Labour takes Bristol Southmead ward beating Greens by just 52 votes

Kye Dudd, third from right, thanked Labour members who campaigned for him

Labour has won a by-election to maintain a fine balance between it and the Green Party on a city council.

Former Bristol City Council cabinet member Kye Dudd won the Southmead ward election despite a steep rise in the Green vote.

The 37-year-old was returned to City Hall by just 52 votes ahead of Green candidate Ed Burnham.

The result means the two main parties at the authority have 24 councillors each again.

Labour's vote held relatively steady, slipping by 3.4 per cent to 41 per cent from May 2021, but the Greens' soared by more than 19 per cent to 38.5.

After his victory, Cllr Dudd said: "I'm delighted that the people of Southmead have put their trust in me to be their local representative, to stand up for their interests and secure the area the investment it deserves.

"I ran a positive, policy-focused campaign addressing Southmead's priorities."

He said he was looking forward to achieving his campaign pledges alongside fellow Southmead ward Labour Cllr Brenda Massey, Mr Rees and MP Darren Jones.

Mr Burnham said: "I'm immensely proud of our campaign and will continue to work tirelessly for the people of Southmead.

"Labour made a lot of promises during this campaign, and you can be sure that I and local residents will spend the next two years holding them to account on these promises."

The Conservatives' support was cut almost in half, down to 14.75 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats' vote failed to reach treble figures.

The results in full were:

Kye Dudd (Labour) - 780 votes

Ed Burnham (Green) - 728 votes

Roddy Jaques (Conservative) - 279 votes

Gill Brooks (Liberal Democrat) - 82 votes

Tom Baldwin (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) - 22 votes.

The turnout was 1,891, or 21.2 per cent.