[garinda]

As stated in another thread, considering what has happened in the rest of the country, I think Labour did incredibley well just to lose Altham, always seen as a marginal seat.

Very often mid term local elections and by-elections are used to send a message to central government. Those of us old enough to remember will recall the many safe Tory seats that were lost in the eighties, when by-elections happened mid-term at constituencies that were at the heart of true blue middle England.

If I was a member of the local Conservative party, today's results would leave me very disappointed. If Hyndburn can't reflect what has happened in the rest of the country, I'd be fairly worried about the next General Election.