Candidates have been revealed for a city council by-election in Sunderland taking place later this month, following the death of a long-serving Labour councillor.
The Hetton ward by-election will take place on Thursday, September 30 to fill the vacancy left by Doris Turner, who died at home in July, aged 81, after being diagnosed with cancer.
At the time, tributes poured in paying tribute to the councillor’s service to the community as both a town council and city council representative.
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Those wanting to stand as a candidate in the city council by-election had to complete and return nomination papers by 4pm on Friday, September 3.
Nominations have now closed, with the full list of candidates standing revealed by Sunderland City Council.
The six candidates for the Hetton ward seat, in alphabetical order, are:
- Maurice Richard ALLEN (Independent)
- Adelle BURNICLE (The Conservative Party Candidate)
- David William GEDDIS (Independent)
- John Anthony LENNOX (Liberal Democrat)
- Justine MERTON-SCOTT (Green Party candidate)
- Iain Grant Burns SCOTT (Labour Party)
Applications to register to vote must reach the electoral registration officer by 12 midnight on Tuesday, September 14 and can be made online here.
The deadline for applying for a postal vote for the by-election is 5pm on Wednesday, September 15.
And the deadline for applying for a proxy vote is 5pm on Wednesday, September 22.
The Hetton ward has three seats, one of which will be contested at the by-election at the end of September.
In the latest round of local government elections on May 6, 2021, around 2,851 people in Hetton cast their vote out of a total electorate of 9,234 – a turnout of 30.9 per cent.
Labour and Co-operative councillor, James Blackburn, retained his seat at the election with a total of 1,258 votes, a 704-vote majority over independent candidate David Geddis, who came second.
Details of the upcoming Hetton by-election can be found on Sunderland City Council’s website.
For more information, see here.
Questions about the election can also be directed to the council via email at elections@sunderland.gov.uk.
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