Conservative candidate Gillian Lemmon, 52, was taken ill a few days ago but ‘suddenly deteriorated’ (Picture: South Derbyshire District Council)

A by-election will be called in south Derbyshire after one of the candidates died while the count was underway.

Gillian Lemmon, who was running for the Conservative Party in the Hilton ward, was taken ill a few days ago but ‘suddenly deteriorated’.

The 52-year-old died yesterday at around 12.45pm.

Her Tory co-candidate, Sundip Meghani, said: ‘We all gathered outside to be given the news, I think it was around 2ish.

‘So many difficult emotions to contend with. On the one hand, obviously the party politics side of things, and then on the other hand of course, something which is far more important, which is the sad demise of our dear friend and the circumstances in which her husband has been left and the family.

‘So just a horrific day and so tragic.’

He described Gillian as ‘a decent, down-to-earth person, and she enjoyed working hard for the people of Hilton’.

Gillian moved to the area with her husband more than 15 years ago (Picture: South Derbyshire District Council)

She was a member of the UK Royal Volunteer Service (Picture: South Derbyshire District Council)

The candidates for the three seats in the ward were Gillian, Sundip and also Peter Smith, who is the leader of the South Derbyshire Conservatives’ group.

As Gillian died before the count was completed, the returning officer decided to cancel the election.

A by-election will take place in the summer for all three seats in the ward.

According to the local Conservatives’ website, Gillian moved to south Derbyshire with her husband more than 15 years ago.

She was a member of the UK Royal Volunteer Service and set up her own financial consultancy.

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Another election count was suspended in Southampton. Hampshire, due to the death of Tory candidate Graham Galton after the polls opened.

Following heavy losses for the Conservatives in this week’s local elections, the Labour Party seized key battlegrounds from the party in power.

Labour is now the largest party in local government for the first time since 2002.

It took three-quarters of wards from the Tories that haven’t changed hands since 2019.

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Conservative candidate Gillian Lemmon, 52, was taken ill a few days ago but ‘suddenly deteriorated’.