Antony Little, a local headteacher and former Conservative group leader on Norwich City Council, won the Old Catton county council by-election with 973 votes after Reform UK councillor Mark Tucker resigned due to ill health after 25 days. Green candidate Phoebe Connell finished a close second on 921 votes, while Reform’s Sue Lawn received 561. Turnout fell to 39.87% from 47.71% in May. Reform UK remains the largest party at County Hall with 39 seats, and Colin Sutton was elected as the party’s first police and crime commissioner.
Conservative Antony Little Wins Old Catton By‑Election After Reform Councillor Resigns After 25 Days
Antony Little has won the Old Catton county council by-election for the Conservatives [BBC]
Antony Little, a local headteacher and former leader of the Conservative group on Norwich City Council, has won the Old Catton county council by-election, receiving 973 votes. The contest was triggered when Reform UK councillor Mark Tucker vacated the seat after less than a month in office because of ill health.
The result marks a notable shift in Old Catton, a suburb on the outskirts of Norwich. Green Party candidate Phoebe Connell finished a close second with 921 votes — just 52 votes behind Little — while Reform UK’s Sue Lawn took third place with 561 votes. Labour’s Jake Norman polled 147 votes.
Turnout for the by-election fell to 39.87%, down from 47.71% in May when countywide contests were held. At the May election, Tucker had won Old Catton by 1,006 votes, with Little finishing second, 136 votes behind.
Old Catton is on the northern outskirts of Norwich [Adrian S Pye/Geograph]
Little is principal of Hewett Academy in Norwich and previously led the Conservatives on Norwich City Council. He also stood unsuccessfully for the Norwich South parliamentary seat in 2005 and 2010.
Council Composition After Result
Reform UK remains the largest party at County Hall with 39 councillors, though it does not hold an overall majority. The Liberal Democrats have 13 seats and the Greens 12. Little’s victory increases the Conservative group to nine councillors, level with Great Yarmouth First. There is one independent and one Labour councillor.
Elsewhere on the same day, Reform UK celebrated a high-profile success as Colin Sutton became the party’s first elected police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Norfolk. The PCC role is scheduled to be abolished in two years as part of plans to devolve powers to Norfolk and Suffolk through the creation of a regional mayoralty.
Full Results
- Antony Little (Conservative): 973 (Elected)
- Phoebe Connell (Green Party): 921
- Sue Lawn (Reform UK): 561
- Jake Norman (Labour): 147
- Martin Callam (Liberal Democrats): 100
- Hamish Williams (Restore Britain): 98
- His Excellency Freeman (Official Monster Raving Loony Party): 13
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