Labour Party candidate, Curtis Bihari has been elected as a county councillor for Ferryhill after winning a by-election last week.
The by-election was held last Thursday following the death of veteran councillor Brian Avery last October. The turnout was 26.2%.
Cllr Bihari, 25, who is already a Ferryhill town councillor, won the by-election with 876 votes.
Six other candidates stood with Independent candidate Glenys Newby coming second with 528 votes, followed by Conservative Party candidate Dave Farry with 348.
Independent candidate Joe Makepeace received 166 votes, Green Party candidate Rebecca Dixon-McWaters 165, Freedom Alliance candidate Kaela Banthorpe 28, and nine votes were recordedfor Liberal Democrat candidate Bill Thorkildsen.
Cllr Bihari said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been elected.
“Our team ran a brilliant campaign with a really positive message.
“We had a lot of support and we really put the work in on the ground.
“We listened to concerns on the doorstep about price rises coupled with the 3% rise in the social care precept.
“I will be contacting Police and Crime Commissioner, Joy Allen and the local police team to discuss how we can tackle concerns about anti-social behaviour.
“I’m really looking forward to getting my teeth into the issues and representing the people of Ferryhill at County Hall.
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
