Polls are open on Thursday 2 May for elections to two important political roles in the region.
People are able to vote for a mayor for the Liverpool City Region and a Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside.
The mayor covers Wirral, Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens and Halton and has powers over housing, regeneration, adult education and skills, strategic planning, culture and economic development, as well as public transport. They are not responsible for council services such as bin collections, but can provide funding for infrastructure, skills and cultural projects such as road improvements, adult learning and events.
The Police and Crime Commissioner’s job is to hold Merseyside’s Chief Constable to account. They have the power to set the police budget and a duty to monitor the criminal justice system in the region.
The candidates for mayor (in alphabetical order) are:
- Tom Crone – Green
- Jade Marsden – Conservative
- Rob McAllister-Bell – Liberal Democrats
- Steve Rotheram – Labour
- Ian Smith – Independent
More information about the candidates and their manifesto pledges can be found at https://liverpoolcityregionelects.org/.
The candidates for Police and Crime Commissioner (in alphabetical order) are:
- Christopher Carubia – Liberal Democrats
- Amanda Onwuemene – Green
- Emily Spurrell – Labour
- Bob Teesdale – Conservative
Polling stations are open from 7am – 10pm and photo ID is required in order to vote. Find out more at https://www.wirral.gov.uk/elections-and-voting/elections.
The counting of the ballot papers and declaration of results will take place on Saturday 4 May.
There are no local elections in Wirral this year as the council has moved to a system where every seat is contested every four years, with the next poll taking place in 2027.
