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22
Jun 2021
Last Updated: 21/06/2021
Knaresborough set for by-election after Conservative councillor resigns
Samantha Mearns, who has resigned from Harrogate Borough Council, won the Scriven Park seat ahead of the Liberal Democrats with a majority of just 16 votes in 2018.
Harrogate Borough Council and Cllr Samantha Mearns.
A by-election is set to be held in Knaresborough’s Scriven Park ward after the resignation of Conservative councillor, Samantha Mearns.
Cllr Mearns won the seat on Harrogate Borough Council in May 2018 with a majority of just 16 votes.
Liberal Democrat candidate, Matthew Walker, came second with 441 votes and the Labour Party's Andrew John Wright picked up 291 votes.
A total of 36% of the 3,266 electorate voted.
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The by-election, which has yet to be announced by the borough council, will be the first to take place in the Harrogate district since the Bilton and Nidd Gorge election for North Yorkshire County Council last month.
In that election, the Conservative candidate Matt Scott gained the seat from the Liberal Democrats with a majority of 352 votes. The turnout was 37%.
The borough council by-election comes as Cllr Mearns has stepped down from the borough council over family reasons.
She made the announcement to residents over the weekend.
The Stray Ferret understands that Knaresborough resident Jacqui Renton will stand in her place for the next election.
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