Council by-election · Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Tunbridge Wells Borough: Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden ward
4 candidates. Same page for each, in ballot-paper order.
At the election of Thursday, 7 May 2026, this seat was won by 553 votes (20.8% of votes cast); turnout was 45.8%. Past results describe the past; each election is a new contest.
about these dates
- Calculated from the statutory election timetable (working days before polling day).
- Confirm against the council's official notice.
Describe a household. Yours, a friend's, a neighbour's. Then each candidate's page shows what applies.
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This is a council seat. A councillor's win changes what the council decides: council tax, housing repairs and allocations, planning, social care, schools admissions, parking, bins, libraries. It does not change national tax, benefits or NHS policy, so this page shows only positions published for this council election, and no national party pledges are implied.
Compare candidates side by side
How this vote is counted: first past the post. One cross; the candidate with the most votes wins.Worked example
Every ballot with one cross is counted for that candidate. The one with the most votes wins, even without a majority. Example: A 4,000, B 3,900, C 2,100. A wins with 40% of the vote; the 60% cast for others elect nobody. There are no second preferences; a vote for a candidate who does not win has no further effect.
Max Lawson Chesters
Green Party
ShowHideMoney —Housing —Health —Education —Environment —Immigration —Crime —Defence & EU —Equality —0 in total
Max Lawson Chesters
Green Party
In their own words
No statement to voters supplied to Democracy Club.
Where this information comes from
Positions are quoted from the candidate's or party's own published material and official records, each with its source. Candidates and their agents can also submit sourced statements, published as written once we confirm they appear at the cited address. Submit a statement.
Published positions on the nine topics
Nothing published that we could source, yet. A councillor sits on the council that sets council tax and decides planning, housing repairs and allocations, social care, bins, parking, libraries and, in most areas, school admissions. It cannot change national tax, benefits or NHS policy.
- Are you this candidate, or their agent? Send us a sourced statement; it is published as written.
- Look yourself: the council's election notices · the party's site · leaflets archived for this area (electionleaflets.org, a Democracy Club project).
Nicholas Lees
The Conservative Party Candidate
ShowHideMoney —Housing —Health —Education —Environment —Immigration —Crime —Defence & EU —Equality —0 in total
Nicholas Lees
The Conservative Party Candidate
In their own words
No statement to voters supplied to Democracy Club.
Where this information comes from
Positions are quoted from the candidate's or party's own published material and official records, each with its source. Candidates and their agents can also submit sourced statements, published as written once we confirm they appear at the cited address. Submit a statement.
Published positions on the nine topics
Nothing published that we could source, yet. A councillor sits on the council that sets council tax and decides planning, housing repairs and allocations, social care, bins, parking, libraries and, in most areas, school admissions. It cannot change national tax, benefits or NHS policy.
- Are you this candidate, or their agent? Send us a sourced statement; it is published as written.
- Look yourself: the council's election notices · the party's site · leaflets archived for this area (electionleaflets.org, a Democracy Club project).
David Somers
Reform UK
ShowHideMoney 1Housing 1Health —Education 1Environment —Immigration —Crime —Defence & EU —Equality —3 in total
David Somers
Reform UK
In their own words
If I am elected again as your Councillor, I pledge to:
Continue to challenge when our council tax money is being spent unwisely;
Support a much needed Cranbrook secondary school;
Challenge plans to build over 3000 more houses in the next 5 years, when our Victorian water and sewerage cannot cope;
Support you and our Parish in challenges with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council as they arise.
Where this information comes from
Positions are quoted from the candidate's or party's own published material and official records, each with its source. Candidates and their agents can also submit sourced statements, published as written once we confirm they appear at the cited address. Submit a statement.
Published positions on the nine topics
Money and cost of living
Continue to challenge when our council tax money is being spent unwisely;
Pledges to continue to challenge unwise spending of council tax money.
Housing and property
Challenge plans to build over 3000 more houses in the next 5 years, when our Victorian water and sewerage cannot cope;
Pledges to challenge plans for over 3,000 more houses in five years, saying Victorian water and sewerage cannot cope.
Healthcare and social care
Nothing published on this yet.
Education and universities
Support a much needed Cranbrook secondary school;
Pledges to support a Cranbrook secondary school.
Environment, climate and energy
Nothing published on this yet.
Immigration and borders
Nothing published on this yet.
Crime, policing and justice
Nothing published on this yet.
Defence, foreign affairs and the EU
Nothing published on this yet.
Equality and rights
Nothing published on this yet.
Harry James Wormington
Liberal Democrats
ShowHideMoney —Housing —Health —Education —Environment —Immigration —Crime —Defence & EU —Equality —0 in total
Harry James Wormington
Liberal Democrats
In their own words
No statement to voters supplied to Democracy Club.
Where this information comes from
Positions are quoted from the candidate's or party's own published material and official records, each with its source. Candidates and their agents can also submit sourced statements, published as written once we confirm they appear at the cited address. Submit a statement.
Published positions on the nine topics
Nothing published that we could source, yet. A councillor sits on the council that sets council tax and decides planning, housing repairs and allocations, social care, bins, parking, libraries and, in most areas, school admissions. It cannot change national tax, benefits or NHS policy.
- Are you this candidate, or their agent? Send us a sourced statement; it is published as written.
- Look yourself: the council's election notices · the party's site · leaflets archived for this area (electionleaflets.org, a Democracy Club project).
Last time in this seat: election of Thursday, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Ellison (elected) | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,227 | 46.2% |
| Matthew Beattie | Reform UK | 674 | 25.4% |
| Vivian Widgery | Liberal Democrats | 384 | 14.5% |
| Paul Jeremy Keith Froome | Green Party | 370 | 13.9% |
2,655 valid votes, turnout 45.8%. Result data from Democracy Club (source). Past results describe the past; each election is a new contest.
Tunbridge Wells Borough: Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden ward in numbers
Recorded crime nearby, July 2026
8 street-level crimes recorded within about a mile of the area's centre.
- violent crime: 4
- public order: 2
- criminal damage arson: 1
- other theft: 1
Go deeper: independent sources
Cross-cutting: polling, fact-checking, parliamentary research
- Commons Library: constituency data dashboards
- electionleaflets.org: archive of election leaflets, searchable by area
- Electoral Commission: political finance register (donations, loans, spending)
- Full Fact
- House of Commons Library research briefings
- Institute for Government
- Ipsos Issues Index: what the public says matters most
- LG Inform: council performance and finance data
- Local Elections Archive Project: every council result since 2002
- mySociety Local Intelligence Hub: data by constituency
- UK Parliament: Commons votes (every division, how each MP voted)
- UK Parliament: petitions, with signatures by constituency
Sources used on this page
- Statement to voters: David Somers — David Somers (candidate), via Democracy Club, undated. Retrieved 2026-09-19. 3 quotations.