FOUR candidates will vie for the council seat vacated by Darlington's new MP.

A by-election for the Cockerton West ward of Darlington Borough Council will be held on July 8.

The by-election was triggered after Jenny Chapman resigned from her post to concentrate on her role as the town's new Labour MP.

Jan Cossins will contest the by-election for the Labour party. Her contestants will be David Edward Davies (Conservative), Brian Jefferson (Liberal Democrat) and Paul Thompson (British National Party).

Labour will maintain its overall control of the council whatever the result of the election. It now has 28 councillors. The Conservative party has 18 seats and Liberal Democrats six.