Hythe and Dibden Parish Council by-election set for Langdown ward

THERE will be a by-election to fill a vacant seat on Hythe and Dibden Parish Council after the Liberal Democrats rejected calls by the Conservatives not to contest it.

The Dibden Purlieu and Hythe Conservative branch had said it would not be putting forward a candidate to contest the Langdown parish seat, which was vacated after the resignation of Lib Dem Matthew Kitcher.

It pointed to the candidacy of Maureen McLean, an experienced Independent who was previously a parish and district councillor for over 30 years, the potential £5,000 cost of running the election and the fact there will be a fresh poll in the local elections in 2023.

However, the Lib Dems have nominated Vicky Joynes, a school governor at Applemore College and former governor of Orchard Infants.

A chartered surveyor, she is the chief executive of Thorner’s Homes, a charity that provides accommodation for single women.

A Lib Dem spokesperson added that while Mrs McLean was an ex-Lib Dem councillor, she had appeared in Tory leaflets in the run-up to recent elections and the party felt it had "no choice" but to put up a candidate.

The poll will take place on 18th November.