A current county councillor and a former county councillor are going head to head in an upcoming by-election.

Residents of the villages of Butleigh and Baltonsborough, near Glastonbury, will go to the polls on October 6 to elect a new district councillor who will represent them until Mendip District Council ceases to exist on April 1, 2023.

The by-election has been prompted by the passing in July of "perfect gentleman" and "voice of common sense" Nigel Woollcombe-Adams, who represented the ward for the Conservative Party for more than 30 years.

Both candidates to replace him have now been confirmed, with the Tories hoping to see off a strong challenge from the Liberal Democrats.

The Tories' chosen candidate is Butleigh resident Ken Maddock, who served as leader of Somerset County Council between 2009 and 2012, representing the Mendip South division until 2013.

His time as leader saw significant cuts to public services in Somerset, with more than £30M cut from the county council's budget in 2011 alone as the age of austerity began to bite hard.

In 2012 he attempted to become the first Avon and Somerset police and crime commissioner, but finished second behind inaugural winner Sue Mountstevens.

The Lib Dems' challenger is Claire Sully, who lived in Baltonsborough as a child but currently resides in the village of Croscombe between Shepton Mallet and Wells.

She currently runs a tech company, and plays the drums and banjo in her spare time.

She was one of two Lib Dems elected to represent the Mendip South division in the county council elections in May, and currently sits on the council's adults and health scrutiny committee.

The district council is currently under no overall control, with the Lib Dems holding the most seats at 23, followed by the Conservatives (11 seats), the Green Party (ten) and two independents, with one vacancy.

If the Lib Dems win, they will achieve overall control over the council for the first time since the Conservatives were unseated in the 2019 local elections.

The polls will be open on October 6 between 7am and 10pm, with the result being announced early the following morning.