Prospective Moray councillors have until this afternoon to put themselves forward for the upcoming by-election.
The deadline for nomination papers to be lodged at the local authority’s Elgin office is 4pm today.
And yesterday, the Conservatives announced who their candidate for the vacant Heldon and Laich seat is.
Former RAF serviceman Pete Bloomfield, of Lossiemouth, will stand as the group’s candidate, and has vowed that if he wins he will “give something back” to the area he now calls home.
He said: “I’m delighted to be the Conservative candidate in this by election.
“Living in Lossiemouth, I am involved in many local groups in the area, and I am keen to work with everyone to get the best results for our communities.
“I want to work as hard for people living on the coast in Lossiemouth, Hopeman and Burghead as I would for those from other parts of the ward such as Alves, Duffus, Miltonduff and Pluscarden and many other areas in this extensive ward.
“I believe my career in the Royal Air Force and my experiences since retiring make me a strong candidate for this seat, and I would like to give something back to an area I have been proud to call home for so long.”
Mr Bloomfield said Eric McGillivray, who stood down from the role, would be a “hard act to follow”.
Mr Bloomfield joins the leader of Moray’s Green party, James Mackessack-Leitch, Independent Dennis Slater, who heads Hopeman Community Council, and the SNP former teacher Joyce O’Hara on the ballot paper. Labour do not intend to run for the seat.
Mr McGillivray’s resignation means the administration and Moray’s SNP group now both have 11 members on the local authority.