Folkestone & Hythe District Council has confirmed that the Lydd Town Council election on 23 July 2026 will not go to a public vote after no candidates came forward for the three vacant seats. Returning Officer S. Priest declared the election uncontested, meaning residents will not need to visit a polling station that day.
A fresh by-election must now be called within 35 working days of 23 July to fill those same three seats. In the meantime, a separate Lydd Town Council by-election is already set for 10 September 2026, with the formal Notice of Election due on 5 August.
The July result follows a pattern of uncontested votes for Lydd. Tony Hills was elected unopposed as an Independent on 15 January 2026, continuing a quiet spell for local democracy. The last time residents went to the polls for the town council was 4 May 2023, when 16 councillors were chosen from a field of candidates on a 30.97 per cent turnout from an electorate of 4,930. Lydd Town Council normally meets at the Guild Hall on the High Street, which opens to the public on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9am to 12.30pm. Parish elections across the district are next scheduled for 2027.
Anyone wishing to stand in the September by-election can find nomination details when they are published in August. The Returning Officer’s office is at the Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone.
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