Council elections 'taster' set to be hotly contested

A BY-ELECTION has been called in Birmingham to fill a vacant council seat following the sudden death of Moseley councillor Kerry Jenkins.

- JANE HAYNES News Reporter

It will take place on Thursday, October 23 and the deadline for nominations is 4pm today.

The vacancy is set to trigger intense campaigning and will be a precursor for what's ahead in the all-out elections being held next May, when all 101 city council seats will be contested.

The candidate seeking to hold the seat for Labour is Stephen Pihlaja, a community activist with a history of campaigning on the real living wage, affordable housing, safety, and migratory justice. A lecturer at Aston University and father of three, he grew up in America but now lives in Harborne.

The Conservative candidate is local resident Nayaz Qazi, who is campaigning to help clean up the city and balance the beleaguered council's finances. He is a member of Conservative Friends of India.