Lib Dems neck and neck with Tories in Derbyshire Dales

Last month saw another step forward for the Liberal Democrats in this area, following on from our stunning result in May's local elections, which saw the party overtake the Conservatives in seats and votes on Derbyshire Dales District Council.

Now, we've done it again - this time in the wider Derbyshire Dales parliamentary seat.  In a delayed by election for the South Derbyshire district seat of Hilton, Lib Dems Grahame Andrew and Jayne Davies again triumphed over the Tories.  This is the first time the party has been represented on that council, which matches the achievement of another first - Lib Dem Kate Smith's victory in the Crich and Wingfield ward on Amber Valley council on May 4th.

Why does this matter? It means in Sarah Dines' Derbyshire Dales seat, as redrawn under new boundaries (which take parts of Amber Valley and South Derbyshire districts), the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives both have 15 district council seats, with the other parties trailing far behind.  As a barometer of public opinion this is important as we enter the last year before the next General Election.  As in other parts of the country dubbed by the media as the 'Blue Wall', it is the Lib Dems that people are turning to as the effective alternative to the Government.  At the next General Election we are poised to pull off a sensational result in the Dales.