NINE candidates will seek to replace former Glasgow Labour leader Malcolm Cunning as a councillor at a by-election next month.

Councillor Cunning, who represented Linn and had been re-elected in May, died last month at the age of 65.

Voters in the ward will go to the polls on Thursday, November 17, to elect a new councillor and the candidates have now been confirmed.

The city’s Labour group has selected John Carson while the SNP have selected Chris Lang-Tait. Pauline Sutherland will contest the seat for the Conservatives, Jen Bell has been picked by the Greens and Joe McCauley is the Liberal Democrats’ representative.

There are also candidates from Alba [Kirsty Fraser], Ukip [Chris Ho], the Scottish Socialist Party [George Willis MacDougall] and the Freedom Alliance [Di McMillan].

Two Labour and two SNP councillors were elected in Linn at the council elections in May, with Cllr Cunning picking up the most first preference votes (2152).

Paul McCabe and Margaret Morgan were then elected for the SNP before Catherine Vallis took the fourth seat for Labour. Incumbent Conservative councillor Euan Blockley lost his seat.

The SNP currently have 37 councillors in Glasgow while Labour, after the death of Cllr Cunning, has 35. The Green group has 10 representatives and the Conservatives have two.