THE wife of a district councillor who died suddenly last year has taken his seat in a by-election.

Labour candidate Jenny Dibsdall was voted to fill her husband’s seat in the by-election for the Crockenhill and West Hill ward.

Polling 304 votes, she beat Tory rival Adrian Crossley who scored 117 votes and a candidate for the Independence party who secured only 40 votes.

The turnout for the by-election was 35 per cent.

Speaking to News Shopper in March, Mrs Dibsdall said she hoped to continue with some of the work her husband started towards the end of his 20 years as councillor.

Mr Dibsdall died in November last year when he was taken to Darent Valley Hospital suffering with a pulmonary embolism.