Due to a challenge in the High Court to the local election results in May in Kinson South, which saw a "printing error" by the Council result in a small number of residents not being able to vote, a by-election is to take place for two of the Council seats on 10th December. 

Below is a statement from Norman Decent and Roger Marley, the Conservative Candidates who were elected in the May elections and who have been working hard as the local Councillors up until the announcement today.

"This has been a most unfortunate episode – due to an error by Council staff, ballot papers for Kinson North and South were sent to the wrong polling stations for the local elections held on 7th May 2015. This resulted in 115 people being unable to cast a vote in the Kinson South ward election, and the votes of a further 56 voters who had been asked to return being disallowed.

Beryl Baxter, a Labour candidate who came 4th in the election (65 votes behind Mr Decent and 106 votes behind Mr Marley), challenged the results in the High Court. The Court, whilst accepting there was a very strong probability that Ms Baxter would not have beaten either Mr Decent or Mr Marley had the error not occurred, set a new legal precedent which means that if there are any errors that could cast any doubt over the final results of an election then that election should be rerun.

While Norman Decent & Roger Marley are both disappointed with the Court’s decision, they understand the basis for it, which ensures that Judges are not called upon to predict how voters might have voted, even where is it extremely unlikely that the result would have been affected – only mathematical certainty is now enough to avoid a new election. In this case there was a chance, however slim, that the result could have been different if the affected voters had been able to vote, and so the Court have ordered a rerun.

Norman Decent & Roger Marley will continue to serve the residents of Kinson South as they have done since the election in May. They will both seek re-election in the poll scheduled for the 10th December 2015 so that local residents once again have the opportunity to choose to elect them to provide a strong and effective voice for people living in Kinson South on Bournemouth Council."