By-Elections Scheduled Following London Local Elections
Nine by-elections are set to take place this summer to fill council seats vacated after the recent London local elections. Several candidates elected earlier this month were deemed ineligible to assume office, necessitating these additional polls.
Of the nine by-elections, eight involve seats won by the Green Party, which has faced criticism from opposition parties over its candidate vetting processes. The remaining by-election concerns a seat won by Labour.
Reasons for the vacancies include election rules barring teachers from holding council seats and elected mayors resigning from their council positions, as they cannot hold dual mandates.
The estimated total cost of conducting these by-elections is approximately £250,000.
The two newly elected Green Party mayors, Zoë Garbett in Hackney and Liam Shrivastava in Lewisham, who secured control of boroughs previously managed by Labour, were required to vacate the council seats they also won because holding both roles simultaneously is prohibited.
It is standard procedure for a by-election to be held when a candidate wins both an elected mayoralty and a council seat, to fill the vacated council position.
Among the Green candidates who resigned, James Tilden in Hackney Central ward and Muhammad Naser in Camden's Regent's Park ward were ineligible due to their status as teachers, which disqualifies them under election regulations.
Joanna Eaves from Lambeth's Clapham Park ward and Simon Anthony from Ealing's Acton North ward reportedly stepped down after the election citing ill health.
In Haringey, the Green Party acknowledged prior knowledge that its candidate, Jayon Henriques, was ineligible to stand in Northumberland Park ward but stated that the disqualification was only confirmed after the nomination deadline had passed.
One Green candidate who won in Streatham St Leonard's ward in Lambeth, Saiqa Ali, had been suspended by the party before the election due to alleged antisemitic social media posts. She has publicly rejected all forms of discrimination and racism. According to Lambeth Council's website, she has not taken up her seat, which remains vacant.
A Labour councillor, Hasret Bozdogan, who won a seat in Haringey's Woodside ward, has resigned for "personal reasons that transpired after 7 May."
Eligibility and Disqualification Criteria
Under election rules, individuals are disqualified from standing as councillors if they meet certain criteria, including holding specific professions or offices incompatible with council membership.
Costs of By-Elections
The expenses associated with by-elections vary depending on factors such as electorate size, number of polling stations, postal vote distribution, polling card dispatch, and staffing requirements.
Ealing Council informed the BBC that its by-election is expected to cost around £35,000. Camden and Lambeth councils estimated costs of approximately £30,000 per by-election. Hackney, Haringey, and Lewisham councils did not provide cost estimates for the additional elections.
Responses from Political Parties
A Labour Party spokesperson commented on the situation, stating:
"Some Green candidates were elected despite never being qualified to stand in the first place."
They further added:
"Taxpayers are now being forced to pick up the bill for the Greens' incompetence."
A Green Party spokesperson responded by noting that the number of candidates standing down represents a "very small proportion" of the 297 seats the party secured across London.
Upcoming By-Elections in London
Additional by-elections are scheduled in Hillingdon, with two vacancies arising due to the death of candidates.
Listeners can tune into the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be sent to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk.
