SIX TO CONTEST BY-ELECTION

Six candidates are set to fight the Braintree Council by-election for a
vacancy in the town's west ward following the resignation of Labour's Chris
Bacon after moving to Singapore.

Labour will be making a big push for the seat to ensure they maintain their
hold on the authority.

The party currently has 29 of the seats, with the combined forces of other
parties and independents totalling 30. Polling day is Thursday January 31.

Labour's candidate is Graham Darwood, 30, a solicitor specialising in
employment law, who lives in Braintree.

Don Barnard, who has lived in the town for 35 years, is standing for the
Legalise Cannabis Alliance. He will be campaigning to legalise cannabis as
a crime reduction measure to free police to tackle other problems.

Terry Brooks,56, who has successfully developed his own business after
facing redundancy, is the unanimous choice of the Liberal Democrats to
contest the seat.

Independent John Buchan, 56, who has lived in Braintree for 20 years, says
he will be standing to "give something back to the people and the area of
his adopted home."

Duncan Stewart, who lives in Bocking, is the Green Party choice. He has
stood previously and has campaigned extensively on planning issues.

The Tory man is Roger Walters, 55, a county councillor who has recently
been pushing for an investigation into power cuts in the area.