A by-election is to be held after a Great Yarmouth councillor resigned her seat.

Labour’s Lea Davis decided to step down and return to her native Australia because a family member was ill.

She was elected to represent the Central and Northgate ward in May 2015.

Labour group leader Trevor Wainwright said she had been a hardworking councillor.

He added she was not on that many committees because of her commitments working for Labour MP for Norwich South Clive Lewis.

The by-election will be held on the same day as the local elections on Thursday May 3, when 13 other seats will be contested.

The borough council has 39 councillors who represent 17 wards across the borough.

Local elections will not be held in the Ormesby, Fleggburgh, West Flegg, and St Andrews wards, whose electorates are not large enough to have three councillors each. There are no parish council elections this year.

Nominations close at 4pm on Friday, April 6.

All councillors this year will be elected for a term of one year, rather than the normal four.

Following a local referendum, the borough council is moving to whole council elections from May 2019, when all 39 seats will be available.