The Liberal Democrats have chalked up stunning successes in the first council byelections of the year, taking one seat from Labour on a massive swing and another from the Conservatives, giving them control of a local authority.



The gain from Labour came in the Sandhill ward of Sunderland city council in a contest after the disqualification of a Labour councillor for non-attendance. The Lib Dems took 824 votes against 458 for Labour, 343 for Ukip and 184 for the Conservatives, a swing from Labour of 35.5%.

The party took control of Three Rivers district council by taking a seat from the Conservatives in the key marginal ward of Gade Valley. The byelection at the council in Hertfordshire, where county council elections are due in May, followed the death of a Conservative councillor.

The Lib Dem victories were the latest in the party’s unbroken string of council by-election wins since last May’s local elections. Coupled with its triumph in last month’s parliamentary byelection at Richmond Park, it gives the party a further boostbefore the local elections in May.

The Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, said: “We finished 2016 winning byelections and tonight we have shown that the Lib Dem fightback is going from strength to strength.”