LABOUR has retained control of the seat vacated by veteran councillor Geoff Orange after a by-election in Rixton and Woolston.
Party candidate Edmund Coop triumphed with 762 votes, defeating Conservative choice Alan Freeman, who polled 381 votes, and Lib-Dem George Hill, third with 145.
But the turnout for last Thursday's polls was just over 16 per cent - a factor believed to be linked to the current flu epidemic plaguing the town.
Clr Coop said: "I am delighted to have won this very difficult by-election and would like to thank all those who supported me."
The new councillor will now be working closely with fellow Rixton and Woolston Labour members Alice Froggatt and deputy mayor Tom Swift.
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