Independent beats Labour in parish council by election

An independent candidate has won a Telford parish council by election by beating Labour’s representative on a turnout of less than 12 per cent.

Mike Povall won the Lawley East Ward after winning 156 votes with Labour’s Natalie Pietrzyk polling 135 in the two candidate head-to-head on Thursday, June 5.

The winner will take a seat representing Lawley East that was made vacant when Labour’s Raj Mehta stepped down from Lawley & Overdale Parish Council on March 18.

There is an electorate of 2,510 in the ward and returning officer David Sidaway recorded that the 297 ballot papers issued represented a voter turnout of 11.83 per cent.

Mr Sidaway also recorded that six ballot papers were rejected for being “unmarked or wholly void.”

Lawley and Overdale Parish Council now has a full slate of eight elected councillors from around the parish for its next full council meeting on Tuesday, June 24 at Dawley Baptist Church.