Dollar singer David Van Day wins Thurrock by-election
Singer David Van Day has been elected as a local councillor in a by-election.
The former pop star, who rose to fame in the late-1970s as one half of Dollar, stood for the Conservatives in the Aveley and Upland ward on Thurrock Council in Essex. He won the seat, previously held by independent Tim Aker, by 222 votes. Mr Van Day said he was "very happy" to have won after a "hard fought campaign". The singer also performed in a version of Bucks Fizz in the 1990s and was a competitor in ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2008. Mr Van Day, who lives in South Ockendon, had previously stood unsuccessfully for the 2007 local elections in Brighton. He said: "It was a very hard work, a very hard fought campaign, I had an average of 35,000 steps every day for the last month. "It was tough against the national backdrop to get people to focus on local issues but I have done that because I have brought it home." Mr Van Day said he felt Aveley had been neglected for some time and he wanted to combat traffic issues in the area. Thurrock Council is currently controlled by the Conservatives. Thurrock Council Aveley and Uplands ward by-election result: Elsewhere in Essex, Labour's Aidan McGurran was elected to Basildon Borough Council in the Vange ward and in Southend, Labour's Stephen George was elected in the Milton ward.