LABOUR have won their 50th seat on the city council – and their first in Wollaton West for more than ten years.
The shock result in the traditional Tory stronghold will give a boost to Ed Miliband's party two years away from the general election. It comes just a month after the Conservatives lost two seats in West Bridgford at the county council elections.
Labour candidate Steve Battlemuch ended up taking 46.8 per cent of the vote, with the Conservative share of the vote down from 51.7 per cent in 2011 to 33.8 per cent this time.
UKIP candidate Chris Clarke beat the Liberal Democrat Barbara Pearce into third place.
But Labour city council leader Jon Collins said the party wouldn't be complacent.
He added: "I know Steve will be a good councillor for the area – he is passionate and knows the area well and will work hard.
"UKIP took more than 500 votes and even if you add that to what the Tories got, we still got more. I don't think it's a case that UKIP split the vote here.
"I hope the party does well in future elections, of course, but this will only come if we have a clear manifesto and clear ideas which people want to see happen."
But Conservative leader at the city council Georgina Culley said that MPs in marginal seats in the county didn't have anything to worry about.
She added: "It's the case with by-elections that the results might be different from expected.
"It is a shame because our candidate would have made a good councillor.
"And it seems clear to me that Conservative-minded voters who voted UKIP have got Labour instead.
"Anna Soubry (Broxtowe) and Mark Spencer (Sherwood) won't be worried by this, they are well known and supported in their areas," Mrs Culley added.
