Shelina Akhtar: Tower Hamlets by-election for Spitalfields and Banglatown to be held next month
The Tower Hamlets by-election will be held next month rather than in May to coincide with the London Mayoral election.
A vacancy for a councillor in the Spitalfields and Banglatown ward arose after disgraced former Shelina Akhtar was jailed for three-and-half month for benefit fraud.
The by-election for her former seat will be held on April 19, the council has just announced.
Leader of the Labour opposition in Tower Hamlets, Joshua Peck, had argued for the by-election to be held on May 3 to coincide with the London Mayoral election.
“A by-election on a separate day will be a colossal waste of money and less democratic with less people likely to turn out,” he said.
You may also want to watch:
Normally a by-election has to be held within 35 days of two electors requesting a by-election after a vacancy has arisen.
But Cllr Peck wanted to Town Hall to apply to government for an extension.
Most Read
- 1 Jailed: Teenagers who left victim blind in one eye after train stabbing
- 2 Patient group set up over allegations of 'poor care' at Royal London
- 3 New street market coming to Docklands is Will's passion
- 4 Brick Lane's famous bagel shop launches delivery service
- 5 Canary Wharf floats idea for new green restaurant on water
- 6 Updated appeal for information about man last seen in Poplar in January
- 7 MPs pledge to fight on for 'forgotten victims' of IRA Canary Wharf bombing
- 8 Fire crews fight blaze at pub in Hackney Wick
- 9 Jailed: drug dealer who rammed police with stolen car to escape
- 10 Beer gardens reopening with face masks, sanitisers and cobblestones