MAY ELECTION: Salford local elections round-up

Local authority elections are around the corner and it’s time for a straightforward round-up of what is going on, including deadlines, where to vote and more.

The election is being held on Thursday the 5th of May to decide what councillors will represent the different areas of Salford.

If you are over 16 and a British citizen you’re eligible to cast your vote. However, If you’re not already, you will need to register to vote.

To vote in this election you needed to have been registered by 11:59 pm on 14 April. However, votes occur often so even if you have missed this deadline it’s still worth regiserting. This takes no longer than 5 minutes and can be done here.

Local elections are often seen as a popularity test in the current government – with this one being Boris Johnson’s second election battle. The outcome, while not influencing his power in parliament, will determine how much faith the British population has in the Prime Minister’s abilities. The topics of ‘partygate’, Ukraine and the rising cost of living crisis will all be major talking points in the upcoming weeks leading up to the election.

Local elections often have very low turnouts but can be very impactful to the national political climate. 2019 saw the conservative government take huge losses in protest of Theresa May’s Brexit deal. This election result became a final nail in the coffin for her career as PM, paving the way for the current leader – Boris Johnson. Kier Starmer’s Labour Party has seen little electoral success since he became party leader in January 2020, so he will be looking to capitalise on the remaining party-gate momentum.

How to vote:

If you are unavailable or cannot make it to a polling station on the 5th of May, postal voting is available. However, this deadline ended on April 19th.

You can register to postal vote here or email elections@salford.gov.uk / call 0161 793 2500 with your name and full address, including your postcode. If you forget to send your postal vote back in time, you can hand-deliver it to any polling station in and it will count as a normal vote.

You can also apply for a proxy vote here. This is where someone you trust votes on your behalf if you’re unavailable. The deadline to vote by proxy is 5pm TODAY, so if you plan to vote by proxy, make sure it’s done by today.

5pm today is the deadline to apply for a proxy vote for the local elections. This means appointing someone else to vote on your behalf if you can’t make it to a polling station on Thursday 5 May. More info at https://t.co/qEiQMlJtCU #LocalElection pic.twitter.com/fqKLewHtcx

— Salford City Council (@SalfordCouncil) April 26, 2022

When voting, it’s important to be informed. Study what parties your local candidates represent and see what values they hold. If they’ve already been elected you should check their voting history to make sure their voting record represents your political values. We also recommend following their Twitter accounts to see live updates about their campaign in the run-up to the election.

Last year’s Blackfriars and Trinity Ward by-election results saw Labour’s Roseanna Wain win by 400 votes, more than double greens second place. However, only 10% of the ward’s eligible voters turned out. It’s likely voter turnout in May will be closer to the 25% average of the 2019 local election. Despite this, local elections traditionally have very low turnouts so every vote could have a major impact on the results.

You can find out where your voting ward is here so you’re ready to vote in May. Your polling card will have more information on where your polling station is located. This is posted to your house closer to the election.

Find out who is up for election in your ward (alphabetical):