Ferryhill (Durham County Council): 24 February by-election preview

This week's featured by-election at Smarkets is in the Ferryhill ward on Durham County Council.

A fascinating field made up of seven runners (three of whom ran here in the local elections last year) and a very hard call for anyone wanting to bet on this. Here is what happened in the 2021 elections when three councillors were elected:

May 2021 result (top three elected, Independent since died)
1189 Independent
1130 Labour
916 Conservative
902 Labour
893 Joe Makepeace (Ind)
849 Curtis Bihari (Labour)
608 David Farry (Ind)

2022 Candidates

• Curtis Bihari (Labour) came sixth last year but seems to be running an enthusiastic campaign with several MPs turning out to help his canvassing efforts.
• Joe Makepeace (Ind) finished marginally ahead of Bihari last time and won a seat in this ward in 2017. Makepeace has also previously been Mayor of Ferryhill.
• David Farry (Conservative). Given the current national polling situation, you might not think a Tory gain was very likely anywhere but they have got the current Mayor of Ferryhill standing for them. Although Farry finished last as an Independent in 2021, he obviously has some local standing and maybe with the backing of local Conservatives he could pull off a surprise. Farry has been in the news in the past for being drunk at a Remembrance Sunday event in the town.
• Glenys Newby (Ind) is a former Children's Rights Officer for Durham County Council and appears to be running a fairly standard indy campaign. Top check box on one of her leaflets: "Yes to clean streets, free from litter and dog mess".
• Bill Thorkildsen (Liberal Democrats) was formerly a Lib Dem councillor on Newcastle City Council before defecting to the Tories in 2008. Back in the fold for the Lib Dems, but they haven't stood in this ward recently.
• Kaela Banthorpe (Freedom Alliance). The Freedom Alliance is essentially an anti-lockdown party who've put up candidates in a few recent Westminster by-elections. They got 72 votes and finished last in the Hartlepool by-election, behind the Official Monster Raving Loonies. Still, Banthorpe is the party chair and lives in County Durham.
• Rebecca Dixon-McWaters (Green) is bidding to become the second Green member on Durham County Council. The Greens have won a few local by-elections across the country recently but this doesn't look like promising territory for them.