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Council by-election · Wednesday, 23 September 2026

Tunbridge Wells Borough: Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden 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.

4 candidates stood here, polling day 23 September 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.

4candidates for one seat
3sourced positions
1with something published
1named sources

See the 4 candidatesIn a hurry? Two-minute guide →

The 4 on your paper in the order you’ll see them

  1. No. 1Green Party

    Max Lawson Chesters

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

  2. No. 2The Conservative Party Candidate

    Nicholas Lees

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

  3. No. 3Reform UK

    David Somers

    “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…”

    Published on: education, housing, money

  4. No. 4Liberal Democrats

    Harry James Wormington

    No statement supplied.

    Nothing published that we could source yet

The result, Wednesday, 23 September 2026
CandidatePartyVotesShare
Harry James Wormington (elected)Liberal Democrats69737.4%
Nicholas LeesConservative and Unionist Party59031.6%
David SomersReform UK39221%
Max Lawson ChestersGreen Party18610%

1,865 valid votes, turnout 32.2% of 5,811 registered electors, 3 spoilt ballots. Result data from Democracy Club (source). Past results describe the past; each election is a new contest.

Describe a household. Yours, a friend's, a neighbour's. Then each candidate's page shows what applies.

0 of 7 chosen
Age
Adults in the household
Children or dependants
Housing
Household income before tax, per year
Work
Studying
Optional: a few more things some policies refer to. Leave blank and nothing is assumed.
Anyone in the household is disabled or has a long-term health condition
Anyone in the household is an unpaid carer
Anyone in the household is on a UK visa, or seeking asylum
The household receives any means-tested benefit (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, etc.)
The household owns or regularly drives a car
Anyone in the household has served in the armed forces
Bands only. Nothing is sent to us.

Explore by topic

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.

Which topics do you want to see first? Optional.Choose

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 4 candidates from 4 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 4 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 Tunbridge Wells Borough: Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden 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 4 of 4 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.

1Max Lawson Chesters

Green Party

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2Nicholas Lees

Conservative and Unionist Party

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3David Somers

Reform UK

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4Harry James Wormington

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: David Somers — David Somers (candidate), via Democracy Club, undated. Retrieved 19 September 2026. 3 quotations.

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.