A by-election in the Green Lane and St James Ward in New Malden will be held on 10 November following the Lib Dem councillor, Tim Cobbett, handing in his resignation.

Cllr Cobbett stepped down from his role, which he had held since 2018, on 30 September following a decision to embark on a new chapter away from New Malden.

At the time of his resignation he said: "Since having the honour of being re-elected in May, I've been working hard for local residents. Whether that's helping to tackle fly-tipping along the Georgia Road underpass, working to secure new trees for Green Lane Rec or holding meetings with local community police to find a way to deter motorbikes being driven on cycle paths.

"I am so grateful to residents for supporting me in this work, and I am proud of being able to support local people as an active ward councillor, especially when helping residents through the difficult times we've all faced recently.

"I have built my career around helping people, and that included working as your local councillor, along with a number of paid part-time positions. Until recently this was working well, but I now find myself in a situation where my income isn't high enough to continue living in New Malden, and therefore have had to look for other roles away from our area. It's for this reason that I have taken the difficult decision to stand down as a local councillor."

The deadline for residents to vote is Tuesday 25 October and the deadline to register by post is 5pm on Wednesday 26th October.