Council leader Richard Olszewski welcomes three new councillors 

Voters went to the polls yesterday (Thursday)  to elect new representatives in Camden Square, Kentish Town South and Kilburn

COUNCIL BY-ELECTION RESULTS

CAMDEN SQUARE

PATRICIA LEMAN (Labour) 465 ELECTED
——–
Mohammed Ali Farah (Independent) 164
James Dicker (Green Party) 133
Alexander Matthews (Lib Dems) 89
Jasper Warwick (Independent) 75
Esmerelda Akpoke (Conservatives) 48
Turnout: 16.35%

KENTISH TOWN SOUTH

JOSEPH BALL (Labour) 674 ELECTED
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Alice Brown (Green Party) 327
Muhammad Abu Naser (Independent) 289
Shajib Ziffer (Conservatives) 77
Turnout: 17.93%

KILBURN

ROBERT THOMPSON (Labour) 583 ELECTED
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Peter Hornsby (Conservative) 253
Michael Gomes Vieria (Green Party) 198
David Elkan (Lib Dems) 98
Turnout 13.10%

THE Camden Labour group was celebrating today (Friday) after winning all three council by-elections held to fill vacancies in the Town Hall chamber.

Although there was a record low turnout, the outcomes in Camden Square, Kentish Town South and Kilburn were familiar and the ‘holds’ mean Labour has kept its powerhouse 46 councillor contingent in charge of things.

The by-elections were needed after Georgia Gould, Danny Beales and Lloyd Hatton gave up their seats after becoming MPs in July.

The polls took place in areas where Labour already enjoyed commanding leads. With more than four-fifths of the eligible electorate not bothering to vote at all – election fatigue and rain were offered as factors – Tricia Leman claimed victory in Camden Square and only needed 465 votes to do so.

In Kentish Town South, Joseph Ball claimed the seat previously held by the Cllr Gould, who had been Camden’s leader for seven years, while Reverend Robert Thompson, the West Hampstead priest, was a clear winner in Kilburn.

None of the results could be considered close as the other parties jostled for the runners-up slots.

Labour group leader Councillor Richard Olszewski said: “We worked extremely hard in each of the by-elections – we turned out loads of councillors and activists to go door to door listening to residents and we campaigned positively on our record in the council, our vision for the future and how we will work in partnership with a Labour government. We will now be there to help Camden Council, along with other councils, to deliver more for those who desperately need help through public services and support.

“Camden has a very strong record of delivering for people, particularly during the past 14 years of austerity and financial cuts. We’ve been able to adapt to deliver quality services focussed on people’s needs and I think that came through in the by-elections.”

Asked what difference adding three more Labour councillors to the mammoth cast on the ruling benches would actually mean for residents, he added: “The point of electing a Labour councillor is that they will work in support of a Labour council – that’s the key thing, and that’s what they are there to do. What the other parties are trying to argue, and it’s a cynical argument, is basically to elect someone who is opposed to what we are doing. If people like what the council is doing, we think we are doing the right thing, then the right thing to do is to vote Labour to keep that going.”

On the poor turnout, the council leader said: “I’d have loved to have seen a much higher turnout, but I think we’ve had lots of politics this year and a massive general election campaign and very poor weather on polling day itself. It would have been nice to see a higher turnout but nevertheless the result within that was clear in each of the wards.”