Voters are set to flock to the polls today for this year’s round of elections.
People in Eden are choosing the councillors who will sit on the new Westmorland and Furness authority, which comes into being next year.
The new council will replace Eden, South Lakes and Barrow authorities and the county council.
A new Cumberland Council will cover the area currently under control of Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland.
We’ve taken a look at what turnout was like across Eden when voters last headed to the polls to vote for their preferred ward councillors.
Electoral Commission data shows that at the last local council elections in 2019, 39,109 people in the area were eligible to vote, with 14,100 of them returning valid ballot papers – equating to a valid voter turnout of 36.1 per cent.
Around 3,300 postal votes were included in the count, while 192 votes were rejected, which can occur if a paper is not marked properly or has been spoiled.
Including votes rejected at the count, the ballot box turnout in Eden that year was 36.5 per cent, which was higher than the England average of 32.8 per cent.
Last year was a bumper year for elections, with people across England and Wales responsible for choosing the Police and Crime Commissioner for their area – the person who will hold their local force to account and ensure it is serving the needs of the community.
In Eden, 11,142 people cast a vote at the 2021 Cumbria PCC election, which was a turnout of 26.0 per cent.
National issues such as the surging cost of living, Ukraine and partygate will be on voters’ minds this year – but residents across Great Britain still want councils to focus on improving local roads and housing, according to a poll.
A survey carried out by Ipsos ahead of the May 5 elections found 50 per cent of Britons thought improving the condition of roads and pavements should be a top priority for councils.
Second on the list was providing affordable, decent housing, with 39 per cent of voters telling Ipsos this area was most in need of improvement.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos, said: “Although most people are pretty happy with where they live, they still want to see improvements, particularly on roads, housing, high streets and the local cost of living – all of which are regular bugbears for residents.”
Votes for the Westmorland and Furness Council will be counted tomorrow, Friday. We’ll be bringing you the results as they happen here.
