Tories can't find a candidate for Rutland County Council by-election

Good news this morning: the Liberal Democrats have gained another seat on Rutland Council Council.

You've not missed a rare Friday local by-election: it's that when nominations closed for the vacancy in Oakham South it was found that only one valid nomination had been submitted.

So congratulations to the ward's new Lib Dem councillor Raymond Payne.

As far as I know, this isn't because the Conservatives messed up their nomination paper,. It's because they couldn't find anyone prepared to stand for them.

When Stephen Lambert gained the Uppingham ward from the Tories last month I blogged:

At Rutland's 2019 all-out council elections, the Conservatives won 16 of the 27 seats. Today, thanks to by-election defeats and defections, they are down to 6.

I think that is still the position, because the Oakham councillor who stood down and caused the by-election had already left the Tory group.

But it equally possible that, by the time you read this, that group will have been reduced to five. Or four and an inexpressible fraction.