Bishop's Stortford Town Council by-election: Shock county council winner Calvin Horner (Lib Dem) completes double
Bishop's Stortford Liberal Democrat Calvin Horner added to his shock Herts County Council victory by winning a seat on the town council as well in Thursday's (May 6) local elections.
The 58-year-old semi-retired voluntary sector worker retained the All Saints ward seat for his party in a by-election triggered by the resignation in March of Dr Louie Corpe.
He polled 1,214 votes – more than his Conservative and Labour opponents combined.
The by-election count was held as part of the county council count for the East Herts district at Wodson Park Sports and Lesiure Centre in Ware on Saturday (May 8). It was delayed on the advice of the county's director of public health, Jim McManus, as a Covid precaution and the ballot papers were quarantined for at least 24 hours.
Cllr Horner's by-election win heralds a second spell on the town council; he previously served from 2007-11. He is also an ex-Southampton city councillor.
In the county council election, he beat John Wyllie, leader of the town council and a member of the district council, in the Bishop's Stortford East division that the Tory won by just 80 votes from Mione Goldspink in the last election in 2017.
For Conservative Cassandra Johnson, it was a second defeat in her attempt to win a Bishop's Stortford Town Council seat. The 41-year-old accountant, teacher and mother missed out in Meads ward by just 20 votes in the May 2019 local elections.
She polled 796 votes on Thursday to finish second. Labour's Daniel Barnett, a sixth form student at The Bishop's Stortford High School, was third.
In May 2019, the Lib Dems won all three town council seats in All Saints, but Tory Shane Manning won a by-election in December the same year following the death of former mayor Mike Wood.
The political composition of the 17-seat town council is now: 12 Tories, 4 Lib Dems, 1 Labour.
Dr Corpe also represented Stortford All Saints on East Herts Council. Another by-election on Thursday to replace him on the district council was won by another Lib Dem, serving town councillor Richard Townsend, completing a clean sweep for the party in that side of town.
BISHOP'S STORTFORD TOWN COUNCIL ALL SAINTS BY-ELECTION
- Calvin Horner (Lib Dem) 1,214 / 50.5%
- Cassandra Johnson (Con) 796 / 33.1%
- Daniel Barnett (Lab) 394 / 16.4%
- Turnout 40.79% Result Lib Dem hold
2019 results (three elected)
- Mike Wood (Lib Dem) 1,112
- Louie Corpe (Lib Dem) 1,082
- Richard Townsend (Lib Dem) 983
- Colin Woodward (Con) 733
- Patricia Moore (Con) 636
- Shane Manning (Con) 611
- Eamonn Abbott (Lab) 297
- Turnout 35% Result 3 Lib Dem gains from Con
