Some familiar faces are running for Kingston Council in this month's Grove ward byelection.

Just two months after Kingston town centre residents last went to the polls, they will be asked to select another new representative on Thursday, July 16.

The vote has been called following the sudden death of Councillor Chrissie Hitchcock - who represented the ward on behalf of the Liberal Democrats for 25 years.

This time around Jon Tolley, the skateboarding owner of Banquet Records, is standing for the Lib Dem’s after previously running as an independent candidate in May. He explained his decision in a YouTube video, saying he had voted Lib Dem in every election in his life.

He said: "In the last byelection I stood as an independent because I thought the views that I had weren’t being represented and I wanted to shout as loud as I could so that people heard our voices.

"In that whole campaign I found it quite interesting there were a lot of people who weren’t involved in politics who wanted me or an independent to speak for them.

"I found that views from a few Tories were quite dismissive of me and I received no support apart from the Lib Dems. They were the ones reaching out. They were onside from the beginning."

Clare Keogh, who ran as the Green Party candidate in the General Election, has put herself forward for the Grove council seat.

An accomplished Irish dancer, Miss Keogh secured 2,322 for the Kingston and Surbiton parliamentary seat and performed an Irish jig at 2.30am during the count.

Kingston Labour chairman Laurie South, himself a keen Morris dancer, is the party's candidate once again, having also stood two months ago.

He said: "I am involved in this community. I have lived here in Grove ward for over 20 years and this is where I want to be.

"But I want to see a developing Kingston that is fairer and offers help, hope and a future for everyone living here.

"Kingston will change: it must. But it must offer homes, education, job opportunities and amenities for all who live here - no matter what your age."

John Anderson will again be running for UKIP.

The newcomer is Conservative candidate Jenny Lewington, from Chessington, who has worked as a personal assistant at Tolworth Girls' School for the past 32 years.

For more information about the byelection, visit kingston.gov.uk