Elections are happening on the Isle of Wight tomorrow (Thursday) – but who is standing, where are they happening, and who can vote?
A total of 3 Isle of Wight Council seats – Central Rural, Freshwater South and Lake North – will be up for grabs.
There will also be 16 town and parish elections across the Island, including in Brading, Calbourne, Porchfield, Cowes, East Cowes, Godshill, Ryde, Sandown, Shalfleet, Shanklin and Yarmouth.
County Hall by-elections
The by-elections, called after the resignations of Suzie Ellis, John Medland and Tig Outlaw, will be the first elections on the Isle of Wight since the new Labour government arrived in office last July.
Central Rural ward includes the villages of Chillerton, Rookley, Arreton and Godshill.
5 candidates are looking to replace Suzie Ellis as the area’s next county councillor: Bob Blezzard (Liberal Democrats), Caroline Gladwin (Reform UK), Simon Haytack (Labour), Julia Laursen (Green Party) and Simon Richards (Conservative Party).
Freshwater South stretches from Freshwater’s School Green and Freshwater Bay to Compton Farm in the east of the ward, bordering the neighbouring Freshwater North and Yarmouth and Brighstone, Calbourne and Shalfleet seats.
The 6 contenders in the race to take over from John Medland include Anne Bamford of the Labour Party, Bill Nigh for Reform UK, the Conservatives’ Warren Whyte and Tony Zeid with the Liberal Democrats. Two are hoping to represent the ward as independents: Becca Cameron and Emma Cox.
The Lake North ward extends from Sandown Bay Academy down to Lake Beach.
Candidates from all the major Isle of Wight parties are contesting the seat: Emily Brothers of the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats’ Julie Burridge, David Maclean for Reform UK, Robert May with the Green Party, Sarah Morris as an independent and Adrian Whittaker from the Conservatives.
Town and parish elections
The full list of town and parish wards where elections will be held is:
- Brading Town Council
- Calbourne, Newtown and Porchfield Parish Council – Calbourne Ward
- Calbourne, Newtown and Porchfield Parish Council – Porchfield Ward
- Cowes Town Council – Cowes South Ward
- East Cowes Town Council – Osborne Ward
- Godshill Parish Council
- Ryde Town Council – Ryde North West Ward
- Ryde Town Council – Ryde South East Ward
- Ryde Town Council – Ryde West Ward
- Sandown Town Council – Sandown North Ward
- Sandown Town Council – Sandown South Ward
- Shalfleet Parish Council – Shalfleet East Ward
- Shalfleet Parish Council – Shalfleet West Ward
- Shanklin Town Council – Shanklin Central Ward
- Yarmouth Town Council – Thorley Ward
- Yarmouth Town Council – Yarmouth Ward
Other town, parish and community council wards on the Isle of Wight will not be holding elections due to the number of candidates not exceeding the number of vacancies.
Voter ID, such as a passport or driving licence, is required for both the by-elections and town and parish elections.
Polling stations will be open on Thursday from 07:00 until 22:00. Results will be available on Friday, after the count, right here on Island Echo.
Find out who your local councillor is, how and where to vote and the results of previous elections at www.isleofwight.vote - the Island's new hub for all things related to Local and General Elections, brought to you by Island Echo.
What happens to the council if Reform wins all 3 seats?
Could ‘Ed Blake’ seize power by forming a coalition with Reform?
Could Joe Robertson be force to resign from the Conservative Council Group or be expelled from Kemi Badenoch’s Parliamentary Party as a hypocrite?
Tune in on Friday for more!
(And yes – I have zero faith in people. Reform will take all 3 seats)
Central Rural won’t be reform, I’d doubt Freshwater will be, Lake maybe. Either way we have a coalition council and it would take all three joining forces with Tories and some of the independents to cause much of a problem. The day we have a Reform council here is the day I and many others leave, along with our businesses and taxes.
To be in the situation we are in is very
worrying, Reform are not the answer.
Reform are thugs, just look at their voters
majority of them are hooligans.
Independent for me.
Grow up ffs, stop reading the things you want to read and soak up like a good sponge, jeez, just because people want change, they are thugs.
My vote was stolen, only contempt for anyone voting con/lab uniparty.
Really? Who by? Did you not receive your polling card?
Should of been a FULL council election on May 1st, but no brainer Raynor said no, as the bunch of liars also known as the labour party knew they would lose here.
Bla bla bla, waste of time they don’t do anything anyway!
So true, the WEF give them their instructions
so nothing will get done to help people.
If you don’t vote, don’t moan.
Just remember what party took the winter fuel allowance allowance from the aged, who gave such stupid pay rises to ther union friends that companies have to sack staff because of theextra NI contributons.
After the last election I doubt anyone will ever
vote Labour again.
REAL Labour would never have done what this
Labour Government have done to people.
Jeremy Corbyn was REAL Labour, this lot are
Conservatives in disguise, they have done more
damage in less than 1 year than the Conservatives
done in 14 years.
100% correct, Starmer is the most evil PM ever, he is going to be worse than Thatcher and that is saying something.