The Liberal Democrats have chosen local campaigner Andrew Mortimer as their candidate for the Hull Road ward by-election to be held on Thursday July 4.

The by-election - to be held on the same day as the General Election- has been triggered after Labour councillor Sophie Kelly resigned her seat, despite been first elected to City of York Council only one year ago.

If Labour was to lose the seat, the party would lose its overall majority on City of York Council. It has 24 seats compared with 19 for the Lib-Dems, Conservatives 3 and Independents 1.

Andrew Mortimer is York born and bred and lives locally on the Badger Hill estate. He is a member of the Badger Hill Residents Community Group and helped to establish the Hull Road Community Speedwatch Group.

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The Lib Dems came second to Labour in Hull Road at the 2023 local elections, more than doubling their vote, and pushing the Greens into third place.

Andrew says he has pledged to continue to stand up for fellow local residents if elected to serve as their councillor:

“Residents are desperate for change nationally, and they are desperate for a change locally as well. York Labour Party has taken Hull Road ward residents for granted for too long.

“Residents tell me that they are fed up with ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ Labour councillors many of whom seem to use the ward as a career stepping stone before disappearing.

“At this election, it’s a clear choice between more of the same from Labour and a hardworking Lib Dem councillor with a record of action who lives in the ward.

“The Lib Dem team in Hull Road ward has been working hard on the issues that matter most to local residents, such as campaigning to stop raw sewage being dumped into the beck in Hull Road Park and rolling our sleeves up to tackle the blight of litter and graffiti in our community.

“I am looking forward to talking to residents over the coming weeks to discuss my positive plans to make our area an even better place to live.”

The other candidates so far are Ben Ffrench for the Green Party and John Moroney of the Labour Party.