Andrew Dinsmore: Getting back to basics in the Barleythorpe by-election

Cllr Andrew Dinsmore represents Barleythorpe Ward on Rutland County Council.

I was delighted to be elected in the Barleythorpe by-election for Rutland County Council (RCC) on 24 July 2025, with a 20% swing to the Conservative Party – and our first by-election win in Rutland in almost six years. I was supported by a fantastic hard-working team with one clear motto for the campaign: back to basics. This entailed the following:

Quick off the mark: Within a week of the by-election announcement, I had been selected as the candidate and we had a leaflet in circulation. This gave us a 2 / 3 week advantage over the other candidates to (i) introduce me to the ward, and (ii) gather critical information from residents on the issues most important to them this summer. Both of these meant that our leaflet and social media campaign were much better informed and more effective from the outset.

The Issues: We kept this campaign very local. One of the key issues was local government reorganisation which could see the abolition of England’s smallest (and most perfectly formed) county: Rutland. This issue is existential. Whilst that issue was, and is, immensely important, we also focused on the key issues specifically raised in Barleythorpe, namely (i) road construction by developers and adoption by RCC; (ii) flood prevention measures; and (iii) better engagement with and services for young people.

The Action Points: On each of the local issues, we promised action: (i) we promised to file a special motion of no confidence in the leadership with a view to changing direction on LGR (which we did within days of the election); (ii) I am in the process of setting up a pressure group to hold the developers to account on road construction; (iii) I am going to push RCC to finish the Section 19 report into flood defences; and (iv) I am going to host a youth forum in the autumn to engage with young people on what more RCC can do for them. None of the other candidates articulated any clear action they would take if elected and this clear plan set us apart.

The Leaflet Campaign: We produced a leaflet almost every week. The first was to inform the electorate of the by-election. The second highlighted the key themes that we, as Conservatives, wanted to focus on at a high level. The third incorporated the critical action points that we would take. The fourth leaflet zoned in on postal voters (delivered with hand-written envelopes to add a personal touch). The fifth was the ‘get out the vote’ leaflet, bringing the whole campaign together.

Social Media Campaign: I, and my Conservative colleagues, regularly recorded social media material which kept residents up to date on the campaign and our action points. We were able to reach a huge number of people, and in one (slightly surreal) instance, a resident opened the door on her phone to note that she was watching my Facebook video as she answered.

The Team: We had a brilliant team that worked very hard to ensure that virtually every day people were out speaking with residents and spreading our message. By the end of the campaign, we had canvassed about 60 per cent of the ward. As a result, we knew exactly who we needed to speak to on polling day to ensure we got out the vote.

Our MP’s support: We are really lucky to have Alicia Kearns MP as our Member of Parliament. Residents regularly highlighted on the door step how impressed they were with Alicia and expressly stated that they would vote for me because of her endorsement. Alica also has a brilliant social media presence which meant that all of our social media material reached a full audience in Barleythorpe (and beyond).

Wider MP Support: We were also very lucky to have Stuart Andrew MP and Caroline Johnson MP join us, with their teams, on two of the main campaign days. This ensured that (i) we had a large and experienced team out gathering data, and (ii) we gave residents an opportunity to discuss political issues facing the country.

Get Out The Vote: This is crucial in every election but particularly so in Barleythorpe where the electorate was, like the rest of the country, less divided along traditional voting lines and more interested in the local issues and individual candidates. Our campaign had all built up to the GOTV: we knew the voters that we had to speak to and called on the whole ward four times during the day to maximise the prospects of speaking to everyone.

Hard Work: All of the above was underpinned by seriously hard work by the full team: those who came out on the doorstep; those who designed leaflets and organised printing; those who delivered; those who kept an eye on all of the electoral formalities and regulations; those who assisted with social media content; those who did telling at the polling station; and, of course, those who hosted the team on election day to form an HQ.

In conclusion, the Barleythorpe by-election was a good example of how we, as Conservatives, still have huge appeal in the country when we get back to basics: focus on the local issues, work hard and promise deliverable action. I am immensely grateful to all of those who contributed to the campaign: as always with politics, it was a real team victory.

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