UK local by-elections, 2017

[YL]

Does not seem right according to the numbers that Lib Dems gain the second by election, more that they hold.

Gain is right.  It's a three member ward, with the three seats last contested in 2014 (LD win), 2015 (Con win) and 2016 (LD win).  The councillor who died was the Tory councillor elected in 2015, and the changes given are from 2016.

[YL]

Rotherham, Brinsworth and Catcliffe

Lib Dem 66.0 (+48.7)
Lab 17.1 (-20.2)
UKIP 12.8 (-19.5)
Con 3.0 (-10.0)
Green 1.0 (+1.0)

Rotherham, Dinnington

Lab 36.1 (+9.1)
UKIP 16.3 (-10.6)
Con 12.8 (-1.7)
Ind Smith 12.5
Ind Hart 9.7
Ind Scott 4.4
Green 4.2 (-7.0)
Lib Dem 4.0 (+4.0)

Lib Dem gain Brinsworth and Catcliffe from Lab
Lab gain Dinnington from UKIP

Let's start with the good news for Labour: giving UKIP a good beating in Dinnington.

As for Brinsworth & Catcliffe, there were some hints that the Lib Dems were going to win (or at least come close) but the scale of the victory (and the high -- for a local by-election on a grim winter day -- turnout) is pretty astonishing.  The Lib Dems hadn't won a seat on Rotherham council since 2000.  The ward has mixed political history including electing a BNP councillor in 2008 (whose tenure was embarrassing even by their standards) but sticking with Labour in their 2014 Rotherham disaster; it did however elect one UKIP councillor in the 2016 all-ups together with two Labour councillors.

I would note the circumstances of the by-election.  Given them, the issues with the party in the borough, and the ward's history, that Labour lost doesn't seem particularly surprising; that it was to the Lib Dems in a landslide rather than to UKIP in a close result does.

The Lib Dem winner is a local doctor; that's often going to be a good way of getting a personal vote going.

[YL]

As ObserverIE doesn't seem to be around:

Holy Word here.

and copying and pasting the results from BritainElects's Twitter:

Eden, Alston Moor: LAB: 55.8% (+55.8) CON: 34.7% (-10.7) IND: 7.8% (+7.8) GRN: 1.8% (+1.8)
Labour gain from Liberal Democrat (who didn't contest).

Knowsley, St. Michaels: no result yet (but it's Knowsley, we're not on tenterhooks)

Merton, St Helier: LAB: 74.1% (+3.1) CON: 15.6% (+1.7) LDEM: 4.8% (+1.9) GRN: 3.0% (+0.3) UKIP: 2.5% (-7.0)
Labour hold.

Rutland, Ketton: CON: 68.8% (+12.7) LDEM: 31.2% (+4.2)
Conservative hold

Rutland, Whissendine: IND (I. Arnold): 54.1% (+54.1) CON: 26.0% (-0.8) IND: 11.7% (+11.7) LDEM: 8.2% (-56.9)
Independent gain from Liberal Democrat

Shepway, New Romney: CON: 35.2% (+6.2) LAB: 32.5% (+21.5) IND: 27.5% (+27.5) LDEM: 4.8% (-3.7)
Conservative hold

Staffordshire Moorlands, Leek East: LAB: 45.0% (+25.6) CON: 28.9% (+1.1) IND: 19.5% (+19.5) LDEM: 6.6% (+0.7)
Labour gain from Conservative

Stockton, Billingham North: LAB 40.5% (+5.3) CON 38.7% (+19.0) IND 11.0% (+11.0) LD 5.3% (+5.3) North East Party 4.5% (+4.5)
Labour hold.

Wealden, Chiddingly & East Hoathly: no figures yet, but Conservative hold.

[YL]

Two very impressive Labour results at opposite ends of the Pennines.

Alston in particular, in spite of the local mining heritage, doesn't seem like the sort of place I'd expect to be electing Labour councillors, though it does seem like the sort of place which is capable of odd-looking results that you have to be local to understand.  They did also win the local county council division, though with a much lower vote share.