Haxby and Wigginton councillor, Ed Pearson, is resigning after being first elected in 2019. A by-election will be held in late November. He announced his resignation last month due to work commitments and prioritising his family and wellbeing. York Liberal Democrats announced that Councillor Pearson stated: ‘It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as a Ward Councillor in this wonderful city I call home, representing the residents of Haxby and Wigginton as best I could for the past five and a half years.’
The City of York Council have set out plans to hold the by-election on 28 November with the candidates being announced on 1 November. York Liberal Democrats are hoping to retain their seat, with Councillor Nigel Ayre saying: ‘I ask local residents to again put their trust in the Lib Dems in this upcoming by-election and help us send a message to Labour to build Haxby Station, restore the winter fuel allowance and scrap the Green Bin Tax.’
There are five candidates standing for election, all representing political parties: Conservative, Jessie Secker, Green, Ian Lowson, Labour, James Flinders, Liberal Democrat, Richard Watson and Reform, John Crispin-Bailey.
The Conservative candidate, Jessie Secker, already sits on the Haxby Town Council. If elected, she plans to ‘highlight areas where I believe we need extra [police] patrols, and I want to see tougher action taken against offenders’ recognising that ‘anti-social behaviour continues to go unaddressed with alarming attacks happening.’ In statistics provided by crimerate.co.uk, May saw Haxby become the worst small town in North Yorkshire for shoplifting, with a crime rate of 2.7 per 1000. Jessie Secker assures the people of the area that, ‘A vote for me will be a vote for new representation where we get things done.’
Ian Lowson is the Green Party candidate. The Green Party currently have three wards with councillors and are looking to expand into Haxby with Ed Pearson’s resignation. Lowson said, ‘As a Green Party councillor, I will lobby our MP’s and the Government as well as the Mayor and our council for the funding for better local health/ dental services and a new local rail station, linked by good public transport and safe active travel routes.’ In the most recent elections, the York Green Party managed to have a candidate running for every seat in local elections showing that their campaign is gaining more traction within York.
York Labour currently have ten wards with councillors in York and are hoping to gain a seat with James Flinders, who previously held a seat within Guildhall from 2015 until local elections four years later. Labour are looking to expand their dominance in the City of York Council, holding 24 of the 47 seats. Speaking on James Flinders, York Outer MP Luke Charters said: ‘He is what we need... a councillor who is dedicated, enthusiastic, will work for the needs of every resident and will advocate for them to have their voices heard throughout the city.’ However, in recent BMG Research polls, on a national level Labour’s popularity has dropped to 28 percent. This questions whether they have the traction to sway the Liberal Democrat dominated ward of Haxby and Wigginton.
Haxby resident, Richard Watson, is the Liberal Democrat candidate looking to replace Ed Pearson, having 21 years experience representing the area on both Ryedale District Council, and after local government restructuring, the City of York Council. Speaking on his candidacy, Richard Watson said, ‘I am looking forward to the campaign and to focusing on the issues of concern and interest to local residents such as improving access to GP and dentistry services and protecting our environment from the threat of overdevelopment.’ Haxby and Wigginton’s Liberal Democrat council have also been advocating for a new railway station recently and Mr Watson stated he is, ‘committed to ensuring that the schemes championed by the previous Lib Dem-led administration… are delivered.’
Reform candidate, John Crispin-Bailey, recently stood as Reform UK’s parliamentary candidate for York Outer in this year’s general election. He said: ‘I believe that we can be a new voice on the council, challenging both Labour and Lib-Dem policies.’ He has recognised the local community’s views on new housing within York stating, ‘We need new housing in York, but developments need to respect the existing community and support local infrastructure.’ With Haxby’s local GP practice being rated below satisfactory by patients, he assured: ‘A priority for me will be to press the council to focus on understanding urgent health priorities in our ward and work to support their delivery. We must do better.’ The 21-year-old is already a parish councillor within Wigginton, stating, ‘As a councillor, my priorities will always be to press local issues forward.’
With the by-election quickly approaching, the replacement to Ed Pearson is soon to be known. Liberal Democrats already hold 2/3 of the seats, and won the last election with a huge majority. Although the Liberal Democrat’s seat seems safe for this next by-election, with the unpredictably of politics this month, nothing is certain.
