Details announced for Hetton by-election after death of popular councillor Doris Turner

Councillor Doris Turner, who represented the Hetton ward, passed away peacefully at home in July, aged 81, after a brave battle with cancer.

At the time, tributes poured in paying tribute to the councillor’s service to the community as both a town council and city council representative.

As a result of Doris Turner’s death, a vacancy has been declared for the Hetton ward and a city council by-election will take place on Thursday, September 30.

A dedicated webpage has been set up by Sunderland City Council for the election with key deadlines and important information for voters in the ward.

This includes deadlines for registering to vote, voting by post and information about applying for proxy votes.

Applications to register to vote must reach the electoral registration officer by 12midnight on Tuesday, September 14 and can be made online here at the www.gov.uk/register-tovote website.

The deadline for applying for a postal vote for the by-election is at 5pm on Wednesday, September 15.

And the deadline for applying for a proxy vote is at 5pm on Wednesday, September 22.

Those intending to stand as a candidate in the by-election must complete and return nomination papers by no later than 4pm on Friday, September 3.

A full list of candidates is expected to be published when nominations officially close.

The Hetton ward has three seats, one of which will be contested at the by-election at the end of September.

In the latest round of local government elections on May 6, 2021, around 2,851 people in Hetton cast their vote out of a total electorate of 9,234 – a turnout of 30.9%.

Labour and Co-operative councillor, James Blackburn, retained his seat at the election with a total of 1,258 votes, a 704-vote majority over independent candidate David Geddis, who came second.

Details of the upcoming Hetton by-election can be found on Sunderland City Council’s website.

For more information, visit: www.sunderland.gov.uk/article/19469/Hetton-Ward-By-Election-Thursday-30-September-2021

Questions about the election can also be directed to the council via email at [email protected]

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