The Green Party will stand aside in favour of Labour at a forthcoming borough council by-election, its chairman has confirmed.

Veteran Trench ward councillor Jean Atkinson (Con) died in October following a long illness, creating a vacancy in the overwhelmingly Conservative Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council chamber.

Voters living in the largely residential Tonbridge ward go to the polls on Thursday, December 8 to a elect a replacement. Standing are David Allen for Ukip, Georgina Thomas for the Conservatives and Fred Long for Labour.

In the 2015 local election, the Conservatives took 48 of the 54 council seats. Four remain in the control of the Liberal Democrats and independent councillors hold two.

In Trench ward Cllr Atkinson and Cllr Pam Bates together took more than 50% of the vote with nearest rivals being the Labour party's two candidates who took just under 25%. Ukip's candidate took a further 12%.

Howard Porter, chairman of the Green Party, whose candidate took 6% in 2015, is urging supporters to vote Labour in order to increase the chances of a victory for a non-Conservative faction in December.

He said: “In this election, we are asking our supporters and others to vote for the Labour candidate, not because we agree with everything they stand for but because, given the absence of proportionality, this is the fairest way to try to broaden the range of representation on the council."

Applications to vote in the election must be made before Tuesday, November 22. Click here for more information.