Date set for Northumberland County Council by-election after councillor’s resignation
A date has been confirmed for a by-election in Cramlington triggered by a Reform councillor’s resignation on health grounds.
Voters in the Cramlington South West ward will head to the polls for the by-election on April 16.
It comes after Cllr Shaun Knowles stepped down amid a battle with kidney cancer.
Anyone wishing to stand in the election must deliver their nomination papers by hand to the council’s returning officer at County Hall by 4pm on Wednesday, March 18. The papers can be obtained from the elections office at the same building.
Residents not registered to vote must do so by Friday, March 27 to be eligible for this election. This can be done online. Postal and proxy vote applications must be made by March 30 and April 8 respectively, although emergency proxy applications can be made to the Electoral Registration Officer up until 5pm on April 16.
No party has yet revealed its candidates for the election. Last year, Reform won 39.4% of the vote, ahead of Labour on 28.8% and the Tories on 25.2%. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) received 6.5%.
However, the ward had a very low turnout of just 10.6%, with only 695 votes cast.