NATIONALLY the elections will be in the news today as Parliament is dissolved at the end of the ‘long election campaign’ period which began on 19th December 2014 and the ‘short campaign’ begins and writs will be issued for elections in the UK’s 650 constituencies to be held on Thursday 7th May 2015. Graham Stuart loses his MP title and becomes just another candidate competing for the vacant Beverley and Holderness constituency seat.

Declared candidates to date are:

• Denis Healy (Liberal-Democrat)
• Richard Howarth (Green Party)
• Margaret Pinder (Labour Party)
• Gary Shores (UKIP)
• Graham Stuart (Conservative Party)
• Lee Walton (Yorkshire First)

There is still time to be nominated as a Parliamentary candidate. Your Nomination Paper, along with a £500 deposit, must be delivered by hand by the Candidate, Agent, proposer or seconder to the (Acting) Returning Officer at County Hall Beverley, between Wednesday 1st April and 4pm on Thursday, 9th April 2015. You will require a ‘proposer’ and a ‘seconder’ plus eight assentors to nominate you and sign the nomination paper. All proposer, seconders and assentors must be registered electors in the constituency.

Churches Together in Hedon and District have invited the known candidates to a Hustings event in St Augustine’s Church on Thursday 30th April starting at 7:30pm. Questions to the candidates can be emailed in advance to ken@kswilson.karoo.co.uk.

HU12 Online will be covering the constituency battle, with the Hedon Blog considering the issues from a town perspective.

The date of the general election is also the date to fill the three vacant seats in the South West Holderness Ward on East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Candidates have already been campaigning for some time. Over the last weekend Labour Party supporters were distributing leaflets in the town centre, Conservative candidates have announced a series of street surgeries in April on Saturday and Wednesday (market day) mornings.

A Labour Poster on Ivy Lane – we expect the battle of the different coloured posters to increase dramatically over the next few weeks. (Incidentally, the Ivy Lane area is the address of three of the South West Holderness candidates ).

And today the Hedon Blog formally publishes the first election statements of two candidates; Terry West of UKIP and Neil Black of the Labour Party. A new face on the running list for the Conservatives is Sue Steel. There is no news yet from supporters of Ann Suggit on whether the veteran Independent will be standing again, and no news at all of any Liberal-Democrat challenge. Another Independent candidate is expected to announce a decision to stand very soon.

A Ward Nomination Paper must be delivered by hand (anyone can deliver the nomination paper on behalf of the candidate) to the Returning Officer from today Monday 30th March and by 4pm on Thursday, 9th April 2015. A candidate requires a ‘proposer’, a ‘seconder’ plus eight assentors who all must be registered electors for the ward.

We have already launched our news page to cover the Ward election (see the Menu Campaigning for YOUR votes – East Riding of Yorkshire Council Elections 2015 at the top of the page).

Thursday 7th May is also the date for the Hedon Town Council and local parish council elections. We shall be watching the Hedon Town Council elections very closely on the Hedon Blog too.

Nomination Paper must be delivered by hand (anyone can deliver the nomination paper on behalf of the candidate) to the Returning Officer from today Monday 30th March and by 4pm on Thursday, 9th April 2015. You will require a ‘proposer’ and a ‘seconder’ to nominate you and sign the nomination paper. All proposers and seconders must be registered electors for the parish you wish to stand for election in.

Find out more information on standing for election at the East Riding of Yorkshire Council website at the link below.

Visit: East Riding Council – Information for Candidates