Parties brace for new by-election in Wirral

Jan 23 2013 by Liam Murphy, Heswall News

VOTERS are set to be asked to go to the polls in Pensby and Thingwall next month.

The by-election follows the retirement of Conservative councillor Don McCubbin, who has decided to retire.

Mr McCubbin was elected in 2011 with a 245 majority after being heavily involved in the campaign to save libraries in Wirral from closure.

He later went on to be the council’s “libraries champion” and said he was proud of his role in protecting the service, but has now decided to move down to London.

He said he had made the decision to move and put his house on the market, expecting it to take a year to sell only to have a buyer within a month.

He said: “I’m sorry to leave at this particular time, because it’s very interesting.”

Labour won in Pensby at the last election, in May 2012 when Cllr Michael Sullivan took the ward with a majority of 189, ousting Conservative Tom Anderson, and 327 votes ahead of the Lib Dem candidate.

The ward also currently has a Lib Dem councillor, Mark Johnson, elected May 2010.

A notice of the election will be published by the council later this week, and the election is expected to be set for February 28.