Voters in the coastal and rural ward east of Dover will choose a new District Councillor on Thursday 27 August 2026, with six candidates on the ballot.
Residents of Guston, Kingsdown and St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe go to the polls on 27 August 2026 to fill a vacant seat on Dover District Council. The by-election follows the resignation of the ward’s sitting district councillor. Whoever wins will have a say on planning applications, waste collection, car park management and local environmental policy.
The candidates
Six candidates are confirmed on the Statement of Persons Nominated: James Robert DeFriend (Reform UK), Ingrid Dodd (The Green Party), David Arthur Hawkes (Local Conservatives), Jez Hermer (Restore Britain), Graham Richard Wanstall (Independent), and Steve Seamark Wisbey (Labour Party). Polls open at 07:00 and close at 22:00.
Full details, including the Statement of Persons Nominated and polling arrangements, are published on Dover District Council’s by-election page.
The ward is one of 17 across the Dover district. It covers Guston and Kingsdown alongside St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe, on the coast close to the White Cliffs, and takes in rural, coastal and commuter communities.
You’ll need valid photo ID to vote. Note that the deadline to register to vote was 23:59 on 11 August 2026, which has now passed.
Key information
- Register to vote: applications must have reached the Electoral Registration Officer by 23:59 on 11 August 2026 — this deadline has now passed
- Postal vote applications: deadline was 17:00 on 12 August 2026 — this deadline has now passed
- Proxy vote applications: deadline was 17:00 on 19 August 2026 — this deadline has now passed
- Voter Authority Certificate or Anonymous Elector’s Document: deadline was 17:00 on 19 August 2026 — this deadline has now passed
- Emergency proxy vote: applications accepted up to 17:00 on polling day, 27 August 2026
The Elections Office at White Cliffs Business Park, Whitfield, Dover can be contacted for further information.
The result will determine who represents the ward on Dover District Council until the next scheduled local elections.