By Jill Stocks

Voters in Horsforth Hall Park Ward will go to the polls on Thursday, 7 May 2026 for the Horsforth Town Council, Hall Park Ward by-election.

The by-election will run alongside voting for the city council elections. One town councillor will be elected.

Voters are reminded that photo ID is needed to vote at polling stations.

West Leeds Dispatch does not support any political party, but we do encourage all our readers to use their vote.

Candidates have been asked for a statement of up to 300 words and a head and shoulders photograph to help you decide who to vote for. Here are their responses

Khadijah Akhtar (Green)

Khadija Akhtar

I’ve lived in Horsforth since the age of six, having attended both primary and secondary school here. I know our local issues well, including the environmental impact of the airport and night flights. 

I feel strongly about the need for community events and spaces to meet together. I volunteer at Horsforth community cafe. I think it’s incredibly important that we work together as a community to limit our food waste and support those in need.

I want to support more youth centres/spaces to meet and increase current provision for younger people’s activities. Having been a teenager here I know how important it is, that they have a positive focus. I would consult with younger people about what is needed. 

I also volunteer with ‘In the name of Love’, in Leeds. A homeless outreach, working towards fairer and safer housing for all.

As a Green councillor I would be working alongside others to protect the Green Belt and green spaces, and enhance the local spaces we have, ensuring accessibility and safety. 

Protecting green spaces is something that’s a huge priority for me, ensuring the natural habitat is protected for us to enjoy, eg cracking down on unsafe council pesticide use plus getting paths fixed and developing more play spaces. I would also look into initavities to clear and protect our neglected rivers. 

I would focus on better public transport links for Horsforth, including cheaper fares, better availability, and I want to also push for more safe bike lanes and secure bike parking, and of course better pot hole response teams! 

Finally, I think it’s incredibly important to have conversations with individuals in my community and be a voice for my home town’s best interests.

I’m proud to be have chosen to as the Green Party candidate in both the town council by-election and the City Council election.

Della Heptinstall (Conservative)

Della Heptinstall

I’m standing as a candidate in the Hall Park Ward by-election because too many residents feel they are not being properly listened to, and that needs to change.

As a Horsforth resident, I see first-hand the issues people raise time and again – anti-social behaviour, public safety, the protection of our Green Belt, and the visible signs of neglect in parts of our community. These are not abstract concerns; they affect people’s day-to-day lives. Yet too often, residents are left without clear answers or meaningful action.

On the doorstep, I’ve spoken to people who feel frustrated by a lack of transparency and accountability in local decision-making. Residents deserve councillors who will ask the difficult questions, challenge where necessary, and ensure their concerns are taken seriously.

Professionally, I am a lawyer working in complex, high-stakes environments where clarity, accountability and decisive action are essential. I also serve as an Army Reservist, where responsibility and leadership are non-negotiable.

If elected, I will be a strong, visible and active voice for Hall Park Ward – pushing for greater transparency, pressing for action on antisocial behaviour, and standing firm in protecting our Green Belt and local environment.

This election is about raising standards. Residents deserve councillors who are present, responsive and prepared to speak up on their behalf. I am standing to ensure that happens.

Ian McCargo (Labour)

Ian McCargo

I live on New Road Side, near the Fleece – literally around the corner from Hall Park itself, although just outside the Town Council ward.

I have either lived or worked in Horsforth – very near Hall Park itself, in fact – for most of my adult life. I’m delighted to be standing as Labour candidate for Hall Park ward in the Horsforth Town Council by-election.

I first arrived in 1999 with a successful job interview at EMIS which was then based above Morrisons. I always remember strolling down Town Street immediately afterwards and feeling confident about the future.

My daughter later worked at HSBC. My two sons went to Broadgate and now attend Horsforth School.

Incidentally, Hall Park itself was an absolute godsend for us – and I’m sure to many others in Horsforth – during the Covid lockdowns a few years ago.

And one of the positive legacies from Covid is that local town centres, like ours in Town Street and New Road Side, have become more central to many people’s lives again. It reminds me of my childhood, to be honest.

I work in logistics, and amongst other things I’m a regular bus and rail user both in our area and beyond, so I’m familiar with the trials and tribulations of using public transport.

I stood for Parliament here in 2017, and for the City Council in 2016. I am secretary of our local Labour Party branch here in Horsforth & Rawdon. I also hold senior city-wide activist positions in both Labour and the Co-op Party.

But ultimately my politics is focused – in the best Co-operative tradition, in my view – on empowering local communities. If elected I’ll do my best for ours here, both in Hall Park ward and indeed Horsforth as a whole.

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