Former Labour leader Kieran Thorpe is back in the borough council after the party secured victory and held onto Hatfield Central following a by-election.

Cllr Thorpe, secured victory with 599 votes – a more than 50 per cent majority – beating Conservative Mark Smith, Richard Griffiths from the Liberal Democrats and Melvyn Jones of Abolish the BBC Television Licence, with the by-election held after the resignation of Cllr Glyn Hayes.

Candidate

Party

Votes

Richard Griffiths

Liberal Democrats

183

Melvyn Jones

Abolish the BBC Television Licence

61

Mark Smith

Conservative

273

Kieran Thorpe

Labour

599

Cllr Thorpe, who previously lost his seat in Hatfield South West in May's borough council elections, said is determined to serve the people of Hatfield in memory of Labour councillor Maureen Cook, who passed away last August.

“This by election took everyone by surprise but I’ve really enjoyed speaking to people on the doorstep, making new friends and re-connecting with old acquaintances. It also gave me a newfound appreciation for sun cream,” he said.

“I want to thank everyone who worked to make this election run smoothly, especially the many people who gave up their time to help me.

“I think often about my friend and former councillor Maureen Cook, who sadly passed away last year after representing Hatfield Central for so many years. I will do my best to serve the people of Hatfield as she did.

“It’s clear that people are struggling to get the help they need, and I look forward to getting stuck into a long list of issues to put right In Hatfield Central.”

Reacting to the result, a spokesman for the Liberal Democrats said: "While the result was in itself a little disappointing, it was positive to see we were the only one of the three main parties to increase the number of their votes.

"We look forward to convincing the voters of Hatfield Central that the Lib Dems best represent them in future elections."

A spokesman for the Conservatives added: "While it's clear certain Westminster goings-on affected the result - Prime Ministers don't usually resign mid-election day - we're immensely proud of how hard [our candidate] Mark [Smith] worked, both with regard to the campaign itself and to the efforts he's made to help the council further develop and tidy up Hatfield town centre.

"Mark knocked on lots of doors, delivered lots of leaflets and deserved to win. That said, congratulations to Kieran Thorpe on his victory."