A by-election win for the Conservatives has boosted their standing on Enfield Council and put a further dent in Labour’s majority.

The Tories took a seat in Chase ward from Labour following a campaign that focused on protecting Whitewebbs Golf Course, which the council wants to lease out to a commercial partner.

Conservative candidate Andrew Thorp was elected with a 7.5 per cent majority and vowed to “work hard to save Whitewebbs”.

Labour held Southbury and Jubilee, where they won large majorities in 2018, but there were swings towards the Conservatives and other parties in both wards.

After a strong showing in the local elections under Cllr Doug Taylor’s leadership in 2018, Labour secured a 29-seat majority on Enfield Council.

But five councillors subsequently quit Labour to join opposition group Community First, expressing dissatisfaction with the new administration led by Cllr Nesil Caliskan.

The death of long-serving Labour councillor Chris Bond and the resignations of Labour’s Vicki Pite and Bernadette Lappage triggered the three by-elections that were held on Thursday.

The win in Chase cuts the Labour majority on Enfield Council to 17. Labour now has 40 seats, the Tories are on 17, Community First has five, and there is one independent councillor.

After the Chase result was declared, Cllr Thorp said: “This is a win for the people of Chase, who want me to stand up and protect Whitewebbs. The constituents want to be listened to, and I promise to listen to residents and work hard to save Whitewebbs.

“We fought a very positive campaign looking to improve local services and protect local facilities. That has obviously resonated with the voters in Chase ward.”

Tory leader Cllr Joanne Laban commented: “It is brilliant to welcome Andrew Thorp to the team in Enfield Conservative group.

“The people of Chase ward have spoken. They are unhappy with the Labour administration and they want to be listened to, especially over Whitewebbs and the state of our environment. I am ecstatically happy with the win in Chase.”

In Southbury, Labour candidate Ayten Guzel won a 13.8 per cent majority – but Labour’s share of the vote was down almost 19 percentage points on 2018.

Chinelo Anyanwu held Jubilee for Labour with a 28.2 per cent majority, but the party’s share of the vote dropped by 13.7 percentage points compared to the 2018 result.

Voter turnout across all three wards was higher than in 2018.

Council leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan said: “It is disappointing when we don’t win a seat. We fought for every vote. But in reality, against a pretty stark swing against Labour nationally, I am really proud of our honest campaign in Enfield from three exceptionally brilliant female candidates.”

Cllr Caliskan said that in marginal seats such as Chase, the national swing against Labour coupled with more people voting for minority opposition parties had “let the Tories in through the back door”.