There will be a West Putney by-election for a council seat on 2 May to coincide with the London Assembly elections after Labour councillor Claire Gilbert resigned her seat.
“Notice is hereby given under Section 87(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 that a casual vacancy exists in the office of Borough Councillor for the West Putney Ward of the London Borough of Wandsworth,” reads the official statement posted on Wednesday night.
Gilbert won the seat in 2022, having previously been a councillor for Roehampton, as part of a successful effort by Labour to take control of Wandsworth Council after 44 years of Conservative control. She resigned her role at the same time as London mayoral and Greater London Assembly (GLA) candidates filed their paperwork and paid their deposits, meaning the by-election will take place on the same day as the GLA elections.
Labour will hope to keep the seat, one of nine it won from the Conservatives in May last year giving it a majority on the council, although the Conservative Party is expected to try to win it back, with West Putney previously a stronghold for the party.
Also in contention in the West Putney by-election are the Liberal Democrats who have seen their polling numbers in London more than double in recent weeks.
