Shumon Ali-Rahman won the by-election with 924 votes. The seat was vacated by the new MP for Mid-Bedfordshire Alistair Strathern, reports Josh Mellor, Local Democracy Reporter
Labour have held on to a council seat at a by-election in Higham Hill, Walthamstow yesterday.
Shumon Ali-Rahman won with 924 votes, followed by runner-up Alex Lewis, for the Liberal Democrats, who won 268 votes.
Cllr Ali-Rahman thanked Higham Hill residents for electing him and said it is “clear” from the results that they want Labour to continue working hard for them.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I am really looking forward to working with Cllr Karen Bellamy and Cllr Kira Lewis to deliver on further local improvements in Higham Hill, championing residents’ voices in local decision making and ensuring there’s more ward walks with police and council officers to help keep our streets safe.”
The by-election was called after former Waltham Forest councillor Alistair Strathern resigned in September to fight for a Westminster seat.
Less than one-fifth (17.05%) of the 9,400 potential voters took part in the democratic decision. This marks a significant drop from last year’s local elections when Higham Hill had a turnout of 27.8%.
Other candidates in the by-election included the Green Party’s Abigail Woodman with 198 votes, Trade Union and Socialist Coalition’s (TUSC) Nancy Taaffe with 144 votes and Conservative Moufazzal Bhuiyan with 78 votes.
According to Election Maps UK, Labour’s overall vote share fell by 3.6% while the Lib Dems saw a 7% increase.
TUSC also a 4.1% increase in their share and the Green Party saw a 7.9% decrease.
Lib Dem candidate Alex thanked his party colleagues for helping increase their vote share by 7% compared to the 2022 local elections but said the low turnout is a “serious concern”.
He added: “Many people I spoke with were disillusioned with local politics and the extent of that showed with 83% of voters not wishing to cast their vote.
“More must be done to restore faith in local democracy. I look forward to continuing our campaign in Higham Hill and across Waltham Forest, listening to residents and campaigning for a neighbourhood we can all be proud of.”
Abigail, for the Green Party, told the LDRS she was “grateful” for everyone who voted for her after running a “low-key campaign”.
She added: “It’s a really humbling and exciting experience to go to the polling station and vote for myself.
“It’s really interesting seeing democracy in action and votes being counted.”
TUSC candidate Nancy said that the “atrocious” turnout was “an indictment of the policies inflicted by this Labour council over the last decade and more.
“The vast majority of people didn’t go out to vote – not because they can’t be bothered, but because they didn’t believe it would change anything.”
Nancy added: “Labour’s [vote share] fell from 67% to 57%. The party of government, the Tories, had a disastrous 78 votes. We are delighted that our share of the vote increased from 6% to 9%.”
Conservative group leader Emma Best said: “The Conservative group warmly welcome our new council colleague and hope he serves Higham Hill residents with the focus and energy they deserve.
“The swing against Labour is again indicative of what we are seeing around London as communities, even in Labour’s biggest strongholds, grow frustrated with their leadership both in City Hall and the council.”
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
