Polling day in Coventry is on Thursday 2 May
Where might the main political parties make gains and losses in the local elections on 2 May?
For a majority, a party will need to win 30 of the 59 seats that make up Rotherham Council. Currently, Labour holds 32 seats, the Conservatives hold 15, the Liberal Democrats hold four, independents hold seven, and the Independent Conservatives hold two. In May 2021, Labour retained overall control of the council, but lost 16 seats – and the Conservatives won 20 seats to form the main opposition when they previously held none. Since the last boundary changes in 2020, the council has been made...
There are 63 seats on Barnsley Council, and 32 seats are needed for a majority. Labour currently holds 48 seats, Lib Dems hold 10, Conservatives hold two, Independents hold two, and Reform UK has one. In May 2021, Labour retained overall control of the council but lost three seats. In December 2022, Conservative councillor for Rockingham ward David White defected to Reform UK. In Barnsley, there are 21 electoral wards, each represented by three councillors. Here, each party standing in the...
This year's local elections are especially crucial
Voters back President Mohamed Muizzu’s tilt towards China and away from traditional ally IndiaMaldives voters have backed President Mohamed Muizzu’s tilt towards China and away from traditional benefactor India, with his party winning control of parliament in an election landslide.Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) won 66 of the first 86 seats declared, according to the Elections Commission of Maldives, already more than enough for a super-majority in the 93-member parliament. Continue...
Many senior City Hall politicians are calling it a day while other hopefuls are on the comeback trail
Worried MPs have concocted five-point plan of quick measures aimed at showing that the party cares about public’s prioritiesRishi Sunak is braced for a bruising week as Tory rebels flaunted plans for a 100-day “policy blitz” to secure quick wins if the local election results prove disastrous for the party.The prime minister said on Sunday that he was not “distracted” by his personal ratings lingering at record lows. He refused to rule out calling a July general election amid mounting rumours...
In part of a series of interviews ahead of the local elections on May 2, Cllr Douglas Johnson, the leader of the Sheffield Green Party, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) of problems with council housing, and the amount of student accommodation being built in the city centre. He also said the committee system in the council helped them achieve “a lot” last year. He said: “That’s because of no overall control so there is a continued dialogue there and the parties talk to each other...
Neither Cllr Tom Hunt, the leader of the council, nor Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, have to stand this year – but Cllr Douglas Johnson from the Green Party does. Cllr Johnson, the leader of his group, was able to win comfortably in 2021 and now he is aiming to do that again, keeping the City ward a Green ward. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I’m a councillor for City ward, I was elected in 2016 and again in 2021. “I chair the council’s housing...
In a series of interviews with party leaders ahead of the May 2 local elections in Sheffield, Cllr Dianne Hurst from the Sheffield Community Councillor Group has told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) why she (and some of her colleagues) left the Labour Party and what’s next in – now – opposition at town hall. For a start, we met at Richmond Park in Sheffield, where Cllr Hurst wanted to talk about a mix of real local issues – the lack of housing options when homes are lying empty, and...
In our increasingly interdependent and complex world, the principle of law must be established as an imperishable bulwark against not only the offenses of individual criminals but also those of powerful entities and individuals who wield influence. By: Austin S Fallah True Son of Liberia, Africa, and the Planet Soil This parley argues that no []