Wolverhampton Council by-election to be held one month before local elections at cost of £20,000
About £25,000 could be spent on a by-election to elect the replacement for a disgraced former councillor – despite local elections being held just a few weeks later.
They will be elected to replace convicted fraudster Harman Banger, who used to be a cabinet member and represented East Park until he resigned in December.
Banger was found guilty alongside his wife of fraud by false representation over a £10,000 Covid grant but he is now appealing the conviction.
A by-election for his old ward is now set to be held on April 7 after three people requested an earlier ballot despite local elections being held on May 5.
Leaders had proposed the election was held to coincide with the local elections where another seat in East Park is up for grabs.
But triggering the by-election means voters will head to the polls on both days – to elect two separate councillors – with the by-election understood to cost around £20,000 to £25,000.
Councillors are said to be very frustrated by the move, which is out of Wolverhampton Council’s control.
Chiefs said they had been planning to hold the by-election at the same time as the main elections on May 5 to minimise disruption for voters. But the decision was taken out of their hands after an earlier vote was triggered, leaving the council with no choice but to hold the poll in April due to electoral law.
David Pattison, chief operating officer at the council, said: “A by-election will now take place on April 7 for the East Park ward. We know that it might be frustrating for some electors that they will be asked to vote in this election on April 7 and then again in the main local elections less than a month later on May 5, however we had no choice in the matter.
“The law is very clear the election must take place on April 7.”
The vote comes after a similar situation in Walsall where a by-election was held in Pleck on December 16 despite the seat set to be contested in May this year.
It saw Labour comfortably hold the seat but candidate Simran Cheema wasn’t elected due to her being ineligible, having held a part-time job with Walsall Libraries when her candidacy papers were signed off in breach of the rules.
Councillor Mike Bird, leader of the authority, called on Labour to refund the £20,000 or so spent on the election and said members needed to “answer for their incompetence” over the poll.
Banger, 41, and his wife Neena Kumari, 39, of Bilston Road, were found guilty of fraud by false representation. Banger has appealed his conviction and the appeal will be heard on October 17. People have until March 22 to ensure they are registered to vote in the election. Postal vote applications must be received by the council no later than 5pm on March 23 and proxy voter applications by 5pm on March 30.
