Torbay councillor death triggers June by-election

Councillor Patrick Joyce died in April

A by-election for a seat on Torbay Council will be held in June following the recent death of a councillor.

Councillor Patrick Joyce, who died in April, was elected as a Conservative last May, but later left the party to form the Prosper Torbay group.

Before his death, the Wellswood councillor said he would be "better able to represent local residents" by being outside the Conservative group.

The deadline for nominations is 16:00 BST on 9 May.

If the Conservatives win back the seat, they will have 18 places on the 36-seat council; the same as the number held by the coalition and Prosper Torbay combined, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

If the seat is won by a Liberal Democrat or an independent candidate, that would give the coalition 18 seats to the Conservatives' 17 and Prosper Torbay's one.

The by-election will be on Thursday 6 June.

The next full local election for the unitary authority is due to be held on 6 May 2027.