Reform UK has announced it will contest the upcoming Northumberland County Council by-election.
Mark David Owen will contest the Cramlington Eastfield ward for Reform when voters go to the polls on August 22. It follows the resignation of Conservative councillor Christine Dunbar in June.
Mr Owen, who works in financial services, lives in the Eastfield ward. A spokeswoman for the party added he was "born and bred" in Northumberland.
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Mr Owen said: "It is an honour and a privilege to be selected as the Reform UK candidate for the area I call home. I have lived in the area all my life, and have watched as both the Conservatives and Labour have consistently let us down.
"I want to see real change for my area, and not the failures we have grown so used to.
"This is, and will always be, the only reason I am putting myself forward."
Labour and the Conservative Party unveiled their candidates earlier this week. James Gillooly, a law student at Newcastle University will fight the election for Labour, while retired NHS mental health support worker Alan Smith is the Tory candidate.
At the General Election this month, Reform performed well in the newly established Cramlington and Killingworth seat. Candidate Gordon Fletcher came second with 9,454 votes - although he finished some way behind Labour MP Emma Foody on 22,274.
Nationally, Nigel Farage's party won five seats, receiving more than four million votes. While they did not win any seats in the North East, they came second in a number of constituencies across the region.
Reform did contest the 2021 local elections in Northumberland, but received just 408 votes across six wards.
Coun Dunbar was first elected to the council in 2017. Voters will also be electing a second new Cramlington town councillor after Christine’s husband, Norman, also stepped down from his role.
Announcing her decision to step down, she said the 'time was right' but spoke proudly of her record during her time in office.
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