What you need to know about the local elections
The 7th of May brings the local elections to those of you in Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens and Halton.
We know that elections and politics can be complex so Mersey News Live is here to help you answer the questions you may have.
In part one, we try to cover the all-important questions you may have about the election.
In part two, we dive into the current council make ups in our area and the voting happening in your area.
Mersey News Live will be covering the elections in the four areas mentioned above.
How do elections work?
In England we use the ‘First Past The Post’ system. This means you vote for your preferred candidate and the most votes wins.
In practice this means that if there are two vacancies in your area you can vote for two candidates.
Click here to find out more about the UK’s voting system.
Is my area having elections?
Not all local councils will be holding elections, to find out if yours is.
In the Liverpool region elections are being held in St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton and Halton.
For those in Wirral and Liverpool, you are not voting this year.
In the local elections, councils hold either ‘all-out elections’, where all seats are up for grabs. Others put a third of seats up for election each cycle. In Sefton and St Helens, all seats are up for election. In Knowsley and Halton, a third of seats are available respectively.
To find out how it will be in your area head down this page to see your areas details.
How do I vote?
If you have registered to vote, you will receive a polling card which will tell you where you can vote on polling day.
Click here to see the candidates running in your area.
This is where your area will be separated into wards and each wards candidate will be.
Most areas will have representatives from the major parties. Each will align with their parties’ viewpoints, but they will also focus on local issues important to your area.
What ID can I bring?
It is a legal requirement to bring ID to vote, click here to see a list of acceptable ID.
Where do I go to vote?
Your polling card will tell you the location of your polling station, but you can also find out. You can still vote without your polling card, but don’t forget your ID!
I am away/busy during elections, can I still vote?
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on the day which is to allow those that are working to still have an opportunity to vote.
If you registered for a postal vote in time, you will be able to vote even if you are busy or away on polling day.
I am a student can I vote at home or in my uni location?
For most elections you must choose between voting in your hometown or uni town. However, for local elections you can vote in both!
You can vote in both elections, only if you registered to vote in your uni town and have a proxy vote for your hometown election.
Is there anything that would mean I can’t vote?
To vote in these elections you must be over 18 and either:
- UK or Irish citizen
- A qualifying Commonwealth citizen living in the UK
- A qualifying EU citizen living in the UK
There are some things that can stop you from being allowed to vote, these include:
- Peers entitled to sit in House of Lords
- Patients detained under mental health legislation for crimes
- People detained in prison (unless waiting for trial)
- People convicted of ‘corrupt’ or ‘illegal’ election practices during last five years
I have accessibility concerns about voting?
We have a post on our Instagram to cover polling station expectations about accessibility:
View this post on Instagram
If you want to vote in person polling stations should make your experience with voting as accessible as possible. This may be physical accessibility such as ramps or lower polling stations. Or accessibility aids such as tactical voting devices or large print. This could also mean you can bring a person to assist or support animal. To find out specific information for your area:
ST HELENS CLICK HERE
KNOWSLEY CLICK HERE
SEFTON CLICK HERE
Sense can also provide more information about your rights to accessible voting
ST HELENS
Who are my current councillors?
Current council make up can be found HERE
Leader: Anthony Burns (Labour)
Mayor: Severiano Gomez-Aspron MBE (Labour)
| Labour | 28 |
| Independent | 6 |
| Green | 4 |
| Reform | 3 |
| Lib Dem | 3 |
| Conservative | 2 |
| Vacant seats | 2 |
Who can I vote for?
Candidates can be found on the council website
How many seats are being voted on?
All seats are being voted on in St Helens.
KNOWSLEY
Who are my current councillors?
Current council make up can be found HERE
Leader: Graham Morgan (Labour)
Mayor: Ken McGlashan (Labour)
| Labour | 30 |
| Independent | 4 |
| Green | 7 |
| Lib Dem | 3 |
| Vacant seats | 1 |
Who can I vote for?
Candidates can be found on the council website
How many seats are being voted on?
One seat is available in 14 of the 15 wards across the Borough. Roby Ward has two vacancies.
HALTON
Who are my current councillors?
Current council make up can be found HERE
Leader: Mike Wharton (Labour)
Mayor: Martha Lloyd Jones (Labour)
| Labour | 48 |
| Reform | 1 |
| Lib Dem | 3 |
Who can I vote for?
Candidates can be found on the council website
How many seats are being voted on?
Halton is voted by thirds, this means that a third of their 54 councillors are elected every year over a four-year cycle.
SEFTON
Who are my current councillors?
Current council make up can be found HERE
Leader: Marion Atkinson (Labour)
Mayor: June Burns (Labour)
| Labour | 51 |
| Green | 1 |
| Reform | 1 |
| Lib Dem | 9 |
| Conservative | 4 |
| Your Party | 1 |
Who can I vote for?
Candidates can be found on the council website
How many seats are being voted on?
All seats are being voted on in Sefton. Read a MNL in-depth explainer on Sefton here.
FEATURED IMAGE: Credit: Harry Whitehead/Alamy Live News. PIC REF: G0WFDF
