THE 2021 local elections will go ahead as planned, the Government has confirmed.

Doubts had been raised about whether it was possible to hold the ballots during the coronavirus pandemic, but it has been announced that the council, mayoral, and police and crime commissioner elections will take place on May 6.

The Government has said that the public health response to Covid-19, not least the vaccination programme, means that they can commit to go ahead with the polls with confidence.

They are currently working with the Electoral Commission to ensure that we are setting out clearly how social distancing and other rules apply specifically to all aspects of the polls, and they will maintain the choice for voters between in person and absent voting (using a postal or proxy vote).

WHAT ELECTIONS WILL GO AHEAD?

As well as the delayed local elections in Exeter and Plymouth, and the PCC elections, the regularly scheduled 2021 Devon County Council elections will take place, as well as a series of delayed by-elections, and Neighbourhood Plan referendums.

EXETER

The delayed 2020 Exeter City Council elections due on May 7, 2020 will take place on May 6, 2021.

Each elected councillor would normally be appointed for a four-year term, with a third of the 39 seats contested each year (one seat per ward).

The 13 candidates whose seats will be up for grabs are those who gained the most votes in the 2016 elections, with Labour defending 11 seats and the Conservatives two, but the newly elected councillors will instead only serve a three-year term to ensure the return to the usual electoral cycle.

Voters in the Mincinglake and Whipton wards will elect two councillors – with the person receiving the most votes serving a three-year term and the runner-up a one-year term – with a by-election also taking place following the death of a serving councillor.

DEVON, CORNWALL AND THE ISLES OF SCILLY

On the same day as the local elections in Exeter and Plymouth, everyone in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will also have the chance to elect a Police and Crime Commissioner for the region.

That election will take place on Thursday, May 6, and Alison Hernandez, the incumbent, has already been re-selected as the Conservative candidate to continue in her post.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for the region would normally serve a four-year term, but will instead only serve a three-year term to ensure the return to the usual electoral cycle.

DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL

The 2021 Devon County Council elections scheduled for Thursday, May 6, 2021, will take place as usual.

The entirety of the 60-strong council will be up for re-election, with 56 "single-member" Electoral Divisions and two "two-member" Divisions".

The current composition of the council consists of 42 Conservatives, seven Labour, six Liberal Democrats, two Independents, one Green Party, one East Devon Alliance and one North Devon Liberal.

All elected councillors will serve their usual four-year term upon their election.

MID DEVON

Three by-elections for seats on Mid Devon District Council will take place on Thursday, May 6, 2021, following the deaths of two serving councillors and the resignation of a third.

Voters in the Castle, Taw and Westexe wards will go to the polls for the by-election, with the winner serving a two-year term on the council.

Elections for Cornwall Council, South Hams District Council and Torbay Council will also take place.

WHAT MEASURES WILL BE USED TO MAKE ELECTIONS SAFER?

There will be an estimated £92 million of government grant funding that will be provided to local authorities for the elections; of this, £31 million is an uplift to directly address costs associated with making the elections Covid-19 secure.

Everyone who feels comfortable going to a supermarket or a Post Office should also feel confident attending a polling station in May. Anybody who is shielding, or who would prefer not to attend a polling station, should apply for a postal or proxy vote ahead of the polls.

Voters will continue to have access to three methods of voting:

• in person at a polling station

• by postal vote

• by proxy vote, and rules will be created for proxy voting to ensure that anyone who is self-isolating can request a proxy vote at the last minute – up to 5pm on polling day itself.

Inside polling stations, hand sanitiser will be available and, where appropriate, screens and distance markings will be in use. Polling stations will need to be set up to maximise ventilation, and frequent touch points will need to be cleaned at very regular intervals. All touch points should be cleaned before and after use.

Voters should take their mask, as they would wear in any indoor public place, and will be encouraged to take their own pen or pencil with which to mark their ballot paper.

Daniel Clark

LDRS