Bev Breese has been elected to Whitby Town Council's West Cliff ward in a by-election that drew criticism over its 6.54 per cent voter turnout and £5,000 cost.
A Whitby Town Council by-election has seen a candidate win a seat on the authority with a turnout of less than seven per cent.
A new councillor has been elected to represent the West Cliff ward on Whitby Town Council after receiving 112 votes with an overall turnout of 6.54 per cent.
Bev Breese was elected on Thursday, July 9, in a contest with one other candidate.
The other candidate, Amanda Louise Everson, received 13 votes.
Concerns about the relatively low turnout and cost of holding a by-election were raised by residents on social media.
Commenting on Facebook, one resident said:
“I would have voted if I’d known about the election. Aren’t we told anymore when these things are happening? No wonder such a poor turnout.”
Another Whitby local commented:
“A vote that really wasn’t needed. A cost of £5,000 so that 127 people could vote. This has to stop.”
A by-election for Whitby Town Council’s Stakesby ward earlier this year cost the authority £4,000 to organise.
Whitby West Cliff ward has an electorate of 1,941 residents, according to North Yorkshire Council.
Two ballots were also rejected for ‘voting for more than one candidate’ and for ‘being unmarked or wholly void for uncertainty’, the authority’s returning officer noted.
The parish council consists of 19 councillors who generally serve for a four-year term.
All councillors’ roles are voluntary, and members do not receive remuneration for the work.
The by-election arose following Sarah Blackwell’s resignation earlier this year.
The next full meeting of Whitby Town Council is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, July 28.
A by-election will also be held to replace a councillor on Scarborough Town Council on Thursday, July 30.
North Yorkshire Council’s returning officer has confirmed the four candidates in the Castle Ward by-election for Scarborough Town Council as:
- Robert Hall, Independent
- Stuart Noble, Green Party
- Susan Rumford, Reform UK
- Fiona Margaret Stephenson, Labour Party
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