A SCHOOLS campaigner is to stand for the Labour party in an upcoming York council by-election.

Voters are expected to go to the polls soon in Micklegate ward, where serving Labour councillor Julie Gunnell has announced she plans to stand down.

The party has now announced its candidate will be Jonny Crawshaw, 39, a father-of -two and Micklegate ward resident who led a campaign against the academy conversion of three Southbank schools. Now a spokesman for national parent-led campaign for state education Rescue Our Schools, Jonny also runs an online business selling rare vinyl records.

Jonny, 39, said he believes that York needs to tackle growing poverty and to improve social care.

Micklegate ward is represented by three councillors, and until recently Labour held all three seats.

In May 2015 the party saw that holding cut to just one, and currently the ward is split between Labour’s Cllr Gunnell, Green party councillor Lars Kramm, and independent Johnny Hayes. At the 2015 election Cllr Gunnell came second in the poll, and Labour’s next placed candidate came in fourth place, taking 300 votes fewer than Cllr Kramm in third.