Full list of candidates to replace disgraced South Tyneside councillor in Harton by-election
The full list of candidates set to stand in the Harton by-election after controversial resignation of councillor.
South Tyneside Council has confirmed the final list of candidates standing in the Harton by-election next month.
Voters are being called to the polls again in an upcoming by-election contest triggered by the recent resignation of Reform UK councillor Alex Clarke.
Mr Clarke, who was elected to Harton ward in landmark 'all out' local elections in May, resigned from his post in June following offensive comments made on a podcast.
Clarke had made a number of comments in relation to women drivers, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the city of Birmingham.
Following his resignation, he stated that his comments were “a joke” and that his podcast is a comedy‑based show.
The final list of candidates was published on South Tyneside Council's website this week following the close of nominations, with a total of seven candidates in the running.
The list includes candidates from Reform UK, the Labour and Co-operative Party, the Green Party, Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party, as well as two independents.
The full list of candidates for the August 6 by-election, listed in the order published on the council's website, include:
Phil Brown - Independent
Katie Groom - Reform UK
Sam Hill - Conservative Party
Kathryn Kaupa - Green Party
Neil Maxwell - Labour and Co-operative Party
Karen Louise Myers - Independent
Mark Robson - Liberal Democrat
Reform UK took majority control of South Tyneside Council earlier this year, with Labour losing control of the council for the first time in 47 years.
The Harton by-election is the first electoral test of Reform UK in South Tyneside since the all-out local elections and the ruling party faces several challengers, including several former South Tyneside councillors.
South Tyneside Council's website provides key details on the by-election, including an elections timetable.
Voters in the Harton ward will go to the polls between 7am and 10pm on August 6 and the result will be announced once the votes have been verified and counted.