Brimington on Derbyshire (Lab Defence)
Result of council at last election (2013): Labour 43, Conservatives 18, Liberal Democrats 3 (Labour majority of 22)
Result of ward at last election (2013): Labour 1,857 (69%), Conservatives 301 (11%), Liberal Democrats 250 (9%), Independent (Mullins) 175 (6%), Independent (Mann) 119 (4%)
Candidates duly nominated: John Ahern (Lib Dem), Mick Bagshaw (Ind), Tricia Gilby (Lab), Lewis Preston (Con), Paul Stone (UKIP)

Derbyshire has always been called a Labour heartland council (and yet despite that the county actually has some very Conservative areas as well). In the 1992 general election of the ten constituencies in Derbyshire, the Conservatives had six to Labour’s four and yet at the following year’s general election Labour had an overall majority of 20 on the council. In 1997, all the seats (bar Derbyshire West) voted Labour, very little happened on the county (thanks in part to Derby becoming a unitary authority) and in 2001 when the Liberal Democrats gained Chesterfield, very little happened again. It was only in 2005 that things started to happen when Labour’s majority slipped to 12 (with the Liberal Democrats gaining three and the Conservatives gaining two), and in 2009 the seemingly unthinkable happened as the Conservatives gained overall control (by three) so it should come as no suprise to hear that in 2010, the county went back to how it was in 1992 (only with an extra seat for Labour thanks to boundary changes). However in this by-election we have the UKIP factor in a ward they did not contest in 2013. Whether they will be able to upset the apple cart enough to gain the seat is debateable, but can they affect the outcome? Almost certainly.

Harry Hayfield