Your candidates in next month’s local council elections
SEFTON Council’s local elections take place next month and residents are preparing to vote in their elected representatives for the next year.
The local elections in England come ahead of an expected general election later this year and results will be monitored closely by all party members looking for signs of what voters are thinking and what policies are gaining the most traction.
Sefton has a council of 66 members or councillors who make decisions on matters affecting the borough.
Residents who live in Sefton are invited to vote on who they want to see represent them on the council and will have the opportunity to do so on May 2 when polling opens for the 2024 local elections.
There are 22 wards in Sefton and the seats will be contested by 95 candidates all hoping to be elected representatives.
Labour will be favourites to retain their overall majority and will need a minimum of 34 council seats to do this.
There will be some new faces representing the party this year after highprofile resignations from Cllrs Sean Halsall and Natasha Carlin in recent weeks, as well as Trish Hardy who quit the council earlier this year.
If you are on the electoral register and eligible to vote, you will receive a poll card before the election. This will detail when and where to vote. If the poll card is lost, you can still vote.
On the day of the election you will need to go in person to a polling station to vote and will be asked your name and address; you will also have to show photographic ID to the polling station staff.
Following new requirements introduced by the Elections Act in May 2023, people attending polling stations to vote in-person will need to show their photo ID.
A new form of free ID, the Voter Authority Certificate, will be available for those who do not have another type of accepted ID.
People will also be able to use expired photo ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.
Accepted forms of ID include:
A passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country.
A photo card driving licence issued by the UK, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or an EEA state.
Some concessionary travel passes such as an Older Person’s Bus Pass.
Merseytravel bus passes are only accepted if they include ‘funded by HM Government.’
Polling stations are normally open from 7am to 10pm and the full list of candidates is below.
Ainsdale Ward
Ryan Abbott - Conservatives
Frank Hanley - Labour Party
Laurence
Rankin - Greens
Lynne Thompson - Liberal Democrats
George
Birkdale Ward
● Jeff Bee - Greens
● Sam Harris - Conservatives
Erin Harvey Democrats
Sonya Ann Party - Liberal
Kelly
Labour
Blundellsands Ward Katie Burgess - Conservatives
Kieran Dams
Brian Dunning - Liberal Democrats
Diane Roscoe - Labour Party - Independent
Cambridge Ward Gary Haran Doyle
Stephen Hesketh
Callum Naylor - Labour Party
Mike Sammon - Liberal Democrats
Conservatives
Greens
Church Ward Dorothy Brown - Conservatives
Neil Anthony Doolin The Green Party Candidate
Church
Paul Paschal - Labour and Co-Operative
Derby Ward
Iain Beckett - Conservatives
Rowenna Gibson - Liberal Democrats
Maria Porter - Labour Party
● Kate Robinson - Greens
● Leighton Sealeaf Reform UK
Dean Young
Unionist and
Coalition - Trade Socialist
Dukes Ward Damian Bond - Liberal Democrats
Helen Duerden Labour Party
David Newman Greens
Mike Prendergast Conservatives - - -
Ford Ward Lyndsey Doolin - Independent
Paulette Party
Adarsh Makdani - Liberal Democrats
Michael Shaw
Lappin
Labour - Conservatives
Harington Ward Karen Cavanagh Party
Annie Gorski - Liberal Democrats
Dave Irving - Formby Residents Action Group
Joe Riley - Conservatives
Michael Walsh - Greens
Labour
Kew Ward
Jen Corcoran - Labour Party
Daniel Lewis - Liberal Democrats
Owen Phillips - Conservatives
Rob Wesley - Greens
Linacre Ward
John Campbell - Conservatives
David Mellalieu - Liberal Democrats
Joanne Williams Party
Labour
Litherland Ward Colin Appleton - Conservatives
Roy Connell Democrats
Amber-Page
Paula Murphy - Labour Party
Ian Smith - Independent - Liberal
Moss
Greens
Manor Ward Martyn Barber - Conservatives
John Gibson - Liberal Democrats
Dominic Party
James O’Keeffe - Independent
McNabb
Labour
Meols Ward
John Dodd - Liberal Democrats
Pauline
Steve Jowett
Party
Bob Teesdale
Hesketh - Labour -
Greens
Conservatives
Molyneux Ward
● Simon Baron - Greens
● Marcus Bleasdale
David Collins
Sam Hinde
Party
Paul Young Democrats - Labour - - Independent
Liberal
Netherton and Orrell Ward
Croft and
Owen Unionist Coalition
Vic Fouldsy Democrats
Adam Marsden - Conservatives
Tom Spring Party
Maria Walsh - Freedom Alliance - Trade Socialist
-
Conservatives
Liberal - Labour
Norwood Ward Lesley Delves - Liberal Democrats
David
Margaret Middleton Conservatives
Dave Neary
Party
McIntosh
Greens - Labour
Park Ward
Keith Cawdron - Liberal Democrats
● Roy Greason - Greens
● Paul McCord - Lydiate and Maghull Community Independents
Chloe Parker - Labour Party
Craig Titherington
Conservatives
Ravenmeols Ward Maria Bennett - Formby Residents Action Group
● Alison Gibbon - Greens
● Lisa Nicolson-Smith Liberal Democrats
Catie Page - Labour Party
Angelica Sadrieva
Conservatives
St Oswald Ward Henry Bliss - Conservatives
Joe Johnson
Party
Conor O’Neill - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Rupert - Labour
Shoebridge
Greens
Sudell Ward
Marie Blease - Independent
Paul Dunbar
James Hansen - Labour Party
Daniel Kirk - Conservatives
Joanne McCall - Lydiate and Maghull Community Independents
James Tattersall - Liberal Democrats - Independent
Victoria Ward
Paul Barber - Conservatives
Samantha Cook - Independent
Hannah Gee - Liberal Democrats
Michael Roche - Labour Party
SONG PRESENTS LES MISéRABLES – SCHOOL EDITION AT THE ATKINSON, SOUTHPORT
Review by Andrew Brown
YOU can tell when a show is really special - and I mean really special - when you are walking into the venue and people you walk past keep telling you what an ‘amazing production’ it is.
‘You’ll cry at this one’ a couple of them said. ‘Lots.’
I saw a friend of mine on our row who was back to enjoy his second performance. I would happily do the same.
Never mind the tag ‘school edition’. This is as good a production as you’ll see.
Les Misérables is the