battaglino and Ben Mathis gained 151 and 120 votes respectively. TUSC candidate Naomi Byron came last with 72.
Lynne Troughton said: “It will be a huge privilege and honour to serve the people of King’s Park. I’m looking forward to this new stage in my career. I’d like to thank all the members and councillors who did all the leafletting and door-knocking in our ward – it really paid off.
“I promise the residents of King’s Park that I will do my best, work hard for social and environmental justice in King’s Park.”
You can find the full results here – https://hackney.gov.uk/elections/
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