RESIDENTS in and around Backwell will go to the polls on Thursday to vote for the next person to represent them on North Somerset Council.

A by-election is being held for the unitary authority’s Backwell ward seat, which also covers Barrow Gurney, Flax Bourton, Felton and Brockley.

This follows the death of the popular and long-standing independent councillor, Tom Collinson, who died suddenly when he suffered a heart attack at his home in Dark Lane on June 29.

He had been re-elected to North Somerset Council just more than a month earlier, during the district-wide elections on May 5.

Four candidates have put themselves forward for tomorrow’s poll, one for each of the main three parties and one independent.

The Liberal Democrat representative Nick Alderton lives in Portishead, the Conservative candidate Peter Burden also lives in Portishead, Terry Connell from Nailsea is the Labour party representative and Geoff Coombes from Barrow Gurney and chairman of Barrow Gurney Parish Council is the independent candidate.

Residents can vote between 7am-10pm at the following polling stations: Backwell Parish Hall in Station Road, Backwell; Felton Village Hall in West Lane, Felton; Barrow Gurney Village Hall in Barrow Street, Barrow Gurney; Flax Bourton Village Hall in Old Weston Road, Flax Bourton and at a mobile unit at the Brockley Stores in Main Road, Brockley.

A count of votes will take place at Backwell Parish Hall at 10pm the same day.