LABOUR won the battle of the Kirklees by-election yesterday.
Teacher Simon Alvy (pictured) won the Liversedge and Gomersal by-election taking the seat from the Conservatives.
Clr Alvy polled 1,517 votes narrowly defeating Conservative candidate Sharon Light by 139 votes.
Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Farnhill polled 599 votes.
The by-election was promoted by the resignation of Margaret Bates, a Conservative member who resigned in April on health grounds.
Just three candidates stood for election to Kirklees Council and Labour won with 139 more votes than the second placed candidate.
Voter turnout for the by-election was 25.3%.
The win does not change the administration of Kirklees, with Labour having 33 councillors, the Conservatives have 17, the Liberal Democrats have 10, the Green and Valley Independents have eight members and there’s one Independent.
Labour leader, Clr Mehboob Khan, said: “This fantastic result in the Liversedge and Gomersal by-election is a tribute to the candidate, Simon Alvy, and the campaign team, which delivered a victory in a Tory stronghold.”
Clr Alvy is a former amateur rugby player who lives in Heckmondwike. He is married and has two children.
He is now a high school’s head of year and is the coach of an under 8s rugby side.
