THE Conservatives claimed victory in a council by-election last night by taking a seat from Labour.

The contest in the Grangefield ward, on Stockton Borough Council, came after the death of popular Labour councillor Mike Clark after a battle with cancer.

His wife, Carol, is Grangefield’s other ward councillor for Labour.

Their daughter Eleanor stood for election in her father’s seat under a Labour ticket, but Conservative Stephen Richardson took the seat on a swing of more than ten per cent, with 807 as opposed to Ms Clark’s 689.

UKIP’s Daniel Dalton came in third place with 58 votes and Nick Webb, for the Liberal Democrats, got 44 votes.

Matthew Vickers, Conservative councillor for neighbouring Fairfield, said: “I sat next to Stephen at school and now I’ll sit next to him in the council chamber.

“I think the potential closure of Fairfield Library, which will affect Grangefield residents, has been a big deal for people in the area. Stephen will make a fantastic local councillor.”