Date set for council by-elections in King's Lynn
Voters will head to the polls in Gaywood on December 1
A date has been set for a twin set of council by-elections in a part of King’s Lynn.
By-elections to West Norfolk Borough Council and to Norfolk County Council will both be taking place in two overlapping parts of Gaywood on December 1.
The first was caused by the death on August 5 of Labour borough councillor John Collop, who served on the authority for almost 20 years, leaving his Gaywood Clock ward vacant.
Mr Collop won the ward in 2019 with a slim majority of just 48 votes over the UKIP candidate.
The second by-election is to replace Conservative Graham Middleton, who stepped down from the county authority earlier this month – creating a vacancy in his Gaywood North and Central ward.
Mr Middleton serves as deputy leader of the borough council, and said the pressures of serving on both authorities was the reason for him stepping down.
He won the ward in 2021 with a relatively large majority of 415 votes over the Labour candidate.
There is a small area where the two wards overlap one another, giving people there a vote in both elections.