Labour has held a Hackney council seat in a by-election triggered when a councillor was accused of sexual assault.

The party's candidate George Gooch has been elected to represent the ward of London Fields.

Gooch won the seat on 54% of the vote, with Independent Socialist candidate Sarah Byrne taking second place on 31.5%.

The Conservatives trailed behind in third with 5.2%, followed closely by the Lib Dems. The Worker’s Party finished last with 3.8%.

Turnout for the by-election was 14.49%, with 1,378 votes cast in total.

Gooch had pledged to improve housing repairs, green spaces in the ward, deliver more accessible green recycling and tackle anti-social behaviour.

The campaign notably saw the Greens stand down their candidate in support of Byrne, in a coalition bid to oust the Tories as the official opposition group on the council.

In a social post on X, the Independent Socialists Group thanked the voters who backed Byrne in a “bold break with convention” which signalled how the ruling Labour council “is failing residents”.

The by-election was triggered after former ward councillor and deputy speaker Lee Laudat-Scott resigned ahead of facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a child.

The Labour Party was approached for comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The vote was held alongside a by-election in Stoke Newington, which was won by the Green Party. The votes marked the eighth and ninth by-elections held in Hackney this year.

The full results in London Fields are as follows:

  • Sarah Byrne, Independent - 437
  • Peter Ivor Friend, Liberal Democrats - 71
  • George Gooch, Labour Party - 746
  • Diana Maria Mikolajewska, Conservative Party - 72
  • Olivia Amber Taylor - Workers Party, For Britian, For Gaza - 52