The Conservatives won two Nottinghamshire council by-elections on Thursday (29 October), retaining seats left vacant following the death of councillor Roger Jackson in July.
Scott Carlton won the Dover Beck ward on Newark & Sherwood District Council with 409 votes, finishing 81 ahead of Reform UK’s John Hart.
Penny Rainbow won the Southwell division on Nottinghamshire County Council with 2,019 votes, a majority of 860 over Reform’s Edward Stubbs.
The results were announced at Castle House in Newark, with Conservative candidates paying tribute to Cllr Jackson, who had been battling cancer.
Cllr Carlton, who lost his county council seat to Reform’s James Gamble in 2025, said he was “deeply humbled” to be elected.
He said: “I’ll be completely honest – this was a by-election that no one wanted. I’m absolutely delighted with the result and I am well aware that I have huge shoes to follow of Councillor Roger Jackson.”
He added: “But clearly there was a desire locally for people to carry on voting Conservative and to carry on Roger’s good work. I think one of the best ways that we can remember him is to build on his legacy.”
Cllr Rainbow described the evening as emotional.
She said: “Roger should have been here and he’s not. I wanted to finish his term. I would very much like to finish his term. And now I’ve been given that opportunity.”
County Conservative leader Cllr Sam Smith told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Roger’s legacy is there. He worked very hard. And there is no better person in Nottinghamshire that would carry that legacy on and do it prouder than County Councillor Penny Rainbow.”
Cllr Jackson’s widow, Jilly, who attended the count, described the result as a “Roger Jackson victory”.
She said: “It is really emotional because everybody loved him. All these guys here absolutely loved him to bits. It’s a Roger Jackson victory, continuing his legacy.”
Reform UK said it would provide a prepared statement in response to the results.
Full results
Dover Beck ward, Newark & Sherwood District Council
Stephen Anderson, Liberal Democrats: 73
Scott Carlton, Conservative: 409
John Albert Hart, Reform UK: 328
Kevin Scoles, Labour: 148
Lucy Spoors, Green: 22
Turnout: 40.97%
Southwell division, Nottinghamshire County Council
Tracey Jevons-Hazzard, Labour: 646
Keith Myers Melton, Liberal Democrats: 545
Penny Rainbow, Conservative: 2,019
Matthew Thomson-Spoors, Green: 88
Edward Stubbs, Reform UK: 1,159
Turnout: 41.98%
By Joseph Connolly, Local Democracy Reporter
