CONSERVATIVE Stephen Taylor won the by-election for the vacant seat on Stockton Heath Parish Council.

He polled 278 votes to beat Lindsey Harrison of Labour, 217 votes, into second place.

The Greens' Lyndsay McAteer was third with 96 votes.

The Liberal Democrats did not field a candidate in a protest over the £6,900 cost of holding the by-election for the west ward of the parish council.

Just 14.1 per cent of those eligible voted in Thursday's election.

A by-election was called in the west ward of the parish council after Liberal Democrat Wendy Emsley resigned due to ill health.

Paul Campbell, chairman of Warrington Conservatives, said: "We are delighted at Stephen’s re-election to Stockton Heath Parish Council.

"As a lifelong resident, he has a true grasp on the issues that affect Stockton Heath and the wider community.

"His previous commitment and achievements as a councillor have been noted by residents as we conducted the short campaign running up to the election and this has been reflected in the result.

"We are confident that Stephen will make a really positive contribution to the parish, bringing with him a great deal of local experience, particularly pertinent as the council’s local plan progresses.

"Following the election of Andy Carter to Lymm parish earlier this year and Phil Marshall to Stretton, this is another example of residents recognising the calibre of candidates Warrington Conservatives are fielding.

"Candidates with a local focus, willing to work cross-party and cross-parish to ensure the right decisions are made for the area as a whole."

Labour’s Ms Harrison said: “Congratulations to Stephen on winning.

“I am disappointed but I have really enjoyed the campaign.

“Thank you to everyone who voted for me and everyone who supported my campaign.

“While Labour did not call the by-election, and had concerns about the expense, we felt that it was important to give voters a choice to vote for the many, not the few.”

Cllr Helen Dutton, chair of Labour’s Bridgewater branch, added: “In this election, we’ve seen that when the progressive vote splits between Labour and the Greens, it results in a Tory victory.

“Many of the issues raised by the Greens are not in fact within the control of the parish council but arise from Conservative policies in Westminster, which Labour works hard to mitigate locally.

“Lindsey has fought a fair and positive campaign and would have been a tremendous addition to the parish council.”