Sitting county councillor Mick Fraser has agreed to contest his Suffolk council seat again after the Conservative's prospective candidate Alan Ferguson pulled out before the race officially started, Nub News can today reveal.

A full page advert was placed in December's Community News magazine declaring Mr Ferguson as the Conservative's prospective candidate for Hadleigh. No reason has yet been given for Mr Ferguson's decision to not now stand for the seat in the elections on May 6.

Nominations for candidates are due to be made as from next Friday, March 26, with the deadline closing on April 9. No other Hadleigh candidate has yet made their position public, but Nub News understands that at least two other people will be standing.

Cllr Fraser has represented the Hadleigh division as a Suffolk County Councillor since the 2017 election, and is also the Babergh ward member for Hadleigh South after winning that seat in 2019.

Cllr Fraser said: "After Alan decided to step down as the prospective candidate the Conservative Association kindly asked me to stand again and I'm delighted to do just that.

"I have enjoyed representing Hadleigh and hope to continue doing that at county and district level."

A former officer in the army Cllr Fraser has been actively working on a number of issues for the town. He spoke against the recent changes in car parking charges in his district council role.

Among his activities as a county councillor, he has recently helped secure additional funding for works to be carried out in Hadleigh, most notably on Calais Street.

As a keen cyclist he has worked with Hadleigh's Cycling Group, county and district councils to provide secure parking for bikes.

Cllr Fraser is Suffolk's armed forces champion, and has been working with his Babergh counterpart to help organise this year's Armed Forced Day in the town planned for June.

Mr Ferguson earned the nickname Bolter, after walking out of the Babergh Conservative Group in 2018. He also failed to win a district ward seat in the 2019 Babergh elections.

The South Suffolk Conservative Association and Mr Ferguson have been approached for comment but have not yet responded.