Decisive Win for Liberal Democrats in Northchurch By-Election for a Dacorum Borough and a Northchurch Parish Council Seat
Conservative complacency took another hit on Dacorum Borough Council (DBC) on Thursday night (8th March 2018) as Liberal Democrat Lara Pringle won a decisive victory in two local By-Elections. One was to fill the vacant Northchurch Ward on DBC and the second to fill a vacancy on Northchurch Parish Council. Both vacancies had resulted from the death in January of Cllr Alan Fantham who had held both seats.
Lara Pringle, a local barrister who has lived in Northchurch for 16 years and who had been a parent-governor at St Mary's Primary School, was elected to fill both vacancies.
The results of both elections were decisive, with Lara receiving 59.2% of the vote in the case of the DBC election and 60.1% in the case of the parish council election.
The increase in vote share for the Liberal Democrats was 40%, the Conservative vote share fell by 32%. This was a swing of 36% from Conservatives to Liberal Democrats with a voter turnout of 40.5% - unusually high for a local council by-election.
The full results are:
Dacorum Borough Council
| Gareth Hawden | Labour | 97 | 10.5% (down 1%) |
| Rob McCarthy | Conservative | 260 | 28.2% (down 32%) |
| Joe Pitts | Green | 19 | 2.1% (down 7%) |
| Lara Pringle | Liberal Democrat | 545 | 59.2% ( up 40%) |
Northchurch Parish Council
| Carolann Buchorski | Northchurch Residents Assoc | 243 | 26.9% |
| Gareth Hawden | Labour | 81 | 9.0% |
| Joe Pitts | Green | 36 | 4.0% |
| Lara Pringle | Liberal Democrat | 543 | 60.1% |
Following her election Lara Pringle said,
"I am humbled by the way so many people have put their faith in me. It is a real honour to have been chosen to represent Northchurch at Dacorum Borough Council and to be a member of the Parish Council.
"Meeting people in Northchurch over the past weeks was a real pleasure and I hope to get to know even more of my neighbours over the coming months. I will listen to people's ideas, take on board their suggestions and do my best to help. I will stand up for Northchurch and work with others to do what is best for the whole community. When people need help, I want them to know that I am approachable and I will do all that I can for them.
I have met many interesting and welcoming residents during the campaign and can truly say that the most valuable asset Northchurch possesses is its amazing community. I look forward to serving the people of Northchurch."
Nick Hollinghurst, who ran Lara's successful campaign said,
"Lara Pringle was an outstanding candidate and this remarkable result is a tribute to her qualities. As a local parent with a legal background and over 25 years experience in public service she is well placed to represent local people effectively and to make the case for Northchurch.
The high turnout shows that people took these by-elections very seriously and the large majority indicates the strength of support for Lara and the Liberal Democrats. She and we will do our best to live up to that responsibility."
Ron Tindall, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Dacorum Borough Council said,
"The Northchurch election result shows clearly that residents were unhappy with the way they were represented and with the way the Borough was being run by the Conservatives.
They have turned to the Liberal Democrats as the only serious alternative in Dacorum. We fought against the privatisation of Sportspace, and we shall continue to oppose council policies we believe are not in the public interest.
We welcome Councillor Lara Pringle to the Liberal Democrat Group."