VOTERS in part of Wellington went to the polls for the third time this year when Conservative candidate Ben Shepherd was elected on Thursday to fill a vacancy on the town council.

The Wellington South by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour’s Charles Biscoe, who stepped down for health reasons.

Mr Shepherd polled 165 votes, giving him a majority of 38 over LibDem candidate Marie Troake, who received 127 votes, while Labour’s Des Pollard took 17 votes. The turnout was 31.67 per cent.

He will take up his seat at the next town council meeting on November 6.

Mr Shepherd said: “I am really looking forward to being a new voice for Wellington on the town council.

“I feel extremely proud that residents have put their trust in me to represent them and I will do my very best to help people with any issues and to make Wellington an even nicer community in which to live.

“The campaign we ran as Conservatives was built around our achievements for the community and the issues that matter most to local people, and I was delighted that voters responded so positively to it.

“We now have an even stronger Conservative team on the town council and we work closely with the Conservative administrations at both the Deane and county councils.”

Mr Shepherd and his wife Jenny, who are both solicitors, have a one-year-old son, Ezra, and two dogs, Herbie and Meg.