Former teacher and probation officer Gilly Charters will represent the Green Party in next month's Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election.

Ms Charters becomes the third candidate to enter the running for the seat on North Yorkshire Council formerly held by the Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh, who resigned last month after posting anti-semitic comments.

A press release announcing the news today said Ms Charters has lived in Harrogate and Knaresborough for over 40 years, and 20 of those have been in Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone. She now lives nearby on Forest Moor, and has family still living in this division.

She currently works part-time as a parent support for a special school near Thirsk. Before this, she spent most of her working life as a secondary school teacher in Knaresborough, and also worked as a local probation officer.

She is involved with Harrogate Quakers, and volunteers with a local mental health charity.  She also enjoys playing and listening to music.


Ms Charters, who has been a member of the Green Party for 30 years, said:

The Greens currently hold four of the 90 seats on North Yorkshire Council.

The Conservatives have chosen John Ennis and the Liberal Democrats have selected Andrew Timothy to contest the by-election on April 11.

Read more:

• Lib Dems announce candidate for Stray, Woodlands, and Hookstone by-election


• Tories name candidate for Harrogate by-election