The Green Party has captured the Fletton and Woodston seat in last night’s by-election, with Katherine Sharp declared the winner at Sand Martin House on Thursday (July 16). Sharp finished on 664 votes, a margin of 185 over her nearest rival from Reform.
What the result means locally
The victory represents a further shift in the ward’s representation after a turbulent 18 months. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Councillor Daisy Blakemore-Creedon a little over two weeks after the May local elections. Blakemore-Creedon, who was first elected at 18 in 2024, had left the Labour Party in 2025 and was serving as an independent at the time of her resignation.
It is the second recent gain for the Greens in Fletton and Woodston: Ed Murphy won a seat in May, and now Katherine Sharp has added another. The ward’s third seat is held by Reform group leader Andrew O’Neil, who won his seat in a February by-election.
Voter engagement and turnout
Turnout in Thursday’s contest was markedly low at 20.9%, with 1,650 ballot papers cast and three rejected. That compares with a 34.5% turnout in May and the 25.2% figure recorded in the February by-election, highlighting declining engagement in successive contests for the ward.
- Winner: Katherine Sharp (Green) — 664
- Runner-up: Ryan Gallagher (Reform) — 479
- Turnout: 20.9% (1,650 ballots, 3 rejected)
Council balance after the result
The composition of Peterborough City Council has moved again since the 2024 elections, following a number of departures and the sad deaths of two sitting councillors late last year and in January. The updated council makeup is:
| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Conservative | 13 |
| Labour (and Co-operative) | 11 |
| Liberal Democrat | 8 |
| Peterborough First | 8 |
| Independent | 8 |
| Green | 7 |
| Reform | 5 |
The ward had been represented by three Labour councillors following the 2024 elections, but that landscape has changed following Blakemore-Creedon’s resignation and the deaths of Nick Thulbourn in December and Alan Dowson in January, both of whom were serving councillors at the time of their passing.
Full vote breakdown
The declared results for the by-election were:
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Janet Brown | Conservative | 208 |
| Ryan Gallagher | Reform | 479 |
| Adam Marshall | Labour | 213 |
| Lewis Page | Liberal Democrats | 37 |
| Katherine Sharp | Green Party | 664 |
| Jonathan Wilde | Your Party | 11 |
For local residents, the result underlines how by-election results and councillor changes can quickly alter the political balance on the council. The Greens’ gain in Fletton and Woodston adds to their representation in the city and will form part of ongoing council dynamics as parties negotiate policy and committee positions.
Further information about the council’s composition and upcoming meetings is available from Peterborough City Council’s official channels for those wishing to follow how the new makeup affects local decision-making.
