Category: About the Election

The Election: When, Where, What

(Graphic from one of our previous voter registration pushes!)

WHAT ELECTIONS?

Local politics doesn’t get the same limelight as national or international – but it makes a big difference in the lives of our local communities. Another local/council election is coming – and we (the Green Party) are hoping to win a second seat here in the ‘ward’ (zone) called ‘Hunslet and Riverside’ – formerly known as ‘City and Hunslet’*.

These elections happen nearly every year, to choose (each year, on rotation) one of our THREE city councillors to represent our area in the Civic Hall, and to work with residents on local issues.

We’ve been actively campaigning behind Ed Carlisle in this ward since 2015, our vote share kept growing – and we broke through and won a seat in May 2022 (with over 50% of the vote). Ed therefore isn’t standing this year (2023), so our candidate this year is local community champion Omar Mushtaq.

(*Ed also stood in the 2017 and 2019 General/Parliamentary Elections for the wider area of Leeds Central.)

WHERE/WHAT IS HUNSLET AND RIVERSIDE?

The council ward of ‘Hunslet and Riverside’ was formerly called ‘City and Hunslet’. The ward is made up of the following neighbourhoods:

  • Beeston Hill (the northern side of Cross Flatts Park, around Tempest Road), as far west as Beeston Road: the terraced area around Tempest Road, the Greenmounts, Waverleys, Disraelis, Bismarcks, Greenhouse, Couplands, Northcotes, and everything in between;
  • ‘Hunslet Moor’, ie the Garnets/Oakleys, the Longroyds, Crescent Grange and Towers, the Moor Crescent estate, and thereabouts;
  • and the whole of Hunslet and Hunslet Carr, as far south as the M621…

Then it gets a bit fiddly (!):

  • H2010, Victoria and Hunslet Mills, the southern half of the Climate Innovation District, and Leeds Dock (formerly known as Clarence Dock);
  • Brewery Wharf and the surrounding area;
  • Neptune Street, East Street and Gateway;
  • The Calls, Corn Exchange, and surrounding area;
  • The area between Boar Lane and the river, eg Regents Court, Lower Briggate, Concordia Street, New Station Street, and Mill Hill;
  • and Whitehall Road, including West Point and City Central.

If in any doubt as to which ward you’re in, get in touch, and we’ll sort you out.

WHO CAN VOTE?

At local/council elections, most people 18 or over can vote, including: all British, EU, and Commonwealth citizens who are permanently resident here. Overseas UK citizens can vote, but must register specially to do so. You must be over 18 on the day of the election to vote (although the Greens are campaigning for the voting age to come down to 16). For more info on all this, click here. And you MUST be registered on the electoral register to vote…

ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?

If not, you won’t be able to vote in either this election, or any future elections or referendums. So please consider doing so NOW – and if you’re not sure, do it again, because they won’t register you twice. It takes about 3-4 minutes online – click here! (Having your National Insurance number to hand will help.) The deadline to register ahead of any given election is THREE WEEKS beforehand: **MIDNIGHT on MONDAY 17th APRIL 2023**.

You can also register to vote by post (click here to find out more, or get in touch for help). In that case, you’ll get your polling card and full instructions in the post two weeks before the election – then you’ll need to post your vote or drop it into Leeds Town Hall (or some of the polling stations take them too) by 10pm on election day. The deadline to register for this election is 5pm on Tuesday 18th April 2023.

VOTING + ELECTION INFO, INCL PHOTO ID!

The next local election is due on Thursday 4th May 2023. Put the date in your diary! Polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm. We will list them all on here beforehand.

You’ll be sent a polling card in the post telling you which polling station to go to – but note that you DON’T need it to vote. Just turn up and give them your name and address.

**NOTE THAT ANYONE VOTING IN PERSON THIS YEAR (2023) AND IN THE FUTURE WILL NEED PHOTOGRAPHIC ID** to do so. Full info here.

You’ll then be given a voting slip. It will have a list of names on it, including Omar Mushtaq’s, with a Green Party logo next to it – if you think we merit your vote!

The votes will be counted and announced the following day after the election (Friday 5th May 2023).