Roman Bank and Peckover
Cambridgeshire ward; seat vacated after Reform councillor Andy Osborn's Section 106 conviction.
Last refreshed: 6 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is a small Cambridgeshire ward the only Section 106 conviction of the 2026 election?
Timeline for Roman Bank and Peckover
Mentioned in: Restore Britain enters tracker at 4% nationally
UK Local Elections 2026- Why was Andy Osborn's seat in Cambridgeshire vacated?
- Reform UK councillor Andy Osborn was convicted under Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act for posting a false statement on Facebook about a Conservative rival during his campaign. He was fined £1,800 and his seat in Roman Bank and Peckover ward was vacated.Source: Lowdown
- What is Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act?
- Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act prohibits candidates and others from making false statements of fact about a rival candidate's character or conduct during an election. Conviction can result in a fine and disqualification from holding the seat.
- Where is Roman Bank and Peckover ward?
- Roman Bank and Peckover is an electoral ward in Cambridgeshire, England, in the Wisbech area of Fenland district.
Background
Roman Bank and Peckover is an electoral ward in Cambridgeshire, notable in the 2026 election cycle as the ward whose seat was vacated after Reform UK councillor Andy Osborn was convicted under Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act. Osborn was fined £1,800 after posting a false statement on Facebook about a Conservative rival during an election campaign; his conviction is the only Section 106 RPA conviction of the entire 2026 cycle.
The conviction means the ward now faces a by-election to fill Osborn's vacated seat. It brings the ward national attention disproportionate to its size: Roman Bank and Peckover illustrates the tension between digital campaigning and electoral law that the stalled Representation of the People Bill was intended to address, including new campaign finance rules for which Royal Assent did not arrive before polling day.
Osborn's case is among the handful of concrete legal enforcement points in a campaign cycle where regulators and courts were largely absent from the main Reform UK financial controversies — including the £12 million in Cryptocurrency donations from Christopher Harborne.