CENTRAL; LAB HOLD: Labour's Sinead Darker won this seat in a by-election in January following the resignation of rebel councillor John Taylor.

This time she increased her share of the vote by four per cent, to 42.3 per cent, shrugging off the Lib Dems on 19.3 per cent.

The Tories were represented by Matt McCue, a well-known community stalwart who has worked tirelessly and successfully to rid the Broad Street area of prostitutes. He boosted the Tory vote to 25.5 per cent, up from 17 per cent in January.

Coun Darker said she had focused her campaign on local issues, including the problem of prostitution, litter, graffiti and parking.

"I showed I was interested in what people had to say," she said. "Residents' parking is something a lot of residents are unhappy about and it is something I want to prioritise."