THE Central Devon Labour Party has heralded its performance in the general election after almost doubling their number of votes and vote share percentage compared with the 2010 election.

Labour candidate Lynne Richards beat election calculus polls and predictions by coming third in the polls with nearly 13% of the votes.

She finished with 6,985 votes, only 186 votes behind UKIP's John Conway in second place and 342 votes ahead of Liberal Democrat candidate Alex White. In 2010 Labour received 3,715 votes in Central Devon.

Votes for Labour in the borough council also largely increased in numbers and percentages.

Lisa Robillard-Webb, chair of the Central Devon Labour Party said: 'Thank you to everyone who voted Labour and supported the campaign. It is tempting to focus solely on the elected candidate but democracy demands a strong and vibrant opposition to represent all types of beliefs. 

'It is clear that Labour is now a visible and credible option for people in Central Devon now and in the future.'

In the five days following the elections, 22,000 people joined the Labour Party.