Winterbourne parish election is rare exception

Eldridge are also running for South Gloucestershire Council as Liberal Democrats.

Labour is standing one candidate, John Lloyd, who is also running for election to South Gloucestershire Council.

The other parish ward in the area where an election will take place is the Iron Acton ward of Iron Acton Parish Council.

There are five candidates, all of whom are standing without party labels, for the four seats: David Barker, Paul Chapman, Adrian Edmonds, Denise Smith, Catherine Spedding and Jon Wright.

Iron Acton's East ward has just one candidate, Robert Lomas, who is elected unopposed, with three seats left vacant.

In Frampton Cotterell the following candidates have been elected unopposed, with party labels in brackets where stated:

Central ward - Morgan Bolton, Tristan Clark, Edwina Pennell, Antonia Williams (Independent) and Linda Williams (Ind).

East ward - David Goodwin (Ind), Andy Pullen, David Williams.

West ward - Matthew Hemmings, Dave Hockey (Save our countryside), Pat hockey (Ind), Alan Lankester (Grn), Tim Niblett.

The six candidates elected unopposed in the Coalpit Heath ward of Coalpit Heath & Westerleigh are: Tristan Clark, Carolina Echegaray (Grn), Adam Hill, Kate Kelliher, Jon Lean and Rob McCullough (Ind).

Carol Goddard (Ind) is the only candidate who stood in the parish's Westerleigh ward, which leaves each ward with one vacancy.

In Rangeworthy, four of the five seats have been filled, and in Cromhall five of seven seats have been filled.

Nominations are reopened for unfilled vacancies within 35 days of polling day on May 4. Those already elected unopposed do not have to run again but there could be elections if more nominations are submitted in a ward than there are vacancies. If seats still remain unfilled after nominations close again, parish councils have the power to appoint or 'co-opt' new members.

need photo ID to vote

POLLING takes place from 7am to 10pm on Thursday, May 4, with counting getting underway immediately afterwards.

For the first time, all voters will need to bring formal photo identification, such as a driving licence or passport with them to the polling station or face being turned away, under a law which has just come into force.

Free Voter Authority Certificates, which allow people without other accepted forms of photo ID to vote, have been made available, but the deadline to apply for one has already passed.

Other acceptable forms of photo ID include: a biometric immigration document, Proof of Age Standards Scheme ID card, Ministry of Defence ID card, blue badge, national identity card issued by an EEA state, older person’s or disabled person’s bus pass, Oyster 60+ Card or Freedom Pass.

The photo ID law has been controversial, with opposition councillors warning earlier this year that more than 8,000 people in South Gloucestershire do not have the required identification and could be "disenfranchised" as a result.

The law has been brought in to prevent electoral fraud, but opponents say there have only been two convictions for the crime in the past five years, while hundreds were turned away from polling stations in trial areas in 2019.

Research by the Electoral Commission shows voters less likely to have an accepted form of ID are over-85s, people with disabilities, homeless and transgender people.

SOUTH Gloucestershire Council has rejected claims it would take 742 years to repair all of its crumbling roads and potholes.

The figure was put to council leader Toby Savage at a cabinet meeting in March by Yate town councillor Chris Willmore, who said it was based on raw government data used to compile a league table of backlogs.

She told Mr Savage: "You have more A-road length than Bristol but only managed to repair a third as much. At the current rate of repairs, Bristol could repair all its A roads in 56 years – you would take 170 years.

“If we go to the other roads, South Glos repairs half as much each year, even though it has more roads. Bristol at its current rate would take 391 years to repair all those roads – South Glos would take 742 years.”

Council leader Toby Savage admitted there was work to do but said the administration had committed an extra £1 million in the budget, set in February, to improve the state of highways and pavements.

The numbers were based