Funeral only days ago, but Reform announce council candidate: John Penrose’s election organiser

Reform UK have announced their candidate for the Locking & Hutton by-election just days after the funeral of the much loved Cllr Terry Porter who was the incumbent councillor in the Hutton and Locking seat, and before North Somerset Council have even formally called a by-election.

To add further controversy to the situation, Reform UK have announced William Jones as the candidate for the yet to be called by-election, William was the lead organiser at the last general election for the former Conservative MP for Weston-super-Mare; John Penrose.

Cllr Terry Porter served as a councillor in the Hutton & Locking ward for 17yrs (Photo: Sourced)

Cllr Porter served as councillor on North Somerset Council since 2009 and during that time chaired the Community and Corporate Organisation Policy and Scrutiny Panel (during the previous Conservative administration).

He also served on a number of committees, including the Planning and Regulatory Committee, where he was Vice-Chair until his recent passing.

However just days after Terry’s funeral, Reform have announced their candidate in the by-election which has yet to be formally called.

Cll Stuart Davies (Reform) is urging people to support Williams campaign, just days after Cllr Terry Porter was laid to rest (Photo: Facebook)

A resident of Hutton, who declined to be named said: “Terry worked tirelessly for the local community, his passing was sudden and he is sorely missed. When someone dies, it should rise above party politics, and I just can’t believe Reform are behaving like this, it shows nothing but contempt for Terry’s memory”

William Jones calls himself a “community campaigne”, (Photo: Facebook)

Reform have selected William Jones to contest the seat once a by-election has been formally called, with William being no stranger to local politics having headed up the campaign on behalf of the Conservative Party for the former MP for Weston-super-Mare; John Penrose, at the last general election.

William Jones (far left) was the senior organiser for John Penrose at the last general election (Photo: Former Office of John Penrose)

William is originally from Plymouth where he was also member and candidate for the Conservative Party in a by-election in 2023.

William stood for the Conservative Party in a by-election in Plymouth in 2023 (Photo: Plymouth City Council)

North Somerset Council have been contacted for information regarding the timeline for the Hutton & Locking by-election

A spokesperson for Reform UK Weston-super-Mare Branch said: “Following Terry's funeral on 21 July and North Somerset Council's announcement of the vacancy on 23 July, we selected Will Jones as our candidate to ensure we were prepared for the forthcoming by-election.

Our intention had been to announce his selection only after the by-election had been formally called.

However, our Deputy Chairman shared Will's Community Campaigner Facebook page prematurely in his enthusiasm to support our candidate.

We apologise unreservedly for this.

Out of respect for Terry and his family, we paused campaigning in the ward until after his funeral, instead focusing our activities elsewhere in Weston-super-Mare. We resumed campaigning in Hutton, Locking & the Villages on 25 July.

Terry leaves behind a remarkable legacy and very big shoes to fill. We are committed to ensuring the people of Hutton, Locking & the Villages have the opportunity to elect a candidate who will serve their community with the same dedication and passion that Terry showed throughout his years of public service.”