Government urged to make ‘early decision’ over holding of elections
The Government needs to make an early decision about when local elections will be held so that plans can be put in place, the leader of West Sussex County Council has said.
Voters should be going to the polls on May 6 to choose not only their county councillors but also a Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner.
On top of that, by-elections are due to be held in Mid Sussex and Arun, while Crawley, Worthing and Adur District all have elections which were postponed last year.
The word from Parliament, though, has not been definitive, with some saying the elections will go ahead while others say they will be delayed again.
Paul Marshall, leader of West Sussex County Council, said: “Local democracy is a vital part of our society and it’s imperative that it is able to take place.
“However we are living through unprecedented times and, as a country, are taking actions we never believed we would need to take.
“As such I recognise how difficult it is to get the balance right between keeping our residents safe and doing everything we can to beat this virus and making sure the democratic process is protected.
“We continue to talk to the government about what plans could be put in place on this issue.
“The most important thing is the government makes an early decision so that plans can be put in place.”
The overall feeling is that the elections should be delayed again.
A spokesman for the Police and Crime Commissioner predicted they would be put back to October, while the chief executive at Crawley has been asked by the governance committee to write to the Government and call for another postponement.
Crawley leader Peter Lamb added that it would be ‘irresponsible’ for the elections to go ahead.
While Adur and Worthing are preparing for thousands to head for the ballot boxes in May, a spokesman said the councils were speaking with the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ‘on a range of issues.’