AS VOTERS around Swindon cast their ballots for the new borough councillors, Highworth residents will also select a new town councillor.

A by-election will be held in the Highworth parish on May 3 due to the sudden death of Coun Anthea Beamont on February 3.

The Labour member was elected as one of the 15 town councillors at the all-out parish election last May, and left a vacancy when she died of a stroke aged 66.

The candidates hoping to take the seat are Michael Frost for the Conservatives and Brett Sparkes for Labour.

Highworth has five Labour councillors, seven Conservatives and two Independents, although it is not run along strict political lines with whipping.

Highworth is not a warded parish, so each councillors represents the whole parish, which also covers the settlements of Hampton and Sevenhampton.

In terms of local issues, Keith Smith, chairman of Highworth Community Partnership, said a key priority for the town was improving the streetscene to attract more visitors and boost the town’s economy.

He said this should include improving the environment in the High Street, resurfacing the potholed Gilbert’s Lane, and turning the Fox roundabout, on the A361, into an attractive entrance to the town, adorning it with low dry stone walls, a few low-growing plants and a fox statue.

Sally Sprason, Swindon Council’s electoral services manager, said: “The Highworth by-election just runs alongside the borough election so when people go into a polling station, there are two ballot boxes – one for the parish and one for the borough – so they have got the opportunity to vote on two papers.”

Elsewhere in the borough, the parishes councils for Bishopstone, Liddington, Covingham and Wanborough were due on May 3 to see all-out elections, which are scheduled every four years.

However, the candidates will become parish councillors without going to the polls because there are fewer candidates than seats available in all cases. The new councillors will co-opt members into the spare seats.

The election count is scheduled to start at 10pm on May 3, after the polls closes, with the Highworth count taking place after the borough count.

The deadline for proxy vote applications is 5pm today. For more information, call electoral services on 01793 463494.