Abbey & Borrowell Ward

Candidate	Party	Votes
Leslie Graham Windybank	Liberal Party	834
John Anthony Cooke	Conservative Party	758
Melanie Ruth Lomas	Labour Party	150

LIBERAL HOLD

Turnout 49%

LIBERALS RETAIN SEAT

This by-election was called due to the resignation of Liberal, Helen Dore, who had been on the district council since its inception in 1973.

Graham Windybank, leader of the town council managed to retain the seat for the Liberals by a majority of 76 votes over rival, John Cooke. It was never going to be an easy task for the Conservatives who needed more than a 7% swing from 1979 poll, to be victorious.

Labour candidate, Melanie Lomas, a former Kenilworth Grammar School pupil, faced an up-hill struggle to get anywhere near the winning line. District elections for Labour have always been poor in Kenilworth, especially in Abbey & Borrowell, where they have never had a candidate elected.