Harry Wormington took the Cranbrook, Sissinghurst and Frittenden seat with 697 votes, 107 ahead of the Conservatives. Turnout was 32.2%; full result here.
The Liberal Democrats have won the Cranbrook, Sissinghurst and Frittenden by-election. Harry Wormington polled 697 votes, 107 more than the Conservative candidate, Nicholas Lees.
The result was declared by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s returning officer, William Benson. His declaration of result of poll is dated Thursday 24 September, the morning after polls closed.
The full result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry James Wormington | Liberal Democrats | 697 | 37% |
| Nicholas Lees | Conservative | 590 | 32% |
| David Somers | Reform UK | 392 | 21% |
| Max Lawson Chesters | Green Party | 186 | 10% |
The shares are our own calculation from the 1,865 votes cast for candidates.
The council’s figures for the poll:
- Electorate: 5,811
- Ballot papers issued: 1,869
- Turnout: 32.2%
- Rejected papers: 3 (two voted for more than one candidate, one was unmarked or void)
A seat changes hands
The seat was held by the Tunbridge Wells Alliance. Nancy Warne won it for the Alliance in May 2024 and resigned this summer, which caused the by-election. The Alliance did not put up a candidate to defend it, as we reported in our preview of the poll.
It is a big turnaround from four months ago. At the last borough election here, on 7 May 2026, the Liberal Democrat candidate came third with 384 votes, about 14% of the vote, according to the council’s published result. The Conservatives won that contest with 1,227 votes and Reform UK were second with 674.
On Wednesday 23 September the Conservative vote fell to 590 and Reform’s to 392. Turnout dropped too: May’s contest drew just under 46% of the register on our calculation from the council’s figures, against 32.2% this time.
David Somers, the Reform UK candidate, represented this ward as a Conservative from 2024 until May 2026. He finished third.
What it changes at the town hall
The council’s list of borough councillors now shows all 39 seats filled:
- Liberal Democrats: 26
- Conservatives: 7
- Labour: 3
- Tunbridge Wells Alliance: 2
- Independents for Tunbridge Wells: 1
The Liberal Democrats already had a majority, so control of the council does not change. What changes is the ward’s representation. Its other two councillors, Andy Fairweather and Alexander Ellison, are Conservatives, so the ward now has a split delegation.
Cllr Wormington will not have long before he faces the voters again. Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council’s minutes of 10 September record Cllr Fairweather explaining that the by-election winner fills the seat only until the end of its current term, and must stand again in 2027.
He is not the only Wormington on the council. Rob Wormington is the Liberal Democrat councillor for St James’ ward and the Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, according to the same list. The council’s records do not say whether the two are related, and we have not assumed it.
What it means for you
If you live in Cranbrook, Sissinghurst or Frittenden, you now have three borough councillors again after a summer with only two.
- Contact details for Cllr Wormington, Cllr Fairweather and Cllr Ellison are on the council’s councillor pages. Any of the three can take up a problem with the borough council.
- Planning in the ward still goes to the borough council’s committees, which your councillors sit on or can speak at. Our planning news page tracks the bigger applications.
- Council tax is set by the full council each February. Our council tax bands page has this year’s charges.
- The next vote for this seat is due in May 2027.
Sources: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, declaration of result of poll, Cranbrook, Sissinghurst and Frittenden, 23 September 2026, dated 24 September 2026; Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, list of borough councillors, read 2 October 2026; election results for Cranbrook Sissinghurst and Frittenden, 7 May 2026; Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council, minutes of 10 September 2026.
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