Tories triumphant in Wyre by-elections

Conservative Party supporters across Wyre were celebrating last week after retaining two seats in Wyre.
Tory candidate Matthew Salter was victorious.Tory candidate Matthew Salter was victorious.
Tory candidate Matthew Salter was victorious.

In the Rural Wyre Central seat for Lancashire County Council, Conservative candidate and PhD student at Lancaster University, Matthew Salter, won over Labour’s Nicholas Fogg and the Green Party’s Sue White.

In the Preesall ward for Wyre Council, Conservative candidate Peter Cartridge, a teacher from Hambleton, was the victor in a two-horse race against Labour’s Nic Fogg, who stood for Labour in both county and borough seats.

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The results were declared at around 12.45am on Friday (January 11) after the counts at Wyre Civic Centre in Breck Road, Poulton.

Salter was comfortable in victory, with 60 per cent of all votes cast in his name (1,745 votes), but the result marked a 12.4 per cent swing of the vote to Labour’s Fogg, who received 31.8 per cent of the vote (925 votes).

A total of 2,915 votes were cast – down from 3,833 in 2017 – including eight spoiled ballots.

A swing of 9.7 per cent also went to Labour in the Preesall by-election, with Cartridge winning with 930 votes (55.3 per cent).

The two polls were held to fill Wyre and county council seats left vacant following the death last year of Conservative coun Vivien Taylor.