Date set for by-elections in Berkhamsted West and Boxmoor

Two tightly contested borough council seats in Dacorum will be up for grabs next month as by-elections in Berkhamsted West and Boxmoor have been confirmed to go ahead.

The Conservatives held all available seats in the two wards since 2003, but Liberal Democrat councillors completed a sweep during the 2019 local elections.

One seat in either ward will be up for election after Nicky Woolner (Berkhamsted West) and Liz Uttley (Boxmoor) both left their roles at the start of November.

The borough council has confirmed the by-elections will take place on Thursday, February 3, to appoint the new councillors.

In 2019, Liberal Democrats ousted three Conservative councillors in Boxmoor. Ms Uttley placed in third with 1117 votes, beating the fourth placed Conservative candidate who received 968 votes.

In 2019, Ms Woolner received the second highest number of votes in Berkhamsted West with 871 votes, compared to the third place Conservative with 533 votes.

Dacorum Borough Council elect all councillors at the same time, with the next scheduled elections due in 2023.

The results of the by-election will not have a significant say on the make-up of the council, with the Conservative group currently holding 31 of the council’s 51 seats. The Liberal Democrats currently hold 19 seats, with one independent councillor.

One seat on Berkhamsted Town Council for the West ward will also be up for election on the same date.

Nomination papers for candidates wishing to stand in the by-election must be delivered to the borough council’s Returning Officer before 4pm on Friday, January 7, with the list of candidates published shortly after.

Applications to register to vote must be completed before midnight on January 18, with a deadline for applications for postal votes at 5pm on January 19.

New applications to vote by proxy must reach the borough council by 5pm on January 26, while emergency proxies on the grounds of physical incapacity or for work/service reasons can be made up to 5pm on election day.

To be eligible for an emergency proxy vote, the person must have become aware they could not go to the polling station after January 26.