Labour has won a by-election for the Bletchley East ward of Milton Keynes City Council.

Saskia Soden has been elected to the seat vacated by former councillor Emily Darlington, who recently was elected as a Labour Party MP for Milton Keynes Central and opted to resign from the council to prioritise her MP commitments.

Soden received 869 votes, winning 50% of all votes in the by-election.

Conservative Party candidate James Richard Alan Marlow finished second on 431, with independent Ray Brady in third on 147.

The Green Party’s Joe French was fourth, ahead of the Liberal Democrat candidate Sean McCabe and Alfred Saint-Clair of the Heritage Party. Overall turnout was 13%.

Councillor Saskia Soden, who grew up in MK, spoke of her delight to win election and seeking to deliver for her new position.

She said, “I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone in Bletchley East who voted Labour. I look forward to working closely with the community on local issues, fighting for better access to local GPs and working with the council on the much-needed improvements being delivered throughout the town’s centre and to address parking issues.”