A BY-ELECTION is being held today in Valentines Ward, Ilford, to elect a replacement for Labour councillor Nadia Jabine Sharif, following her resignation last month.

Four candidates are standing in the election - Abdurahman Akhtar Jafar, of Respect, Surinder Pahl, of Labour, Shoaib Patel, of the Liberal Democrats, and Ikram Wahid, of the Conservatives.

Polling Stations for the election are at Christchurch Primary School in Wellesley Road, The Teacher's Centre in Melbourne Road and the Oxford College of Management Studies in Cranbrook Road, all of which are in Ilford.

The vote closes at 10pm.

Ms Sharif left her seat in December following her marriage and move away from the borough to Cardiff.