The Conservatives have added to their general election victory by holding onto a Topsham seat on Exeter City Council.
Tory Keith Sparkes secured more than 2,000 votes in a by-election that was held on the same day as the national vote, leading to an unusually high turnout of 74 per cent.
It was triggered by the resignation of Conservative Catherine Pierce, who was first elected to the council in 2018.
The Tories comfortably held the seat with Mr Sparkes getting 42.5 per cent of the vote.
Ivan Jordan for Labour finished second with 31 per cent of the vote, while Christine Campion for the Liberal Democrats picked up 20 per cent.
Frankie Rufolo, of The For Britain Movement, secured 4.5 per cent of the vote.
TOPSHAM BY-ELECTION RESULT:
- Keith Sparkes (Conservatives) – 2,315
- Ivan Jordan (Labour) – 1,713
- Christine Campion (Liberal Democrats) – 1,106
- Frankie Rufolo (The For Britain Movement) – 245
The composition of the council now stands as Labour (29), Conservative (6), Liberal Democrat (2), Green Party (1), and Independent (1).
Topsham has only elected Conservative councillors to the city council in the 21st century.
