Residents in Newport Pagnell South are today (21/9) taking part in a by-election following the resignation of a local councillor.
A by-election for the Newport Pagnell South ward is taking place today (21st September), following the resignation of Conservative's Scot Balazs earlier this month.
The following candidates are running for the position in the town:
Ade Adeliyi - local Conservative party
Saskia Soden - Labour Party
Tony Oyakhire - Liberal Democrat Focus Team
Gary Lloyd - Green Party
Jane Whild - Women's Equity Party
Anthony Cocksedge - Independent
Polls are open across the south of the town today between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm.
The ward's Conservative councillor resigned after it was revealed that he had been convicted of serious driving offences.
Scot Balazs was charged by police on 1st February and on May 18th, was convicted at Wycombe Magistrates Court for driving without insurance. Balazs faced a fine of £660 and his driving with endorsed with six penalty points and court costs of £110 and a victim surcharge of £264.
If a Councillor leaves their seat, a casual vacancy occurs.
57 Councillors make up Milton Keynes City Council, with one third elected every three years in four.
Currently, Milton Keynes is under no overall control, meaning not one political party has over half the seats required.
As it stands, Milton Keynes City Council currently stands at:
Conservatives (15 seats)
Labour (27 seats)
Liberal Democrats (15 seats).
A party needs 29 seats to have overall control within Milton Keynes City Council.
Everything you need to know when voting in Milton Keynes
Where is my polling station?
You can search your polling station using the postcode checker here.
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm
Voter ID
Voters must have valid photo ID with them to be able to vote. The requirement for voter ID was introduced in the UK’s Government Elections Act last year.
Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo. A full list of accepted ID along with more information about the change can be found here.
