Candidates announced for South Tyneside Council's Primrose ward by-election

The Primrose by-election will take place on Thursday, June 27, to fill the vacancy left by Paul Milburn, whose retirement was announced last month.

A statement posted on behalf of Mr Milburn on social media revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in mid-2023.

Although he said he was able to “manage my condition without any major effect to my daily life” for some time, he added there had been a “noticeable change” recently.

Mr Milburn was first elected to South Tyneside Council in 2019 as one of four independent councillors winning seats from Labour in the May local elections.

Over the years, he played a key role on council committees, from time as a member of the planning committee, to more recently serving as vice-chair of the audit committee.

Candidates had until 4pm on Friday, May 31, to ensure nomination forms were completed to stand in the Primrose poll.

It has now been confirmed there will be three individuals contesting the by-election for the vacant seat on the council.

The candidates, in alphabetical order by surname, are:

• Kevin Brydon (Labour Party).
• Joan Hamilton (Independent).
• Darius Seago (Green Party).

Residents in South Tyneside’s Primrose ward must be registered to vote by Tuesday, June 11, to be able to have their say in the by-election on Thursday, June 27.

Applications can be made online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

The closing date for a postal vote for the by-election is at 5pm on Wednesday, June 12 and the application deadline to register to vote by proxy is 5pm on Wednesday, June 19.

For those without a valid form of photo voter ID, applications for a voter authority certificate valid for this election must be completed by 5pm on Wednesday, June 19.

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Applications for this can be made online at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate,while a full list of accepted ID can be found at: electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID.

Anyone in South Tyneside who wants to check whether they are registered to vote, or need help with any election application form, can call 0191 427 7000.

More information about electoral registration in South Tyneside is available on the council’s website at www.southtyneside.gov.uk/elections.

Of the remaining 53 seats on South Tyneside Council, 28 are currently held by Labour councillors, 14 by independents, including 13 forming the South Tyneside Alliance group, and 11 by Green Party representatives.