John, a councillor in the 1980s and 1990s, has lived on Canvey Island for over thirty years. A retired Fleet Street worker and former National Service Guardsman, John is married with two grown-up children. John takes a keen interest in the area and attends the Castle Point and Rochford Police and Community Consultative Group Forum. 

Secretary of the local Labour Party, Jackie Reilly, said "John Payne has represented Canvey East before and knows the ward well. He will be a hard-working addition to the town council." 

Commenting on why the Labour Party chose to call the election, Parliamentary Candidate Julian Ware-Lane declared that "we believe in democracy and felt that the residents should be given the choice of who represents them, rather than have someone seconded without an election".