Plymouth by-election date is set

A former city MP will be among the candidates

Plymouth City Council has named the date for two by-elections.

Voters will go to the polls in the Plymstock Dunstone, and St Peter and the Waterfront on Thursday 27 July.

There is one vacancy in each ward. The resignation of long-serving Labour councillor Susan McDonald has created the opportunity in St Peter and the Waterfront, while the recent death of former lord mayor Vivien Pengelly leaves the Plymstock seat open.

Labour held a seat in the Efford and Lipson at a by-election on Thursday 15 June, with Paul McNamara winning convincingly in a seat formerly held by former lord mayor Brian Vincent, who died in April.

In the run-up to the by-elections, the council has published a series of key dates. Nomination papers for would-be candidates must be handed in by 4pm on Friday 30 June. Applications to register to vote must reach the city’s electoral registration officer by midnight on Tuesday 11 July and applications, amendments or cancellations of postal votes and amendments or cancellations of proxy votes must be in by 5pm on Wednesday 12 July.

The deadline for new applications to vote by proxy is 5pm on Wednesday 19 July  and applications for a Voter Authority Certificate can also be made until 5pm on Wednesday 19 July.

An elector can apply to the electoral registration officer to appoint an emergency proxy from 5pm on Wednesday 19 July until 5pm on Thursday 27 July.

Candidates are beginning to emerge ahead of the nominations deadline.

Plymstock Dunstone resident Julie Hunt will stand in the ward for the Conservatives, hoping she can continue her predecessor’s legacy.
She said: “It is an honour to be selected as the Conservative candidate seeking to carry on the role my friend Vivien fulfilled for more than 30 years.

I have spent many hours meeting residents to find out the issues that matter to them.”

Meanwhile, a former city MP has been chosen as the Plymouth Labour candidate in St Peter and the Waterfront.

Alison Raynsford, who was an MP for Devonport and the subsequent Moor View constituency from 2005 until 2015, has been selected by local party members.

“It’s exciting that we now have a Labour council with its ambitious goals,“ she said.

“We have to ensure we make a positive difference here in St Peter and the Waterfront and it would be an honour to join the ward team.”

A full list of candidates in both wards will be published after nominations close.