2 weeks Ago
A former Labour councillor who was dramatically kicked out of the party is hoping to return to City Hall with the Greens. Ian Stutely, who unsuccessfully stood as an independent last year, is among candidates for the upcoming Norwich City Council by-election. Mr Stutely's deselection by Labour in autumn 2023 following an internal party row resulted in a string of resignations, costing the party its overall majority on the council.
He is now standing for the Green Party and hopes to be elected in Mancroft ward, which has a vacant seat following the resignation of Green councillor Jamie Osborn. Following Mr Stutely's deselection, his Labour colleagues in the Town Close ward refused to select a replacement candidate to stand in the city council election last May. Emma Corlett and Ian Stutely (back row) with Karen Davis and Cate Oliver (front) (Image: Town Close Facebook) This forced Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) to impose its own candidate, Chris Smith, who emerged victorious at the ballot, costing Mr Stutely his seat.
The upcoming by-elections on May 1 were triggered by the resignation of Dr Peter Prinsley, a former Labour councillor, who stepped down from his Bowthorpe ward to focus his energies on his role as MP in Suffolk. This was followed by two Green councillors resigning: Mr Osborn, who is leaving his Mancroft roles at both City Hall and Norfolk County Council, citing family reasons and Gillian Francis, who said she was resigning from Sewell ward for health reasons. READ MORE: Sixteen candidates for Norfolk County Council by-elections revealed The Norwich City Council election in May 2023 (Image: Denise Bradley) The candidates in Bowthorpe are Sean Bennett, for the Liberal Democrats, Richard Lawes, for Labour, Antony Little, who is standing for the Conservatives and is headteacher of the Hewett Academy, Tony Park, for the Greens, and Nick Taylor, for Reform UK.
The candidates in Sewell are Valerie Brind, for Reform UK, His Excellency Freeman, an independent, Paul Guille, for Labour, Simon Jones, for the Conservatives, Jenny Knight, for the Greens and Marlowe North, for the Lib Dems. The candidates in Mancroft are Craig Barker, for Reform UK, Gordon Dean, for the Lib Dems, George Heaney, for Labour, Edith Jones, for the Tories, and Mr Stutely, for the Greens..
