Residents in a Staffordshire village have two elections to vote in next month - here's why

Residents of Norton Caines in Cannock Chase will have two elections to vote in next month after the area’s MP stood down from his district council role.

Josh Newbury initially remained as a Norton Canes ward representative on Cannock Chase Council after he was also elected as Cannock Chase’s MP in last year’s General Election.

He has now departed the district council however. And a by-election will be held for the vacant seat on May 1 – the same day residents go to the polls to elect county council representatives.

Two candidates have thrown their hat into the ring for the district council seat. They are Labour’s Timothy Frondigoun and Conservative Samantha Thompson.

Seven Cannock Chase Council divisions will be contested in the county council elections. They are the first to take place since a recent county boundary review and one candidate will be elected per division.

The names of candidates standing for election were published on Thursday (April 3) and they include sitting county councillors contesting their seats. Current Hednesford and Rawnsley representative Johnny McMahon, first elected onto the authority in 2017, and Cannock Villages division member Samantha Thompson, elected in 2021, will not be returning to the chamber next month however as they have both previously indicated they will be stepping down from their county council roles.

Staffordshire County Council 2025 election candidates in full. Asterisk indicates a current councillor

• Brereton and Ravenhill

• Joshua Leigh (Conservative)

• Mandi Boyer (Green)

• Gerald Molineux (Independent)

• Neil Parton (Reform UK)

• David Williams (Labour)

• Cannock Town

• Eloise Cropp (Green)

• Gareth Knox (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)

• Martin Murray (Reform UK)

• Garry Samuels (Labour)

• *Paul Snape (Conservative)

• Chadsmoor

• Joanne Elson (Green)

• *Philippa Haden (Conservative)

• Alex Hunt (Reform UK)

• Jacquie Prestwood (Labour and Co-operative)

• Anthony Thompson (Liberal Democrat)

• Etching Hill and the Heath

• Alan Dudson (Independent)

• Darren Foley (Labour and Co-operative)

• David Green (Green)

• Jon Pendleton (Reform UK)

• *Mike Sutherland (Conservative)

• Hawks Green, Rawnsley and Cannock Wood

• Terry Dryhurst (UKIP)

• *Phil Hewitt (Conservative)

• Richard Jenking (Green)

• Rhys Mandry (Reform UK)

• Matthew Scotchmer (Liberal Democrat)

• James Withington (Labour)

• Hednesford North

• Anthony Boucker (Conservative)

• Paul Jones (Reform UK)

• Darrell Mawle (Green)

• Paula Stanton (Labour and Co-operative)

• Ronald Turville

• Norton Canes, Heath Hayes and Wimblebury

• Daniel Cecil (Reform UK)

• Sam Priest (Conservative)

• Ian Wallace (Green)

• Lisa Wilson (Labour and Co-operative)