A BY-ELECTION for a borough council seat in Rixton and Woolston will take place next Thursday.

It comes after Tory Josh Dixon confirmed he is stepping down.

The candidates for the by-election are Rob Tynan, Conservative, Trish Cockayne, Labour, Brian Meichen, Liberal Democrat.

The poll for the election of the borough councillor will be held between 7am and 10pm.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail has advised that the Communication Workers Union is planning to carry out strike action next Thursday.

The strike will result in no collection, sorting, or delivery of post on that date by Royal Mail.

As this is the date of the elections in the Rixton and Woolston ward, and Burtonwood and Westbrook Parish Council (Burtonwood ward), the council says it is important that residents who wish to return their postal vote do so as soon as possible.

Postal vote letters are being delivered during the course of this week. Residents in these election areas are being urged not to put a completed postal vote in a Royal Mail post box after the last collection on Tuesday, November 22, as this vote will not be received in time to be counted.

The deadline for receipt of completed postal votes is 10pm on November 24.

If postal votes are not sent back in time, residents can hand it in at any polling station within their local area on election day, or alternatively, at the Town Hall.

The Town Hall is open from 9am to 4pm, and various polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm.

The polling stations for the Rixton and Woolston ward are Rixton with Glazebrook Community Hall, on Manchester Road, Glazebrook Methodist Church, on Glazebrook Lane, St Martins Methodist Church, on Gig Lane, the Mobile unit – Runnymede, Woolston Neighbourhood Hub, and Bruche Primary School.

The polling station for Burtonwood and Westbrook Parish Council (Burtonwood ward) is The Club, formerly Burtonwood Catholic Club, on Phipps Lane.