By-election result announced for Northampton Town Council ward where councillor did not accept office
The new Liberal Democrat Focus Team councillor beat the labour candidate by only a handful of votes
A new councillor for a Northampton Town Council ward has been elected after a by-election was called.
Jacqueline Fuchshuber of the Liberal Democrat Focus Team will now be the town councillor for the Talavera ward.
The by-election to decide this appointment was held on September 2 when 991 residents voted out of a ward of 8,038, equating to a 12.33 percent turnout.
Jacqueline Fuchshuber received 444 votes narrowly beating Marianne Kimani by seven votes. The Labour candidate’s name was selected 437 times.
Independent councillor James Thorpe received 96 votes. A total of 14 ballots were rejected as they were spoiled.
The by-election was needed after the councillor who won the ballot in the May elections did not sign her acceptance of office ‘in the required time’.
Lorraine Chirisa was elected as town councillor for the Talavera ward in Northampton following the poll on May 6.
Ms Chirisa stood for the Labour Party at the election polling 751 votes. Liberal Democrat candidate, Dennis Meredith, was also elected to the council with 842 votes.
The next in line following the May elections would have been Janice Duffy, from the Labour Party, who received 70 votes fewer than Ms Chirisa.
Ten people from the area needed to request a by-election for one to be implemented, however there was controversy around this as the majority of those who requested it were from the Conservative Party, who then did not field a candidate. Liberal Democrats Dennis and his wife Rona also requested the election.
There were also concerns raised over the cost of the by-election, which has been totaled at £20,000, with some arguing that is ‘the cost of democracy’.