Voters in Douglas Council’s Derby Ward constituency will have four candidates from whom to choose when they head to the polls next month.

Alan Charles Buck, who’s retired, programmer and ’activist’ Samuel James Hamer, former school teacher Amanda Jane Walker and community organiser Devon Watson are all standing in the contest.

The election was called after Colin Cain resigned and former Mayor Debbie Pitts died in January.

So there are two vacant seats.

Polling stations will open at 8am on Thursday, October 15, for the by-election, before closing at 8pm later that day.

Two of the four who have put their names forward will be in office until May 1 before boundary changes mean the constituency of Derby Ward will cease to exist.

It’s part of wider plans to reduce the size of the local authority from 18 councillors to 12, and the number of wards from six to four.

Council leader David Christian questioned the point of the election when the new councillors would serve less than a year in post.