LOCAL ELECTIONS 2021: DEADLINE LOOMS FOR POLL HOPEFULS TO THROW HATS INTO THE RING

                                             

Grimsby Auditorium - likely venue for counting of votes

A DEADLINE of  4pm tomorrow - Thursday April 8 - has been set for those seeking election (or re-election) to North East Lincolnshire Council at the polls on May 6.

Nomination papers must be submitted to NELC by that date.

On May 6, voting will be between 7am and 10pm.

In previous years, the count at Grimsby Auditorium has been on the same night.

Pending confirmation, word is that this year, it will be delayed until 9am on Friday May 7. 

There had been speculation that counting might not even begin until Saturday May 8 to allow voting papers to be quarantined

This would be lest  the ballot slips have been Covid-contaminated, perhaps by a cough or sneeze.

However, this speculation now seems to have been discounted.

There will be elections for one councillor in North East Lincolnshire Council for each of the following wards:

• Croft Baker
• Freshney
• Haverstoe
• Heneage
• Humberston and New Waltham
• Immingham
• Park 
• Sidney Sussex
• South
• Yarborough                       

Because casual vacancies have arisen, there is an election for two councillors in each of the following wards:

• East Marsh
• Scartho

There will be no NELC elections in the Waltham, West Marsh and Wolds Wards.

So far, only two serving councillors have revealed that they will not be standing for re-election.

These are: John Fenty (Con, Humberston & New Waltham) and  Ian Barfield (Lib-Dem, Park). 

If they decide to see re-election, the following serving councillors will have to contest their seats:

* Kathryn Wheatley (Lab, Croft Baker)

* Kay Rudd (Lib-Dem, East Marsh)

* Cliff Barber (Lab, Freshney)

* Bill Parkinson (Con, Haverstoe)

* Rosalind James (Lab, Heneage)

* David Watson (Lab, Immingham)

* Ron Shepherd (Con, Scartho)

* Gaynor Rogers (Lab, Sidney Sussex)

* Jane Bramley (Ukip, South)

* Jane Hyldon-King (Lab, Yarborough)

There will also be by-elections for the casual vacancies that have arisen from the departure of two councillors - Terry Walker (Lab, East Marsh) who was ejected from the council for failing to attend meetings, and Lia Nici (Con, Scartho) who stepped down in order to concentrate on her duties as MP for Great Grimsby. 

These elections will be combined with the Police and Crime Commissioner election, which is being held in all 15 wards on the same day.

There are 42 councillors  on North East Lincolnshire Council.

The  political composition of the council as of the last election in 2019 was:

• Conservative: 23
• Labour: 14
• Liberal Democrat: 4
• UKIP: 1 

However, since then, both the Conservatives and Labour are down one through the departures of Lia Nici and Terry Walker.