Residents will decide who runs Camden Council for the next four years at the May 7 elections

THE Liberal Democrats are mourning one of their council election candidates after his death just weeks before polling day.

Martin Hay, who was due to stand in the Highgate ward, died at the end of last week.

Group leader Councillor Tom Simon said: “Martin was a very warm, friendly and intelligent man who had been very much involved in the activities of both Camden and Haringey Lib Dems for many years and he will be much missed.”

There had been questions to the elections office at the Town Hall as to whether Mr Hay’s passing would lead to a delay to the voting in the Highgate ward, where Labour and the Greens are on a collision course in the race for the seats.

But staff said today (Tuesday) that even though Mr Hay had already been nominated as a candidate the election in the ward would not be countermanded.

Camden had to allow a deceased candidate to remain on the ballot paper at the general election in 2015 when Ronnie Carroll, an independent candidate in the Hampstead and Kilburn parliamentary constituency, died after the deadline for candidacies had passed.