VOTERS in one area of Wellington are set to go to the polls next month on a Tuesday for the first time in generations.

A by-election is being held in Rockwell Green to fill a town council vacancy caused by the resignation of Sue Fox, who is moving away after the death of her husband.

Somerset Council has fixed the polling date for Tuesday, February 10, instead of the traditional General Election and local council voting day of the week, which is a Thursday.

Although there is no law stating a particular day of the week, the last time a General Election was not held on a Thursday was in 1931.

A Somerset Council spokesperson said a ‘legal calendar’ governed the date of the by-election and with the Christmas and New Year break meaning multiple Bank Holidays, it was the latest time the election could be held.

The spokesperson said: “It is convention rather than the law for elections and by-elections to be held on a Thursday.

“The timing of the calling for by-elections in late December - the Frome Town Council Park Ward by-election is being held on the same day - has not made this possible.

“Running these elections on the same day will also help keep the costs down due to an ability to share Royal Mail licensing costs.”

The cost of the Rockwell Green poll is estimated to be about £6,000, and candidates have until 4 pm on Wednesday, January 14, to submit nomination papers.

Reform UK has already nominated Rockwell Green resident and long‑time community volunteer Andy Denison, who also stood unsuccessfully in the recent Wellington south ward by-election, which was won by the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Denison is known locally through his work as a self‑employed carer, supporting people to stay independent in their own homes, as well as through his roles with Neighbourhood Watch and his active support for a Wellington emergency plan being prepared by the town council.

He said his campaign was all about strengthening the community he cared so deeply about.

One of his main priorities would be to push for the right infrastructure to support Rockwell Green as it grows, including better flood protection, regular maintenance of drains and gullies, and ensuring new housing was matched with essential local services such as healthcare access, school capacity, and community facilities.

Mr Denison said he believed such practical improvements were vital to protecting the area’s future and supporting residents old and new.

He was looking forward to going out across Rockwell Green to chat with neighbours, hearing what mattered most to them, and working together on solutions which would make a real difference.

Mr Denison hoped residents would support his bid to bring a ‘fresh, community‑focused voice to the town council’ and help put Rockwell Green first in the by‑election.

The Conservatives have put forward Dr Ed Yates, who works in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, and whose father Dr Alex Yates was the party’s candidate in the Wellington south ward by-election.