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Council by-election · Thursday, 15 October 2026

Mid Devon District: Bradninch ward

Archive. This election has already happened. Everything below is shown as it stood at the time: the candidates, their published positions as of the campaign, and household figures under the law of 2026. Nothing here is a judgement of what happened afterwards.

5 candidates stood here, polling day 15 October 2026. The same page for each of them, in the order you will see on the ballot paper. Read them all, or start with the one you have heard of.

5candidates for one seat
1sourced positions
1with something published
1named sources

See the 5 candidatesIn a hurry? Two-minute guide →

The 5 on your paper in the order you’ll see them

  1. No. 1Labour Party

    Piers Martin Kotting

    “Having seen how local services are falling short for young people and families, both first-hand and when setting up a social enterprise to…”

    Published on: education

  2. No. 2Green Party

    Kirsty MacKenzie

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

  3. No. 3The Conservative Party Candidate

    Dirk McFarlane-Aitken

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

  4. No. 4Reform UK

    Liam O'Brien

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

  5. No. 5Liberal Democrats

    Mary Ryan

    “Dr Mary Ryan has lived in Bradninch for over 35 years and is passionate about protecting the town's character, community and rural heritage.”

    Nothing published that we could source yet

The result, Thursday, 15 October 2026
CandidatePartyVotesShare
Mary Ryan (elected)Liberal Democrats47672.6%
Liam O'BrienReform UK9113.9%
Dirk McFarlane-AitkenConservative and Unionist Party375.6%
Piers Martin KottingLabour Party314.7%
Kirsty MacKenzieGreen Party213.2%

656 valid votes. Result data from Democracy Club (source). Past results describe the past; each election is a new contest.

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Money · Housing · Healthcare · Education · Environment · Transport and roads · Immigration · Crime · Defence · Equality and rights

Add your household and the topics that touch it come first, with the reason.

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Changes only the order of topic sections on this page. It never changes what is shown, who is shown, or any figure.

In this ward 5 candidates from 5 parties or independent slots are standing. Parties do not stand everywhere; here is how to find out whether yours stands nearby.

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.

Sourced positions found for 1 of 5 candidates

Compare candidates side by side

You're voting for

Your local councillor

Councillors sit on the council that runs services where you live. They set the council's budget and council tax, and decide local planning applications. Here, for Mid Devon District: Bradninch ward.

What this office decides

  • Planning. Whether new homes, extensions and developments get permission.
  • Waste and streets. Bins, recycling, street cleaning, fly-tipping.
  • Council tax. The level you pay, within limits set nationally.
  • Social care. In county and unitary councils, care for older and disabled people.
  • Parks and libraries. Opening, funding, closing.
  • Council housing. Repairs, allocations and, in many areas, homelessness.

What it does not

  • NHS policy and waiting times. Parliament and the NHS.
  • Income tax and benefits. Parliament.
  • Immigration. Parliament.
  • Policing policy. The Home Office and your Police and Crime Commissioner or mayor.
  • Schools' curriculum. Government and, for academies, their trusts.

Candidates often campaign on things their office cannot change. That is not dishonest in itself — an MP can press a council, a councillor can lobby government — but it is worth knowing which is which. Summarised from the Local Government Association and UK Parliament descriptions of each role.

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.

Everyone on one page

Showing 5 of 5 candidates. Everyone on the ballot, in ballot-paper order.

Numbered as on the ballot paper. Open a candidate to see their positions on the ten topics, with sources. Until a household is described, only positions that apply to everyone are counted.

1Piers Martin Kotting

Labour Party

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2Kirsty MacKenzie

Green Party

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3Dirk McFarlane-Aitken

Conservative and Unionist Party

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4Liam O'Brien

Reform UK

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5Mary Ryan

Liberal Democrats

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Photos appear only on each candidate's own page, so every candidate looks the same in this list. How much sourced material we found per party · Why isn't my party standing here?

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Go deeper: independent sources

None of these is affiliated with a party. Where a source campaigns for a position, the label says so. Links open the original site.

Cross-cutting: polling, fact-checking, parliamentary research

Sources used on this page

  1. Statement to voters: Piers Martin Kotting — Piers Martin Kotting (candidate), via Democracy Club, undated. Retrieved 19 September 2026. 1 quotation.

Candidate lists and nominations: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0). Tax and benefit figures: PolicyEngine UK, open source.

Cite this page

Harvard style. Every figure on the page also names its original source, which is usually the better thing to cite.