Liberal Democrats gain Zetland Ward in Redcar by-election

The Liberal Democrats have claimed victory in the Zetland Ward by-election held in Redcar on February 19th.

The election saw a significant voter turnout as local residents casted their ballots to choose their new representative.  

The Liberal Democrat candidate, Alison Barnes, secured the landslide victory with 50% of the overall votes.  

Image Credit: Alison Barnes

This victory marks a notable gain for the party in the region, reflecting the growing support for their policies.  

Alison Barnes said: "I am delighted that I have been re-elected to represent and fight for the residents of Zetland.

"I am doubly delighted to win by such a large margin.

"I think that the fact that I continued my community work and supported residents, even when I was not a councillor, was appreciated by the voters."

Labour candidate Mitchell Rynn came in second with over 20% of the votes and the Reform candidate Mike Manning managed to come in third with nearly 15% of the votes even though his party withdrew their support after the discovery of his offensive posts.  

The focus now shifts to how the newly elected councillor will address the key issues facing the Zetland Ward.

Her plan for the ward now that she has been re-elected is to target the three main issues, she believes the area needs urgently.

Starting with working with the community police officers to challenge anti-social behaviour and support residents.

She believes that five years is "too long" for the Redcar Town Deal to deliver town centre improvements and so will pressure the council for action, explanation and accountability.

Then she hopes to fix potholes and grass verges as residents' surveys frequently report concerns about dangerous potholes and grass verges destroyed by poor parking and so will demand swift action from the council.

Residents will be eager to see how the promises made during the campaign translate into tangible improvements in their area.