More than 75 council seats up for grabs in flurry of local by-elections

Britain is experiencing an unusually high number of local by-elections, with 77 council seats set to be filled between June 18 and July 16. These contests stem largely from the May 7 elections, where some councillors resigned due to conflicts of interest, such as holding dual roles or being ineligible because of their profession. Fourteen seats are being contested to replace councillors elected on May 7 who resigned shortly after, nine of which are in London. Two Green Party councillors, Zoe Garbett and Liam Shrivastava, resigned after being elected as mayors of Hackney and Lewisham, respectively, as they could not hold both positions. Three other Green councillors in Camden, Hackney, and Haringey also stood down due to ineligibility, two of them being teachers. Another 14 seats are vacant because councillors elected to the Senedd in Wales on May 7 resigned from their council roles, as holding two posts simultaneously is prohibited. Ten additional seats were postponed from May 7 due to the death of candidates. The remaining seats are vacant due to retirements, deaths, or other personal reasons. The Association of Electoral Administrators noted that clearer rules for candidates could reduce unnecessary by-elections, which burden local authorities and taxpayers. These elections reflect the broader challenges in local governance following the May 7 polls.