Voters in Midhurst elected Yvonne Gravely and Dominic Merritt to represent them on West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council respectively.
Voters in Midhurst and surrounding villages had the chance to vote in a by-election for a new County Councillor and District Councillor following the earlier resignations of Kate O’Kelly, previous County Councillor for Midhurst, and Jess Brown-Fuller, previously District Councillor for Midhurst and now Chichester’s Member of Parliament.
Yvonne Gravely, a first-time candidate and co-founder of the Midhurst Community Choir, won with 1349 votes. Conservative candidate Tom Crofts received 1119 votes, with Reform candidate Adam Kirby in third place with 662 votes. Turnout for the County Council division was 38.5%.
When asked about the victory, Yvonne said “I am honoured and delighted to have been elected and am grateful to those who voted. The hard work starts now, and I will do my very best to support and represent all residents”.
Dominic Merritt, also a Midhurst Town Councillor and a first-time candidate, won the District Council seat with 924 votes, with the Conservative candidate Danielle Dunfield-Prayero on 712 votes and Reform candidate Adam Kirby on 451. Turnout for the District Council election was 39.2%.
Dominic commented after his win, “I am Midhurst born and bred and it is a real honour to be elected to represent my hometown on the District Council. I am pleased to be representing the voice of the younger residents, that so often feel unheard and ignored”.
Local elections that were due to take place on May 1st were postponed for most of West Sussex, due to Sussex being included in the government’s fast-track programme for devolution and local government reorganisation. Elections for a Sussex Mayor are due to take place in 2026, with elections for a new combined unitary authority, replacing Chichester District Council and West Sussex County Council, in 2027.