The names of the candidates hoping to win an upcoming Cambridgeshire County Council by-election have been announced.

A by-election is due to be held on Thursday, March 21, to elect a councillor to represent the Yaxley and Farcet division at the county council.

The election was called after the death of the former councillor Mac McGuire.

Mr McGuire had been the longest serving councillor at the county council, having been elected to the authority from 1985 to 1992, and then again continuously from 1997.

At a recent county council meeting (February 13) members agreed to posthumously award Mr McGuire with the title of Honorary Alderman, an award given to people who have provided “outstanding services” as past councillors.

The county council has now announced the names of the five candidates who have come forward to stand in the upcoming by-election. They are:

Kev Gulson, Conservative Party
Sally Ann Howell, Independent
Richard Ilett, Labour Party
Ellisa Westerman, Green Party
Andrew Richard Wood, Liberal Democrat

Polls will open at 7am on March 21, and will close at 10pm. Those in the area who are eligible to vote will be sent a poll card, anyone who has not registered to vote has until March 6, to do so in order to be able to vote in the by-election.

People will be required to show a photo ID when voting in the by-election, anyone without an accepted form of photo ID has until March 13, to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.

Anyone who wishes to post their vote will need to apply to do so by March 6.