Neil Jameson: West Devon Borough Council election postponed after candidate's death

Neil Jameson is being remembered as a "tireless campaigner"

Elections in a Devon council ward have been suspended after the death of a candidate.

Neil Jameson, who was standing for the Green Party in the Burrator ward of West Devon Borough Council, died on Monday.

Mr Jameson, 76, founded Citizens UK, a national group promoting the power of communities, in 1988 and became a CBE in 2016 for his work.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was among those who paid tribute.

Mr Jameson stood as a parliamentary candidate for Poplar and Limehouse in London in the 2019 general election.

Mr Khan tweeted: "Neil Jameson was tireless in campaigning for social justice and his commitment and passion improved the lives of thousands of Londoners across our city.

"He will be much missed, but his legacy will live on. My thoughts are with his family and friends today."

Mr Jameson was known for campaigns around the UK, including climate justice and the living wage.

Matthew Bolton, executive director of Citizens UK, paid tribute to Mr Jameson's "vision and pioneering work" with the charity.

"Neil offered communities a method for listening, building power and public action, which in turn strengthened relationships across civil society and made our democracy stronger," he said.

West Devon Borough Council's returning officer, Steve Mullineaux, said elections in other wards would go ahead as scheduled on 4 May.

Mr Mullineaux said: "We send our condolences to Mr Jameson's family at this sad time.

"Legally, we must now postpone the election in the Burrator ward. I have already contacted the other candidates."

Five candidates were nominated in Burrator, contesting two seats.

The other candidates - Felix Davies (Conservative), Diana Moyse (Conservative), Sam North (Green) and Christopher West (Liberal Democrats) - remain validly nominated and will be included on the ballot paper when a new election date is set.

Candidate nominations will reopen in Burrator once the new date is announced. New polling cards will be sent out and any already returned postal votes will not count.

Postal voters will be sent a new postal vote. The new ballot papers will be a different colour to help voters return the correct one, the council said.

Mr Jameson's family paid tribute to the "warm and loving father, grandfather and husband".

They said in a statement that they were "incredibly proud of his achievements".

"His energy and drive for social justice has improved civil society in the UK and his kindness and generosity touched the people he worked with," they said.

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