Five candidates standing for Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s role

The election, which was postponed from last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will see a commissioner selected for the next four years after Local Elections take place on Thursday May 6.

Nominations have been processed by the City of Lincoln Council and have now been published on their website after the deadline for applications closed yessterday.

The five named candidates are:

o Escreet, Peter Anthony - Reform UK

o Jones, Marc Stuart - Conservative Candidate - More Police, Safer Streets

o Kirk, Rosanne Christina - Labour and Cooperative Party

o Pepper, Ross David - Liberal Democrat

o Williams, David Vaughan - Lincolnshire Independents

The Police and Crime Commissioner’s role is to represent the people of Lincolnshire on policing matters and hold the police to account. PCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their force area. The PCC is unique in that it is a role elected by the public which makes it unlike any other role in the policing environment.

Poll cards have already been issued to registered voters advising of polling arrangements, and locations. If you have not yet received a poll card it is probable that you are not registered to vote at your current address.

In order to vote you have to be registered to do so at your current address. If you have moved house or become eligible to vote since the last election in December 2019, it is especially important to ensure you are registered.

This can be done at www.gov.uk/registertovote before 11.59pm on Monday April 19.

Once registered you can then choose to apply for a postal vote, by 5pm on Tuesday April 20; or a proxy vote, where you authorise someone to vote on your behalf, by 5pm on Tuesday, April 27.

If you want to choose either of these options, you can download and print forms at www.electoralcommision.org.uk . You are asked to do so as early as possible to assist with the processing and ensure you get your ballot papers promptly. You can even submit the forms electronically to your local district council elections email address which can be found on their websites, with a clear photo or scan showing your signature.

The councils are doing everything it can to make voting at a polling station as safe as possible, putting in place requirements similar to those you experience when you go shopping, such as face coverings, hand sanitiser and safe distancing. Voters should anticipate the need to queue as these measures will slow the process.

You are asked to go alone and to take your own pen or pencil to the polling station for extra Covid-safe certainty.

The postal and proxy voting options may be especially appealing to people who are shielding or cautious about going out, or whose work might make it difficult to vote on the day between 7am and 10pm.

As well as new applications, changes to existing postal voting arrangements must be made by 5pm on April 20.

To cancel or change a proxy vote arrangement, this needs to be done by 5pm on April 20, but applications for new proxies is 5pm on April 27. There is provision for emergency proxies to vote at a polling station. Deadline 5pm on May 6.

There is an option to request a postal vote by default for all subsequent elections. Anyone who did not select this option previously, will need to re-apply on this occasion.