York GP John Moroney to stand in Hull Road by-election

Retired GP John Moroney will contest the Hull Road ward by-election for Labour.

The by-election, which was triggered after former Labour councillor Sophie Kelly stepped down, will be held on July 4 -  the same day as the General Election.

There are 47 seats on City of York Council and a majority party requires 24 or more seats to lead the council on its own.

At the May 2023 local elections, the Labour Party secured 24 seats. Should Labour lose control of the Hull Road ward, the party will lose its overall majority on the council.

Dr Moroney will go up against three other candidates: Andrew Mortimer (Lib Dem), Ellis Holden (Conservative) and Ben Ffrench (Green).

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Dr Moroney said: "If elected, I’d be pleased to be joining the Hull Road Labour team and continue to deliver on what they have done locally and across the city. 

"Across the city, the Labour council is delivering free schools meals for primary school children, and has reversed the discriminatory Blue Badge ban in the city centre.

"I look forward to working with the team to continue to deliver for the residents of Hull Road and York. 

"As a retired GP, I know all too well the devastating effects government cuts have had on our public services, so will be working day-in-day-out to help ensure Hull Road Ward gets a fair deal."