Meet the Candidates in the Fulham Town By-election
Five seeking to become councillor for the ward
Candidates (clockwise from top left): Aidan Chisholm – Green Party, Sam Kelly – Labour Party, Liam Downer-Sanderson – Conservative Party, Roy Pounsford – Liberal Democrat
June 17, 2025
The list of candidates competing for the Fulham Town seat vacated by a former Conservative councillor has been published.
Andrew Dinsmore stepped down from his role due to leaving the capital after becoming a father.
Mr Dinsmore, who stood as a General Election candidate last year in Hammersmith and Chiswick, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he felt he was “unable to perform my duties as a councillor to the standard that residents deserve”.
Cllr Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler, who until recently was the local Conservative group leader, is the other Fulham Town councillor on Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
The by-election has been scheduled for Thursday 3 July. For the full list of those standing, see below.
Aidan Chisholm – Green Party
The Green Party’s Aidan Chisholm said he has lived locally for eight years and currently works on transport projects for Westminster City Council.
He said his highest priority if elected would be to improve housing in the ward, such as by tackling damp and mould and holding rogue landlords to account by enforcing their registration with the council.
Mr Chisholm added he would launch a publicity campaign to make the high streets more attractive and accessible, as well as provide secure bike storage with new cycle hangars and school street schemes.
“Greens are a proudly anti-racist and pro-Europe party and I will lobby against the divisive policies of Reform, the Conservatives and Keir Starmer,” he said. “To remove the council’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza I will lobby to divest the council pension fund from weapons and oil and gas companies.
“I will work hard for the people of Fulham Town.”
Chris Clowes – ReformUK
The LDRS reached out to the local ReformUK group though has not received a response at the time of publication. We will add in further details if we receive them.
Liam Downer-Sanderson – Conservative Party
Liam Downer-Sanderson is a lifelong Fulham resident, having grown up locally and is now living on New King’s Road.
A freelance consultant, Mr Downer-Sanderson is also the editor of the Fulham Society newsletter.
He stood as a Conservative candidate in Sands End in the 2022 election. His priorities include opposing the recent increase in parking charges, tackling crime with more CCTV and supporting tenants with faster repairs.
He told the LDRS: “Having grown up in the borough, I’ve seen first-hand how Labour has let residents down. We used to have local police who knew the community, thriving high streets with a better mix of shops and public transport that actually worked. Now, it feels like serious crime barely gets investigated, high street shops are struggling with rampant shoplifting, Labour’s punishing parking charges and traffic schemes and our bus routes keep getting cut.
“I want to make our area safer, support local businesses to thrive and ensure people can get around easily. That’s why I’m standing in this by-election as the Conservative candidate.”
Sam Kelly – Labour Party
Fulham resident Sam Kelly told the LDRS he has a “background in advocacy”, particularly around young people’s mental health, and served on the board of a youth charity. He is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin.
He said: “I’m proud to be your Hammersmith and Fulham Labour candidate because we try to be different in our approach to running the council. That’s why we’ve been able to deliver services that you simply wouldn’t find elsewhere.”
Mr Kelly pointed to the borough being the only one in the country offering free adult social care and having the third lowest council tax as examples of the Labour administration’s successes.
“I am running for office because I think the residents of Fulham Town deserve better representation than they’ve had from the Conservatives. They called for Hammersmith and Fulham’s Law Enforcement Team to be axed and voted to block every affordable housing scheme when they were in office. If elected I will work night and day to make my constituents proud.”
Roy Pounsford – Liberal Democrat
Roy Pounsford is a retired Fulham resident having worked for 30 years as an IT Project Manager.
He told the LDRS he is standing as a Liberal Democrat candidate due to the “failing state of the health service”.
He said: “I’ve been campaigning to stop the downgrading of GP services at Parsons Green Health Centre and to refurbish Charing Cross Hospital. It is shameful that the Government has delayed refurbishing Charing Cross Hospital until 2030 at the earliest. It must be refurbished as soon as possible. We cannot wait five years!
“Given my long experience of project management I have the expertise to hold the council to account on issues such as Hammersmith Bridge which still needs to be repaired, as well as broken pavements and potholes, and anti-social problems across the borough.”
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
2022 Fulham Town ward result |
||
|---|---|---|
Candidate |
Party |
Number of votes |
BROCKLEBANK-FOWLER Victoria |
Conservative Party Candidate |
817 |
DINSMORE Andrew |
Conservative Party Candidate |
759 |
FENNIMORE Sue |
Labour Party |
497 |
HANCOCK Alison |
Liberal Democrats |
502 |
POUNSFORD Roy Kenneth |
Liberal Democrats |
411 |
THORPE Juliet |
Labour Party |
450 |
You will need to show an accepted form of photo ID to vote in a polling station.
Check the list of accepted forms of photo ID (Electoral Commission website).
If you don't have an accepted form of photo ID you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate.
The deadline for the council to receive Voter Authority Certificate applications to vote in the 3 July by-election is 5pm on Wednesday 25 June.
Apply for a Voter Registration Certificate online at GOV.UK.
The deadline for the council to receive applications to vote by post in the 3 July by-election is 5pm on Wednesday 18 June. This is the same deadline for changes to any existing postal and proxy votes.
Apply for a postal vote online at GOV.UK.
The deadline for the council to receive applications to vote by proxy in the 3 July by-election (for those who don't have an existing proxy or postal vote) is 5pm on Wednesday 25 June.
Apply for a proxy vote online at GOV.UK.
Contact Electoral Services if you require an ongoing proxy due to disability, employment or education as you cannot apply online for these proxy votes.
Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm on polling day.
Use your postcode to find your polling station.
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