How to vote in mayoral, borough and parish council elections

elections v.1

By Danielle Andrews

Published 30th Apr 2024, 10:54 BST

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Voters in Rotherham will elect councillors and the South Yorkshire mayor on Thursday 2 May.

Voters in some parts of Rotherham will have the chance to vote in three elections – parish, borough and mayoral.

Here is everything you need to know before you cast your vote on Thursday.

Rotherham Town Hall

Rotherham Town Hall

What is the mayoral election?

South Yorkshire’s mayor, who is currently Labour’s Oliver Coppard, represents about 1.4m people in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.

The leaders of those four council areas all sit on the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), which makes decisions that affect the whole area.

The mayor’s responsibilities cover areas which have been devolved from central government such as public transport, infrastructure, economic development, business, skills and regeneration. Anyone who lives in one of the four council areas and is registered to vote can vote for the mayor.

South Yorkshire’s mayor will also take on the duties of the outgoing police and crime commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, who holds South Yorkshire Police to account.

Here are the candidates:

David Bettney – Social Democratic Party
Douglas Johnson – Green Party
Hannah Kitching – Liberal Democrats
Nick Allen – Conservative Party
Oliver Coppard – Labour Party

Who are the borough election candidates?

Borough councillors are elected for a four-year team to represent their ward, at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.

All 59 councillors, representing 25 wards inside the Rotherham Borough will defend their seats this year.

Currently, Labour holds 32 seats, the Conservatives hold 15, the Liberal Democrats hold four, independents hold seven, and the Independent Conservatives hold two.

What does Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council do?

RMBC is responsible for providing a variety of public services, including:

rubbish collection
maintaining and repairing roads
social care
housing
recycling
planning applications
education
public health
revenue and benefits support
licensing
business regulation

Parish, community and town councils

These operate at a level below the borough council and can help on smaller, localised issues such as:

allotments
public clocks
bus shelters
community centres
play areas and play equipment
grants to help local organisations
consultation on neighbourhood planning

How do I vote?

Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm on polling day and the address of your polling station appears on your poll card letter which is sent to you a few weeks before the election.

You will be given a ballot paper for each poll which will have a list of candidates and their political parties, and you will also need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations.

The ballot paper will tell you how many votes you have, or you can check with a member of staff.

There are 28 parish and town councils across Rotherham, and residents living within the boundaries can vote for their parish or town councillor, as well as their borough councillor to represent them at RMBC.

What do I need to vote?

To vote in person at a polling station, residents will need one of the following forms of photo identification.

UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional) or driving licence issued byEuropean Economic Area (EEA) country, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
UK passport or passport issued by EEA or Commonwealth country
blue badge
older person’s bus pass
disabled person’s bus pass
Oyster 60+ Card
Freedom Pass
identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)
biometric residence permit
Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
national identity card issued by an EEA state
Voter Authority Certificate

For more information on the elections, see:

Statements of nominated persons – parish and town councils

Rotherham South Yorkshire Alan Billings