Details of a by-election have emerged following the controversial resignation of a long-standing councillor.
Harry Clarke stepped down from Dereham Town Council last month after the council voted to take over its car parks from Breckland, a plan which he labelled as “deliberate self-harm”.
The move - which included voting to consider introducing parking charges - prompted him to end his 11-year tenure, saying in a lengthy resignation letter that such charges would leave him “unable to look residents in the face”.
A by-election to choose the Labour politician's successor is now expected to take place on December 11.
Following his vocal exit, Mr Clarke has refused to comment on the upcoming election.
His silence has caused frustration among sources close to the town council, who point both to the cost of holding the upcoming vote and his decision to remain a Breckland district councillor.
The previous election in Dereham cost around £9,000, when Reform UK’s Rob Jamieson won the Toftwood seat by 129 votes over Labour’s Adam Sam Birks, with a turnout of 19.84 per cent.
Mr Clarke has also declined to explain why he has stayed on at Breckland Council, which has been central in shaping options for parking charges across the district’s market towns.
Breckland had initially proposed introducing charges in Dereham and other towns in the district before later putting forward a series of takeover models ranging from leasehold arrangements to full purchase.
He had long been one of the most vocal opponents of parking charges - which comes as part of many models put forward - campaigning against them for years including organising a petition that gathered more than 7,000 signatures.
Between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, Mr Clarke received £22,256.66 in allowances for his Breckland role: £6,573 in basic allowance, £12,526.63 in special responsibility allowance, £280.80 in travel expenses and £180 in general allowances.
Locals in Dereham’s Withburga Ward have until midnight on Tuesday, November 25 to register to vote in the by-election.
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