Elections across Cumbria will be going ahead today with extra COVID-19 safety measures.
Polling stations will open at 7am until 10pm for by-elections and the election for the police and crime commissioner.
District councils, which are in charge of overseeing the elections, request that people bring their own pen or pencil to mark their ballot paper and respect the measures put in place to keep people safe.
Coronavirus means polling stations will operate differently for these elections, which may mean it takes a little longer to vote.
Polling staff will be behind screens and wearing facemasks and they will wipe down surfaces in the polling booths and on the ballot boxes between voters, while limiting the number of voters who can enter a polling station at one time.
At busy times, queues may form – especially in smaller polling stations where people may be asked to wait outside.
Voters will be asked to wear facemasks, unless exempt, and use hand sanitiser.
Eden District Council Hartside district ward candidates:
- Raymond BRIGGS – 6 Crossfell View, Hackthorpe, Penrith – The Conservative Party – proposer John Howard-Lawson – seconder Peter David Gibney
- Susan Jane Castle-Clarke – Address in Eden – proposer Rita M Mark – seconder Ruth Beaumont
- Dave Knaggs – Address in Eden – Labour Party – proposer Jacqueline A Leah – seconder Helen M Bedford
- Nikita Parks – Address in Eden – Independent – proposer Susan M Brookfield – seconder Sally Michelle McCullock
Eden District Council Skelton district ward candidates:
- Colin Atkinson – Cherry Tree House, Skelton, Penrith – The Conservative Party – proposer Helen Williams – seconder Gillian M D McKillop
- Roger Burgin – 4 Greenacres Park, Plumpton, Penrith – Liberal Democrats – proposer Graham Morley – seconder Christine Morley
- Belinda LLoyd – 3 Petteril Terrace, Plumpton, Penrith – Green Party – proposer Jennifer S Russell – seconder Jane Parkin
- Hilary Jane Snell – Address in Eden – Labour Party – proposer Karen Quinn – seconder Mark Paul Quinn
Penrith Town Council Penrith Pategill parish ward candidates:
- Val Bowen – Carleton Hall Gardens, Penrith – Liberal Democrats – proposer Lesley Ridley – seconder Dennis Bain
- Dan Harding – Address in Penrith – Putting Cumbria First – proposer Gillian M J Hodgson – seconder John A Hodgson
Alston Moor Parish Council for the Alston Moor ward. Four councillors will be elected from the following candidates:
- Brian Desmond DAVIES – Address in Alston Moor – Independent – proposer Caroline Graham – seconder Kenneth Little
- Norman Bradley English – Address in Alston Moor – proposer Aubrey Thomas Best – seconder Jennifer Beverley O’Brien
- Steven Walter Edward HATTERSLEY – Address in Alston Moor – proposer Aubrey Thomas Best – seconder Jennifer Beverley O’Brien
- Raymond Miller – 22 The Firs, Alston – proposer Brian Cooper – seconder Alastair F Robertson
- Kathy Reeds – Orchard House, Townfoot, Alston – Independent – proposer Norman Bradley English – seconder Alix Martin
- Ron Robinson – Address in Alston Moor – proposer June Robinson – seconder Steven W E Hattersley
Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner
The election of a new PCC was due to take place last year, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The candidates are:
- Loraine Birchall of Urswick, Ulverston, representing the Liberal Democrats
- Barbara Cannon, of Harrington, Workington, representing the Labour and Co-operative Party
- Peter McCall, of Penrith and the Border, representing the Conservative Party
Voting closes at 10pm today.
