Four Candidates to Battle for Votes in Westmorland and Furness By-Election this Month

Four candidates have declared they are standing in the Eamont and Shap By-Election to become the areas next Westmorland and Furness Councillor following them resignation at the start of the year by the former councillor Neil Huges who is retiring to his holiday home in the south of France.

The candidates already declared that voters will be asked to vote for are:

Jonathan Davies – Putting Cumbria First

Hector Meanwell – Conservative

Pam Pottinger - Green Party

Nicki Vecquery – Libdem

The full list of valid candidates will be announced on Monday by the councils.

Voters in the ward will head to the polls to vote in the by election on the 27th of February.

Voters last headed to the polls to elect a councillor to Westmorland and Furness Council back in 2022 ahead of the new council taking over on the 1st of April 2023.

The candidate who is elected on the 27th February will serve for a maximum of just over 2 years before fresh elections in May 2027 when all 65 seats on the council will be up for re-election.

Ahead of the 2027 election the local government boundary commission is due to reveal its plans for changes to the wards across Westmorland and Furness in the next few. Moths with the Eamont and Shap ward one of a handful expected to see changes ahead from the 2027 election that could make this by election the last for the ward.

In the 2022 election in the Eamont and Shap ward just 45.5% of voters at total of 1570 turned out to vote with just two candidates standing in that election.

Applications to register to vote must be received by midnight on Tuesday 11 February 2025.

Applications can be made online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

New applications to vote by post or amendments or cancellation of existing postal or proxy arrangements must be received by no later than 5pm Wednesday 12 February 2025. Applications can be made online at www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote.

Applications for photo ID, the Voter Authority Certificate, must be received by no later than 5pm Wednesday 19 February 2025. Applications can be made online at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-to-vote.

Applications to appoint a proxy must be received by no later than 5pm on Wednesday 19 February 2025. Applications can be made online at www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote.

Applications to vote by emergency proxy on the grounds of physical incapacity, for work/service reasons or for the absence or loss of Voter ID after the deadline for proxy applications has past, must be received by no later than 5pm on Thursday 27 February 2025.